I grew up in the 1990s witnessing the rise of Efes Pilsen, as it was then known. Back then, we were proud of our team’s achievements in a sport I enjoyed at least as much as football.
Efes Pilsen crowned all its European successes by winning the Koraç Cup in 1996. The legendary squad that won this trophy included stars such as Petar Naumoski, Tamer Oyguç, Ufuk Sarıca, Volkan Aydın, Conrad McRae, Murat Evliyaoğlu, and Mirsad Türkcan. Led by Aydın Örs, who ushered in a new era for Turkish basketball, Efes never won another European trophy after this legendary squad and its successes
Despite consistently challenging for the top spots, Efes reached the finals, reached the Final Four, and challenged for the top spots, but never truly made it to the top of the table in Europe, until last week. You can read the details at Anadolu Efes SK – Wikipedia (wikipedia.org).
Anadolu Efes’ summary report card since its founding
- In 1976, Kadıköyspor was taken over and Efes Pilsen was established.
- It remained undefeated for two years from its founding.
- It won the championship in its first season in the First League.
- It experienced a financial crisis in the 1980s and failed to win the championship between 1985 and 1991.
- Transformation began with Aydın Örs taking over the helm in 1992.
- In 1993, it became the first Turkish team to reach the European Clubs’ Cup final.
- Efes reached the Koraç Cup in 1996, becoming the first Turkish team to win a European trophy.
- In 2000, it won the title of the first Turkish team to experience the thrill of the Final Four in the Europa League.
- Efes Pilsen became the first Turkish team to contribute the most players to the NBA.
- Became the only Turkish team invited by the NBA to play against NBA teams in the United States.
Turkish basketball’s most trophy-winning team
In addition to its year-over-year successes, Efes also leads the league in total trophies and championships, as seen below. Here’s a breakdown of its top-tier stats:
- 14 Turkish Basketball League Championships
- 11 Turkish Cup Championships
- 12 Presidential Cup Championships
- 2 G.S.G.M. Cup Championships
- 1 Basketball Youth League Championship
- 4 Junior Team Turkish Championships
- 20 Youth Team Turkish Championships
- 17 Star Team Turkish Championships
- 15 Junior Team Turkish Championships
The fact that Anadolu Efes, a driving force in Turkish basketball since its founding, has never achieved a happy ending has long disappointed basketball fans like me who were eagerly awaiting it.
The General Success of Turkish Clubs
Other clubs began to fill the void left by Anadolu Efes’s inability to make ends meet. Looking at the overall record of Turkish clubs in Europe, a total of 36 Turkish teams competed in European Cups, with Modaspor first participating in the 1958 season. Anadolu Efes reached the finals of the Saporta Cup, the second-largest trophy, in the 1992-93 season but failed to win. Anadolu Efes achieved its first major success by winning the Koraç Cup, the third-largest trophy, in the 1995-96 season. Anadolu Efes achieved a first in this competition by reaching the EuroLeague Final Four twice in the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons. Following this, Turkish basketball began to recover in Europe in the 2000s with a series of successive European victories. In the 2011-12 season, Beşiktaş won the EuroChallenge, the third-largest trophy, and in the 2015-16 season, Galatasaray won the EuroCup, the second-largest competition, achieving their greatest European success to date. A year later, in the 2016-17 season, Fenerbahçe achieved their first championship by winning the EuroLeague, Europe’s leading and largest organization. Finally, in the 2017-18 season, Darüşşafaka won the EuroCup, the second-largest trophy. Fenerbahçe is also the only Turkish basketball team to have participated in the Final Four five times in a row (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019). (See: Türk basketbol takımlarının Avrupa kupaları tarihi – Vikipedi (wikipedia.org). While we weren’t successful in other competitions during the 2018-19 season, we managed to qualify for the EuroLeague Final Four with two teams for the first time. Fenerbahçe finished fourth, while Anadolu Efes, despite reaching the finals for the first time, fell short, finishing second. This was also Efes’ greatest EuroLeague achievement to date.
