Nickname Zmaji (The Dragons) Team colors Green, White President Jani Möderndorfer Mascot KK Union Olimpija Dragon | Arena Capacity 12,480 Main sponsor Union Brewery Founded 1946 | |
Championships 15 Slovenian Leagues20 Slovenian Cups7 Slovenian Supercups6 Yugoslav Leagues1 FIBA Saporta Cup1 Adriatic League2 Central European Leagues Leagues Premier A Slovenian Basketball League, ABA League Profiles |
Košarkarski Klub Olimpija (English: Olimpija Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Olimpija or simply Olimpija, currently named Union Olimpija due to sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The team competes in the Premier A Slovenian League and the Adriatic League.
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History
Olimpija basketball club was founded in 1946 as a section of the Svoboda Physical Culture Society. The first basketball game was played the same year against Udarnik and Olimpija came out on top with the score of 37–14. Late in 1946, the club was renamed Enotnost and was known by that name until 1954 when it assumed the name AŠK Olimpia.
The club has been called by its current name since 1997. Union Olimpija won its first Yugoslav League title in 1957 under the direction of the coach/player Boris Kristančić. In one of the world's best emerging leagues, Olimpija went on to dominate the next 15 years, winning the Yugoslav title five more times, in 1959, 1961, 1962, 1966 and 1970. A new era for the club began with Slovenia's independence, when Olimpija won eight consecutive league titles between 1992 and 1999.
On the international stage, 1993–94 was the club's best season as they won the European Cup against the Spanish ACB League club Taugrés under the direction of coach Zmago Sagadin. In 2001–02, the Slovenian team won the small triple crown, taking the Slovenian League championship, Slovenian Cup, and the Adriatic League.
Name through history
The club was established in 1946 as the basketball department of the larger sports club Svoboda. Later it changed names quite a few times, from KK Enotnost (Unity, 1947–54) to AŠK Olimpija (Akademski Športni Klub Olimpija, 1955–76), to KK Brest Olimpija (1976–78), to KK Iskra Olimpija (1978–82), to KK ZZI Olimpija (1982–83), to KK Smelt Olimpija (1983–96), and finally, to KK Union Olimpija (1997–present). The last five names of the team have all included names of the main sponsors of the team.
Arenas
The team's first venue was Tabor Gymnasium, before they moved to the 5,600 capacity Tivoli Hall in 1965. In 2010, the club moved into their new arena, Arena Stožice, with a capacity of 12,480.
In
Out
Olimpija youth team
Olimpija also has a second team, composed mainly of their Under-18 team players and some experienced players; the team participates in the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament and in the Slovenian Second Basketball League with the goal to give playing time and experience to young players.
Domestic competitions
Slovenian League
Slovenian Cup
Slovenian Supercup
Former domestic competitions
Yugoslav League
Yugoslav Cup
Yugoslav League (1. B)
Slovenian League (SR)
European competitions
FIBA European Champions Cup / Euroleague
FIBA Saporta Cup
Regional competitions
Adriatic League
Central European League (SBA)
The road to the European victory
1993–94 FIBA European Cup