FC Barcelona Bàsquet (English: FC Barcelona Basketball), commonly referred to as FC Barcelona () and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional basketball team based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is a part of the FC Barcelona multi-sports club, and was founded on 24 August 1926, which makes it the oldest club in the Liga ACB. The team, which competes in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, is one of the most successful basketball teams domestically as well as internationally. Two times European champions, Barça completed a triple crown in 2003 by winning the season's league, cup and EuroLeague. Their home arena is the Palau Blaugrana, which was opened on 23 October 1971. They share the facilities with the roller hockey, futsal and handball teams of the club.
Some of the well-known players that have played with the team included Pau Gasol, Rony Seikaly, Marc Gasol, Anderson Varejão, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jaka Lakovič, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Dejan Bodiroga, Gianluca Basile, Ricky Rubio, Juan Antonio San Epifanio, Saša Đorđević, and Tony Massenburg.
FC Barcelona also has a reserve team, called FC Barcelona Bàsquet B, that plays in the Liga U.
History
Early years Founded on 24 August 1926, the club entered its first competition in 1927, playing in the Campionat de Catalunya de Basquetbol (Catalan Basketball Championship). During these early years, basketball in Catalonia was dominated by clubs such as CE Europa, Laietà BC and Société Patrie (later CB Atlètic Gràcia) and it was not until the 1940s that FC Barcelona created a basketball team. During this decade they won six Copas del Generalísimo de Baloncesto and were runners-up once. In 1956 they were founding members of the Liga Española de Baloncesto and finished as runners-up. In 1959 they won Spanish basketball's first-ever league and cup double.HISTORY OF THE SECTION, fcbarcelona.com, accessed 29 December 2010.
Decline in the 1960s The 1960s and 1970s saw the team in decline. In 1961 the club president Enric Llaudet dissolved the team in spite of its popularity. However, in 1962, the club was reformed after a campaign by the fans. In 1964 the league's Primera División was cut from fourteen teams to eight and the club found themselves in the Segunda División after not finishing between the two first qualified teams in the relegation playoffs. However they quickly returned to the top division after being crowned Segunda champions in 1965. During the 1970s the club was persistently overshadowed by its rivals Real Madrid and Joventut.
Revival in the 1980s In the 1980s club president Josep Lluís Núñez gave the team his full support with the aim of making the club the best in Spain and Europe. His support produced results and during the decade inspired by their coach Aíto García Reneses and players like Juan Antonio San Epifanio (better known as Epi), Andrés Jiménez, Sibilio, Audie Norris and Solozábal, the club won six Spanish championships, five Spanish cups, two European Cup Winners' Cups, the Korać Cup and the World Championship. However the European Cup remained elusive, ending as runners-up in 1984. In the 1987–88 season Barça won the Copa Príncipe, Liga ACB, Copa del Rey and the Supercopa completing a quadruple.
Champions of Europe The club built on this success during the 1990s, winning a further four Spanish championships and two Spanish cups. They were still unable to win the European Cup despite playing in a further four finals in 1990, 1991, 1996 and 1997. They also made a record six EuroLeague Final Four appearances. The star player during this era was Juan Antonio San Epifanio.
Their persistence eventually paid off and in 2003, inspired by Dejan Bodiroga, Gregor Fučka, Šarūnas Jasikevičius and Juan Carlos Navarro, they won the EuroLeague, beating Benetton Treviso 76–65 in front of a packed Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. They repeated the feat in 2010, defeating Olympiacos by a wide 86–68 in Paris, and that October, they made further history when they beat the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers – including Kobe Bryant and FCB Bàsquet alumnus and Barcelona native Pau Gasol – 92–88 at the Palau Sant Jordi as part of the 2010 NBA Europe Live Tour. The match was also notable for being both a match-up between the reigning NBA and EuroLeague champions and the first time a European team had won against a defending NBA champion. Two FCB Bàsquet players in that game – captain Navarro and point guard Ricky Rubio – either had or went on to play in the NBA.