Finally, last week, Anadolu Efes won Europe’s biggest trophy, the EuroLeague, by defeating Barcelona 86-81 in the final. They became the second team after Fenerbahçe to win this most important trophy. Let’s hear the story of winning the EuroLeague, which is considered the greatest achievement by a Turkish coach in history, from Anadolu Efes coach Ergin Ataman:
Legendary Coaches Stand Out
I must also emphasize the importance of coaching in all these successes. Aydın Örs was the coach of everyone who won the Koraç Cup, a milestone for Turkish basketball. You can read more about Aydın Örs at the link Aydın Örs – Vikipedi (wikipedia.org). Aydın Örs’ assistants later shaped Turkish basketball. It was always the same name who brought the Euro Challenge championship to Beşiktaş, the EuroCup to Galatasaray, and finally the EuroLeague championship to Anadolu Efes: Ergin Ataman, the greatest coach Turkish basketball has ever had (I’ve always prided myself on being a dedicated Galatasaray fan). You can read more about Ergin Ataman at the link Ergin Ataman – Vikipedi (wikipedia.org)
The three most important coaches in Turkish basketball history together on Aydın Örs’ team while coaching Efes Pilsen. From left to right: Oktay Mahmuti, Ergin Ataman, and Aydın Örs. Ergin Ataman left Galatasaray in a ridiculous manner (I think it stemmed from our management’s lack of vision). Galatasaray was relegated from the Turkish League this year, while Anadolu Efes, coached by Ergin Ataman, won Europe’s biggest trophy. Consider the difference.
Then there’s Oktay Mahmudi, who reached the EuroCup final. You can read more about Oktay Mahmuti, who won the Presidential Cup with Galatasaray, at Oktay Mahmuti – Vikipedi (wikipedia.org).
Obradović is the most successful and long-serving coach in Turkish basketball among foreign coaches. You can read more about Obradović at Željko Obradović – Vikipedi (wikipedia.org). Obradović’s contribution to Fenerbahçe, which had never reached the Final Four before, and now five consecutive Final Four appearances after his arrival, was immense. Although Obradovic won only one of these five Final Fours (2016-17), it’s safe to say he brought Fenerbahçe the success they dreamed of. Indeed, Fenerbahçe’s momentum clearly declined after his departure.
Obradovic is considered one of Europe’s best coaches, having won nine EuroLeague championships with five different clubs (one of which he won with Fenerbahçe). In addition to his club-level accomplishments, he also has international success. He won the 1997 EuroBasket and the 1998 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Another coach who has made significant contributions to our country is David Blatt, the coach of the team that brought the EuroCup to Darüşşafaka in the 2017-18 season. You can read more about this coach, who has had a remarkable career, at David Blatt – Vikipedi (wikipedia.org).
I recently read Dünya newspaper, which beautifully covered the story of Anadolu Efes. I’d like to share the news, which you can read at https://www.dunya.com/spor/125-bin-liraya-kuruldu-avrupanin-zirvesine-cikti-haberi-623284here:
Anadolu Efes Club, which defeated Barcelona to lift the EuroLeague championship trophy for the first time in its 45-year history, has truly inspired Turkish sports and its youth. The history of Anadolu Efes Sports Club, which stretches from the 1970s, when Turkey grappled with political and economic crises, to the present day, began in the garden of a church in Moda, Istanbul. President Tuncay Özilhan and his friend Pano Natof purchased Kadıköyspor for 125,000 lira in 1976, and the new club was named Anadolu Efes. Anadolu Efes’s history on the court, with its trophies won, economic crises, championships lost, and its transformation into a basketball factory, is also an inspiration to Turkish sports.
