Valencia Basket

	Foundation	1986
	Arena	Roig Arena
	Championships	Liga ACB / EuroLeague
	Coach	Pedro Martínez
	Famous players who have played for the club	Bojan Dubljević / Nando de Colo / Fabricio Oberto

Player to watch : Jean Montero

The clear favourite in the race for the 2026 Rising Star award is in Valencia! Having arrived straight from across the Atlantic, Jean Montero has been causing havoc in attack ever since he first stepped onto the courts in Spain. A 1.88-metre shooting guard, the Dominican has such a wide range of skills with the ball that it seems impossible to stop him once he gets going. Drives, mid-range shots, three-pointers, assist passes… The three-time Liga Rookie of the Year can single-handedly change the face of a team’s offence.

His excellence was honed at CBA Gran Canaria and then at Betis Seville, where he was averaging 18 points despite having only just turned 18! His transition to the pinnacle of European basketball also required no adjustment. A member of the 2025 All-Eurocup First Team, Jean Montero is sweeping all before him. It’s worth noting that he’s just as solid defensively, as his strength in steals illustrates. Now, all that remains is to see if he can prove himself in the EuroLeague (C1).

Playing style

Valencia, Baskonia, Gran Canaria, Bàsquet Manresa… All these clubs where Pedro Martínez has managed share the same modern DNA. At the Taronges, there are no heroes, no franchise player as such, but an approach based above all on teamwork. They are also said to be one of the youngest squads in the competition, which gives them a unique burst of energy and athleticism. This combination allows them to excel in transition. At its core lies that age-old yet effective basketball rule: exploit the open space! It seems too basic, and yet it works like a charm.

Constantly on the move without the ball, the Valencia players excel in the art of creating space. The result: once they’ve found space, they have the time needed to make the best decision. Valencia is, above all, an attack-minded team, though they don’t shy away from defence. Aggressive on the ball-carrier, this defence—which focuses particularly on the back lines—constantly seeks turnovers and interceptions. Pressing again and again until the opponent is overwhelmed. That is the aim of this team without the ball!

History of the club

The birth of Valencia Basket stemmed from the decline of Valencia Football Club. Faced with relegation to the Spanish second division and the financial difficulties that followed, Los Ches decided to shut down all the club’s sporting sections during the summer of 1986… including basketball! This came at a bad time, as the city’s basketball players were beginning to build a dedicated community thanks to their strong on-court performances. In view of the enthusiasm generated, the former director of the basketball section – Vicente Solá – decided to set up a separate basketball entity as early as September 1986. An initiative supported by the federation, which offered them a place in the second tier of the top flight for their debut season. A path to the very top made all the easier by the fact that, at the end of the 1987–1988 season, the Liga expanded from 16 to 24 teams, meaning eight promotion spots. The opportunity was too good to miss! The Taronges went all in, kept only two players, invested heavily and eventually secured promotion!

The early-season excitement gave way to fierce competition. Initially a second-tier side, Valencia secured a place in the play-offs four times in a row up until the 1994–95 season. Having been at the club for two and a half years, Manu Moreno was relieved of his duties as head coach during an extremely difficult season. But the shake-up failed to work, and the club were relegated following an unfortunate play-off against Somontano Huesca. Mihajlo Vuković’s men secured promotion the very next year, however. Except that this time, La Liga had reduced the number of promotion spots. The Valencians still managed to reach the top flight by purchasing the rights to the spot vacated by Amway Zaragoza. Following this eventful episode, the Taronges flourished under Nacho Rodilla, eventually winning their first trophy with the 1998 Copa del Rey against national champions Joventut de Badalona (89-75).

The 2000s began much like the turn of the millennium. Although Mihajlo Vuković left the orange and white side, Valencia maintained its upward trajectory. Boasting big names such as Fabricio Oberto, Dejan Tomašević and Alejandro Montecchia, this generation reached the league finals for the first time in 2003. But Spain wasn’t enough! At the same time, the club explored the continental stage through the Saporta Cup (C2): 2000 – quarter-finals, 2001 – semi-finals, 2002 – final and 2003 – victory! This exponential rise was confirmed in the EuroLeague (C1). Bolstered by the signing of Antoine Rigaudeau, the team narrowly missed out on the playoffs after refusing to face Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. This elimination marked the end of this first European chapter. This was followed by two lean years, a spring clean across all levels of the management, and the recruitment of MVPs in the form of Dejan Milojević and Rubén Douglas. The Taronges reached the Liga quarter-finals, and in 2010, they embarked on another epic EuroCup (C2) campaign, culminating in a ruthless victory over Alba Berlin (67-44).

The contract extensions for Neven Spahija, Thomas Kelati, Kosta Perovic and, above all, Matt Nielsen offer Valencia a guarantee of stability for the seasons ahead. Finals are becoming a regular occurrence on the Iberian coast. From the 2011 Super Cup to the 2013 Copa del Rey, via the 2012 EuroCup (C2), the club racked up a string of strong performances, albeit without a gold medal. That run of bad luck was finally broken in the 2014 EuroCup against UNICS Kazan (80-67/85-73). Reaching the semi-finals of both the domestic cup and the league, the Taronges put in a stellar campaign. In the summer of 2015, Velimir Perasović left the Valencia bench. Replaced a few months later by Pedro Martínez, the Spanish coach laid the groundwork before delivering the club’s greatest season to mark its 30th anniversary in 2017. Beyond yet another EuroCup (C2) semi-final followed by a Copa del Rey final, Valencia caused a sensation against Real Madrid in a frenzied Fonteta and won their only La Liga title. A monumental achievement coupled with a Super Cup triumph.

To build on this momentum, the club appointed Jaume Ponsarnau, who had been assistant coach since 2016, as head coach. It was a masterstroke, as Valencia added a fourth EuroCup (C2) to their trophy cabinet in 2019 thanks to another impressive performance against Alba Berlin (89-75/92-95/89-53). Since then, the team has been alternating between the EuroLeague (C1) and the EuroCup (C2). Most recently, the squad led by the returning Pedro Martínez reached the 2025 Liga finals before going on to take their revenge on Real Madrid in the 2025 Super Cup. Led by young talents such as Sergio De Larrea, the new residents of the Roig Arena are determined to challenge the dominance of the Madrid and Barcelona giants even further.

awards and honors

	EuroCup (C2)	2003 / 2010 / 2014 / 2019
	Spanish champion	2017
	Spanish Cup	1998
	Spanish Supercup	2017 / 2025

Zoom : Roig Arena

Originally scheduled for 2023, the Roig Arena finally opened its doors on 6 September 2025 as the home ground of Valencia Basket. Named in honour of the founder and president of Mercadona (a Spanish food retail company specialising in local supermarkets), the arena has a capacity of 15,600 spectators on match days. Although for concerts, it can accommodate up to 18,600 or even 20,000 people.

This €300 million investment stands out in particular for its ultra-modern design, very much ‘NBA-compatible’. With giant screens, lighting effects and 360-degree LED displays, the Roig Arena is designed to add an extra touch of spectacle to basketball matches. A symbol of the club’s new scale, this venue meets the growing demands of European basketball in terms of capacity and comfort.