Recent years
In the following years, Barcelona would stay on top of Spanish basketball, playing almost all league and cup finals against rival Real Madrid. From 2012 until 2014, Barcelona managed to reach the Euroleague Final Four. However, it could not reach further than the semifinals. Barcelona won the Spanish Championship in 2014, but the next few seasons became absolute disasters, both in the Euroleague, and the Spanish League. However, the team saw a return to form in the Copa del Rey, which was won in 2018, in 2019 and in 2021 defeating Real Madrid on all three finals.Palmarés de la Copa del Rey ; ACB.com. In Spanish. In 2021 the Spanish Championship was won for the 19th time—the first in seven years—and only a narrow defeat against Anadolu Efes in the championship game of the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four prevented the Catalan giants from winning the competition for the third time. On June 21, 2023, Barça defeated Real Madrid 82–93 to win their 20th Spanish Championship.
Sponsorship naming was the team's initial sponsor, being featured in the official name and the team's uniform for 10 seasons, between 1989 and 1998. From 2004 until 2007 the club was sponsored by the Winterthur Group, a Swiss insurance company with offices in Barcelona since 1910. Coincidentally, Winterthur was the birthplace of club founder Joan Gamper. In 2006 the Winterthur Group was taken over by AXA, leading to a change in the club name. In the 2008–09 season, the club's sponsorship changed to Spanish insurer Regal (a division of Liberty Seguros, the Spanish subsidiary of American insurer Liberty Mutual). This sponsorship finished in June 2013. The team's most recent name sponsor was Turkish tyre manufacturer Lassa Tyres, between 2015 and 2019.
FC Barcelona Banca Catalana (1989–1998) Winterthur FC Barcelona (2004–2007) AXA FC Barcelona (2007–2008) Regal FC Barcelona (2008–2011) FC Barcelona Regal (2011–2013)La UEFA autoriza la doble publicidad del Barcelona, MARCA.com, accessed 22 June 2011. FC Barcelona Lassa (2015–2019)
Home arenas
Sol de Baix Sports Complex (1926–1940) Les Corts Court (1940–1971), located next to Les Corts football stadium Palau Sant Jordi (1990–1992), after 1992 occasionally used for home games Palau Blaugrana (1971–1990, 1992–present) Nou Palau Blaugrana (future venue)
Players
Retired numbers FC Barcelona retired numbersNoPlayerTenure 4 Andrés Jiménez PF 1986–1998 7 Nacho Solozábal PG 1978–1994 11 Juan Carlos Navarro SG 1997–2007, 2008–2018 12 Roberto Dueñas C 1996–2005 15 Juan Antonio San Epifanio SF 1979–1995
Current roster
Depth chart
Notable players
Players at the NBA draft
PositionPlayerYearRoundPickDrafted byC Roberto Dueñas#19972nd round57thChicago BullsPF/C Pau Gasol*~20011st round3rd Atlanta HawksSG Juan Carlos Navarro20022nd round40thWashington WizardsC Remon van de Hare#20032nd round52ndToronto RaptorsPF/C Anderson Varejão20042nd round30thOrlando MagicSF Christian Drejer#20042nd round51stNew Jersey NetsSG/SF Álex Abrines20132nd round32ndOklahoma City ThunderPF/C Marko Todorović#20132nd round45th Portland Trail BlazersSF/PF Mario Hezonja20151st round5th Orlando MagicSG/SF Marcus Eriksson#20152nd round50thAtlanta HawksSF/PF Sasha Vezenkov20172nd round57thBrooklyn NetsSF Rodions Kurucs20182nd round40th Brooklyn NetsSF Leandro Bolmaro20201st round23rd New York KnicksC James Nnaji#20232nd round31rd Detroit Pistons
Head coaches
