Anadolu Efes

Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü (English: Anadolu Efes Sports Club, formerly known as Efes Pilsen between 1976 and 2011), is a Turkish basketball club. The team is based in Istanbul, and has won for 13 times the Turkish Super League (BSL), thus becoming the most successful professional club in the history of the Turkish basketball.

The club is owned by the Efes Beverage Group, the producer of a well-known beer. The home arena of Anadolu Efes S.K. is the Sinan Erdem Dome (Istanbul), with a capacity of 16 000 seats. The team is using its own practice facility, located in the Bahcelievler area of Istanbul.

The main competitions in which Anadolu Efes is involved are home championship, the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague.

The club was founded in 1976, by merging with the Turkish second-division club Kadıköyspor, which collapsed due to financial issues. Their initial sponsor and owner, the Efes Pielsen Brewery, is a part of the powerful multi-industry group Anadolu.

After winning undefeated their first title in the Turkish second division (1978), the team advanced in the first division, where it has competed in all seasons ever since. In their very first season, 1978 – 1979, they won their first title, becoming one of Turkey’s top clubs. Efes Pilsen was also the first Turkish sports team able to win a European cup – the FIBA Korac Cup, in 1996. Anadolu Efes S.K. has become one of the most important clubs in the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague, reaching the Final Four in 2000, finishing on the 3^rd place.

The team enlisted famous Turkish players like Mirsad Türkcan (the first Turkish player transferred to NBA), Hidayet Türkoğlu, Ersan İlyasova and Sinan Güler.

RĂZVAN TABREA

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