Eczacıbaşı set an example
Tuncay Özilhan and his high school friend Pano Natof decided to establish the Efes Pilsen Sports Club in the 1970s, when Turkey was experiencing major political and economic crises. Tuncay Özilhan, who took over Kadıköyspor in 1976, described that period in the Anadolu Efes 30th Anniversary Documentary as follows: “I was a student in America between 1972 – 1975. During that time, I never missed an NBA game. I felt the atmosphere and the affinity for sports much more here. I experienced the enthusiasm of the fans in the arenas firsthand. After 1975, I asked myself, ‘What can Anadolu Efes do in sports in Turkey?’ Those were the years when Eczacıbaşı was successful at basketball, and after attending a couple of their matches, we thought, ‘Let’s take over a club in Turkey and develop it, and as a social responsibility, let’s instill a love of sports in Turkish youth.’ We also believed that it would contribute to the development of the Anadolu Efes brand.”
A 45-Year-Old Story
Özilhan, sharing these thoughts with Pano Natof, commented on the takeover of Anadolu Efes, a team that would achieve great success in Turkey and Europe for 45 years: “Kadıköyspor felt close to us. Some of our high school friends also played there. Then we decided to buy this club. At the time, the club was under the control of Aydan Siyavuş’s father, Ali Siyavuş. We took over Kadıköyspor from Ali Bey for 125,000 TL.”
The idea of spreading basketball
In the 1980s, significant investments began in the youth infrastructure. Instead of transfers at high prices, emphasis was placed on youth. The interest in basketball among 6- and 8-year-olds excited Tuncay Özilhan. Özilhan commented on the renewal process: “We invested more than anyone else at the time. We put out ads and encouraged 6- and 8-year-olds to come. We held tryouts. We provided them with tracksuits, balls, shoes, and books. We put out two or three teams and taught them basketball.”
Anadolu Efes, which achieved many firsts in Turkey with its European successes, has always strived to maintain a strong youth infrastructure thanks to its experience. It has been the team that has trained Turkey’s best coaches and brought its best basketball players to the global stage. Anadolu Efes has been staffed by successful coaches such as Aydın Örs, who has won five championships and extensive European experience, and who also coached the national team, and Ergin Ataman, who took over the Italian league team Siena and brought the Saporta Cup to Siena. Anadolu Efes has produced successful players such as Mirsad Türkcan, Hidayet Türkoğlu, Hüseyin Beşok, and Mehmet Okur from its family.
My personal thoughts on Anadolu Efes
We are talking about a team that has been a driving force in Turkish basketball for 45 years, achieving countless successes, developing countless players, and consistently maintaining a certain level of integrity even in the darkest of times. Anadolu Efes is an exemplary club not only for Turkish basketball but also for Turkish sports. With the exception of Vakıfbank’s women’s volleyball team, no other club in Turkish sports has matched Anadolu Efes’s achievements.
Some clubs have achieved success and lifted trophies from time to time, but none has maintained its commanding position for 45 years like Anadolu Efes. This includes teams from the Big Three.
As a sports fan with a love for their country, I would like to wholeheartedly thank the club’s founder, Tuncay Özilhan, for bringing a vision to basketball and always standing behind his club. I say this sincerely, and I’m also proud that Tuncay Bey and his family are friends of our family.
Turkish sports, regardless of the branch, needs long-term, astute, disciplined, unwavering, and visionary individuals like Tuncay Özilhan, rather than flashy, wealthy, ego-driven presidents and club owners who are practically incompetent and inexperienced in sports.
And the same goes for our other sports in our country…
Bonus 1: This guerrilla marketing campaign, created as a surprise for Anadolu Efes basketball players, is one of my favorites. I’d like to share this wonderful video, made in 2013, accompanied by Duman’s song “Senden Daha Güzel” (Better Than You Are), with you:
Bonus 2: Let’s watch Anadolu Efes’ championship story in the video created for the Euroleague’s official Instagram page:Instagram’da Turkish Airlines EuroLeague: “Go behind-the-scenes as @anadoluefessk makes HISTORY!”
Bonus 3: After Anadolu Efes won the EuroLeague, his decision to take the trophy to Anıtkabir earned him widespread praise. Here are the photos:
Bonus 4: This is the photo of Ergin Ataman demonstrating his loyalty, presenting the trophy to Aydın Örs, whom he began his career as an assistant. I congratulate Ergin Ataman for this gesture, as values like loyalty are so scarce in our time.
Tag: memoir
