Arena Capacity 12,270 Team colors Navy, White, Red Founded 1976 | Team manager Alper Yılmaz Head coach Velimir Perasović Mascot Çaylak | |
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Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü (English: Anadolu Efes Sports Club), formerly Efes Pilsen, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the most successful club in the history of the Turkish Basketball Super League, having won the league's championship 13 times.
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The home of Anadolu Efes S.K. is the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, which has a seating capacity of 12,270 for basketball games. The club has its own practice facility in the district of Bahçelievler built in 1982. The team competes in the Turkish Basketball Super League and EuroLeague.
History
The club was established in 1976 as Efes Pilsen S.K. by taking over the Turkish second-division club Kadıköyspor, which had failed due to financial problems. Its initial sponsor was its namesake Efes Pilsen, a subsidiary of the Anadolu Group. It won the 1978 second division championship undefeated, earning promotion to the Turkish first division, where it has continuously competed ever since. In its first top-flight season (1978–79), Efes Pilsen S.K. won the league title, immediately establishing itself as one of the country's top clubs.
After finishing 2nd in the 1992–93 FIBA European Cup (Saporta Cup), Efes Pilsen S.K. won the 1995–96 FIBA Korać Cup, which marked the first-ever European title won by a Turkish club in any team sport. Efes Pilsen S.K. (later renamed Anadolu Efes S.K.) has also become a fixture in the EuroLeague, making it to the competition's EuroLeague Final Four in 2000, and also to the FIBA SuproLeague's 2001 Final Four, finishing 3rd on both occasions.
In 2011, the club changed its name to Anadolu Efes S.K. after the TAPDK (Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Authority) in Turkey prohibited the advertisement of tobacco and alcohol products in sports organizations.
Anadolu Efes is notable for its youth program, which has trained renowned Turkish basketball players such as NBA player Hedo Türkoğlu, former NBA player Mirsad Türkcan, and 2005 NBA draftee Cenk Akyol.
Home Arenas
Domestic
Turkish League
Turkish Cup
President's Cup
European
EuroLeague
FIBA Saporta Cup
FIBA Korać Cup
Notable players
To appear in this section a player must have either:Retired numbers
Matches against NBA teams
In 2006, Efes Pilsen became the first Turkish basketball club to be invited to play with NBA teams. They competed against the Denver Nuggets in Denver, Colorado on October 11, and against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California on October 12. In 2007, Efes Pilsen hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Abdi İpekçi Arena.