José Vila 1926–1936 Juan Enrique Henry 1941–1945 Fernando Font 1945–1955, 1967 Joaquim Broto 1955–1956 Francisco Ortiz 1956–1958 Guimerà 1960 Joan Canals 1960–1963 Josep Grau 1963–1964 Josep Bargalló 1965 Eduardo Portela 1965–1967 Santiago Navarro 1967–1968 Xabier Añúa 1968–1972 Willy Ernst 1972–1973 Vicente Sanjuán 1973–1974 Ranko Žeravica 1974–1976 Todor Lazić 1976–1977 Eduardo Kucharski 1977–1979 Antoni Serra 1979–1985 Manolo Flores 1985, 2005 Aíto García Reneses 1985–1990, 1992–1997, 1998–2002 Božidar Maljković 1990–1992 Manel Comas 1997 José María Oleart 1997 Joan Montes 1997–1998, 2004–2005 Svetislav Pešić 2002–2004, 2018–2020 Duško Ivanović 2005–2008 Xavi Pascual 2008–2016, 2025–2026 Georgios Bartzokas 2016–2017 Sito Alonso 2017–2018 Šarūnas Jasikevičius 2020–2023 Roger Grimau 2023–2024 Joan Peñarroya 2024–2025 Aleksander Sekulić 2026–present
Honours and other achievements
+HonoursTypeCompetitionTitlesSeasonsDomesticSpanish League 20 1958–59, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2020–21, 2022–23Spanish Cup 27 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1959, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022Spanish Supercup6 1987–88, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 EuropeanEuroLeague2 2002–03, 2009–10FIBA Saporta Cup2 1984–85, 1985–86FIBA Korać Cup2 1986–87, 1998–99WorldwideFIBA Club World Cup1 1985
Other Achievements Trebles Triple Crown Season (1): 2002–03 Small Triple Crown Season (1): 1986–87
International Competitions EuroLeague Runners-up (6): 1983–84, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2020–21 3rd place (4): 2008–09, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2021–22 4th place (7): 1981–82, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2005–06, 2012–13, 2022–23 Final Four (17): 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2021, 2022, 2023 FIBA Saporta Cup Runners-up (1): 1980–81 Semifinalists (3): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80 FIBA Korać Cup Runners-up (1): 1974–75 Semifinalists (2): 1973, 1992–93 European Basketball Club Super Cup (semi-official, defunct): 3 1983, 1986, 1986 Runners-up (1): 1987 3rd place (1): 1991 4th place (3): 1988, 1989, 1990
Domestic Competitions Spanish League Runners-up (24): 1957, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2025–26
Spanish Cup Runners-up (12): 1942, 1951, 1961, 1977, 1984, 1989, 1996, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2024 Spanish Supercup Runners-up (9): 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2026 Prince Asturias Cup: 1 1988 Runners-up (1): 1989
Worldwide competitions FIBA Intercontinental Cup Runners-up (1): 1987 4th place (1): 1984 McDonald's Championship 3rd place (1): 1990 4th place (1): 1989
Regional competitions Catalan Championship (defunct): 9 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1955 Runners-up (3): 1928, 1949, 1953 Catalan League: 25 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 Runners-up (15): 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2018, 2020, 2021
Other Competitions Pohlheim, Germany Invitational Game: 2008 Calonge, Spain Invitational Game: 2008 Bologna, Italy Invitational Game: 2008 Sant Julia de Vilatorta, Spain Invitational Game: 2009, 2012, 2014 Runners-Up (2): 2018, 2019 Sabadell, Spain Invitational Game: 2011 Palamós, Spain Invitational Game: 2011 Tarragona, Spain Invitational Game: 2011 Cordoba, Spain Invitational Game: 2014 Trofeo MoraBanc: 2015 Torneo de Fuenlabrada 2015 Trofeo Circuito de Pretemporada Movistar: 2016 Monzon, Spain Invitational Game: 2017 Platja D'Aro, Spain Invitational Game: 2017 Trofeo Memorial Quino Salvo: 2017 Torneig d'invitacions de Les Borges Blanques: