KK Cedevita Olimpija explained

Cedevita Olimpija
Nickname:Zmaji (The Dragons)
Leagues:Slovenian First League
ABA League
History:KK Cedevita Olimpija
(2019–present)
Arena:Arena Stožice
Capacity:12,480
Location:Ljubljana, Slovenia
Colors:Green, orange, white
Sponsor:Atlantic Grupa
Affiliation:Cedevita Junior
President:Emil Tedeschi
Gm:Davor Užbinec
Coach:Zvezdan Mitrović
Captain:Jaka Blažič
Ret Nums:3 (10, 12, 13)
Championships:4 Slovenian Championships
3 Slovenian Cups
4 Slovenian Supercups
70 Inherited trophies
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Košarkarski klub Cedevita Olimpija (English: Cedevita Olimpija Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Cedevita Olimpija or simply Olimpija, is a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Slovenian First League.

The club was established in 2019 after the merger of the most successful Slovenian club Olimpija and the Croatian powerhouse Cedevita. Cedevita Olimpija inherited 70 trophies of both predecessors and their competition licences for its inaugural season.

History

Background

See main article: KK Cedevita and KK Olimpija. KK Cedevita Olimpija is an outcome of a merger of two clubs from neighboring countries, the Slovenian club Petrol Olimpija from Ljubljana and the Croatian team Cedevita from Zagreb, which is the first such instance of two clubs from different countries merging.[1]

Olimpija was the winner of 17 Slovenian Championships and 20 Slovenian Cups. It traces its history back to 1946 and adopted the name Olimpija in 1955. The club was an early power in the Yugoslav League with Ivo Daneu leading Olimpija to six domestic titles between 1957 and 1970. After Slovenia's independence in 1991, Olimpija won ten out of eleven championships between 1992 and 2002. Olimpija won the FIBA Saporta Cup in the 1993–94 season, and Arriel McDonald and Marko Milič helped it to the 1997 Euroleague Final Four. Over the years, Olimpija had a streak of 17 straight EuroLeague appearances and it won the inaugural Adriatic League in the 2001–02 season. Olimpija won the Slovenian League in 2009 and brought home its sixth straight Slovenian Cup in 2013 before going on a four-year trophy drought. During that span, Olimpija made its EuroCup debut in the 2013–14 season, but it wasn't until the 2016–17 season that it got back to its winning ways with the Slovenian League and Cup double. Olimpija won its last Slovenian League championship in the 2017–18 season.[2]

Cedevita was the winner of five Croatian League Championships and seven Croatian Cup tournaments. It was founded in Zagreb in 1991 as KK Botinec. The club reached the first-tier league in 2002, but its ambitions rose when Atlantic Grupa took over in 2005 and the club changed its name to Cedevita. The club reached the 2011 EuroCup Final Four; Dontaye Draper was named EuroCup MVP, and Aleksandar Petrović EuroCup Coach of the Year. A year later, Cedevita won its first title, the Croatian Cup, led by veteran forward Matjaž Smodiš. Cedevita made its EuroLeague debut in the 2012–13 season, which it finished with a 2–8 record. That turned out to be a title-less season, but the last such for Cedevita, which celebrated a Croatian double in each of the next five years. In the 2015–16 EuroLeague, Cedevita reached the Top 16. The club also won the inaugural Adriatic Supercup in 2018. In 2019, Cedevita won the Croatian Cup for the sixth season in a row.

Establishment

On 4 June 2019, it was announced that Cedevita and Petrol Olimpija plan to merge and form Cedevita Olimpija, a new men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[3] [4] [5] On 13 June, the management boards of Cedevita and Olimpija have confirmed the appointment of Davor Užbinec as a general manager and Sani Bečirovič as a sports director.[6] [7] On 25 June, the EuroCup Board confirmed the club's participation in the 2019–20 EuroCup season.[8] On 8 July, the club was officially established with Slaven Rimac being confirmed as the first team head coach, as well as Tomaž Berločnik named the president of the club.[9] [10]

KK Cedevita continued to compete under the name Cedevita Junior, and reached the top division of Croatian basketball in 2020–21.[11]

Inaugural season and first titles

Slovenian forward Edo Murić became the first-ever player who signed for the club.[12] Next to players added from Cedevita and Petrol Olimpija rosters, the club signed veterans Mirko Mulalić, Saša Zagorac, and Marko Simonović, as well as Martin Krampelj, Mikael Hopkins, Jaka Blažič, Codi Miller-McIntyre, and Ryan Boatright.[13] On 11 September 2019, guard Jaka Blažič was named the first team captain.[14] In September 2019, Cedevita Olimpija lost to Partizan in the 2019 ABA Supercup final.[15] The team also finished as runners-up of the Slovenian Cup. In EuroCup, Olimpija participated in Group C and finished in sixth place, before the competition was cancelled in the playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Slovenian League and the ABA League were also cancelled.[16] In mid-season, former Olimpija player Jurica Golemac replaced Rimac as head coach.[17]

In the 2020–21 season, Cedevita Olimpija signed two Slovenian international players, Žiga Dimec and Luka Rupnik,[18] [19] and the top scorer of the 2019–20 ABA League season, Kendrick Perry.[20] At the beginning of the season, the club won its first trophy since the merger as they beat Krka in the Slovenian Supercup.[21] In the EuroCup and the ABA League, Cedevita Olimpija was only one win away from advancing to the playoffs. However, the team won the national league for the first time in three years after sweeping Krka 3–0 in the final.[22] At the beginning of the 2021–22 season, Cedevita Olimpija won its tenth Supercup title after beating Krka,[23] which was followed by their first Slovenian Cup title in five years after defeating Helios Suns in the final, their second trophy of the season.[24]

Identity

The main colours of Cedevita Olimpija are green and orange. Green has been used by Olimpija, while orange was used by Cedevita. The crest consists of a green dragon, one of the symbols of the city of Ljubljana, and a capital letter 'C' in orange, which stands for Cedevita. In addition, the entire crest is framed in green.

Home arena

See main article: Arena Stožice. Cedevita Olimpija play their home games at the Stožice Arena, often referred to as Zmajevo gnezdo (Dragon's Nest) in Slovenian media.[25] [26] The arena is located in the Bežigrad District of Ljubljana and owned by the City of Ljubljana. The arena was built in 2010 in fourteen months and is a part of the Stožice sports complex. It has a seating capacity of 12,480.[27]

Occasionally, Cedevita Olimpija play their home games at the Tivoli Hall, which has a capacity of 4,500.[28]

Players

Current roster

Retired numbers

Cedevita Olimpija retired numbers
No.PlayerPositionTenureCeremony date
10 1982–1998OL 29 January 2023[29]
12 1994–1997, 1999–2000, 2006–2007, 2007–2009OL 28 October 2015
13 1956–1970OL 7 November 2007
Notes

Notable former players

Head coaches

Trophies and awards

Trophies won

Inherited trophies

After Olimpija Ljubljana and Cedevita Zagreb merged into Cedevita Olimpija, the newly-formed club obtained the right to the trophies of the two predecessors clubs.[30] [31]

HonoursNo.Years
National league – 28
Yugoslav League (1946–1991)OL Winners 6 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1969–70
Slovenian League (1991–2019)OL Winners 17 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18
Croatian League (1991–2019)CZ Winners 5 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
National cup – 27
Slovenian Cup (1991–2019)OL Winners 20 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017
Croatian Cup (1991–2019)CZ Winners 7 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
National supercup – 10
Slovenian Supercup (2003–2019)OL Winners 8 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2017
Croatian Supercup (2011–2015)CZ Winners 2 2011, 2015
Regional competitions – 4
Adriatic League (2001–2019)OL Winners 1 2001–02
Central European League (1992–1994)OL Winners 2 1992–93, 1993–94
Adriatic Super Cup (2017–2018)CZ Winners 1
European competitions – 1
FIBA Saporta Cup (1966–2002)OL Winners 1 1993–94
Notes

Management

  • President: Emil Tedeschi
  • Vice-presidents: Tomaž Berločnik, Damjan Kralj, Andrej Slapar
  • Management board: David Kovačič, Nada Drobne Popović, Blaž Brodnjak, Emil Tedeschi Jr., Zoran Stankovič, Jurij Žurej, Enzo Smrekar
  • General manager: Davor Užbinec
  • Sporting director: Chechu Mulero[32]
  • Technical director: Krešimir Novosel

Source: [33] [34]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Basketball clubs Cedevita and Olimpija announce merger . sloveniatimes.com . 5 June 2019 . 11 June 2019.
  2. Web site: Subotić . Dolores . Badžim odločil košarkarsko dramo – Petrol Olimpija je prvak! . . 5 June 2022 . sl . 29 May 2018.
  3. Web site: R. K. . Tilen Jamnik . Cedevita Olimpija – slovenski klub Eurocup oz. Evroligo in vrh Lige ABA . . 4 June 2019 . Ljubljana . sl . 4 June 2019.
  4. Web site: VIDEO: SADA JE I SLUŽBENO: ODRŽAN POVIJESNI SASTANAK U LJUBLJANI! SPAJAJU SE CEDEVITA I KK OLIMPIJA 'Ovo nikada nitko nije napravio u nijednom sportu' . sportske.jutarnji.hr . 4 June 2019 . 4 June 2019.
  5. Web site: Pionirski projekt v Evropi: novoustanovljena Cedevita Olimpija piše športno zgodovino . 24ur.com . 4 June 2019.
  6. Web site: KK Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana: announce Davor Užbinec and Sani Bečirović . kkcedevita.hr . 13 June 2019.
  7. Web site: R. K. . Prva poteza Cedevite Olimpije: Imenovana Užbinec in Bečirović . . 21 October 2020 . sl . 13 June 2019.
  8. Web site: EuroCup Board proposes team list for 2019–20 season . euroleaguebasketball.net . 29 June 2019.
  9. Web site: R. K. . Rimac trener Cedevite Olimpije, prva okrepitev Edo Murić . . 8 July 2019 . Ljubljana . sl . 8 July 2019.
  10. Web site: Assemblies confirmed new club BC Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana . kkcedevita.hr . 8 July 2019.
  11. Web site: Cedevita Junior izborila HT Premijer ligu, Dinamo ima popravni s Furnirom . Basketball.hr . 22 September 2021 . hr.
  12. Web site: Muric becomes first signing for Cedevita Olimpija . eurocupbasketball.com . 11 July 2019.
  13. Web site: A. V. . Bečirović: Iskali smo igralce, ki so lačni uspeha . . 8 August 2019 . Ljubljana . sl . 7 August 2019.
  14. Web site: 11 September 2019. Jaka Blažič kapetan košarkarjev Cedevite Olimpije . . 22 October 2020.
  15. Web site: New trophy in Partizan NIS' cupboard: ABA Super Cup . aba-liga.com . 2 October 2019.
  16. Web site: URADNO: Brez prvaka in konec sezone v ligi ABA . Sportklub . 22 September 2021 . sl-SI . 27 May 2020.
  17. Web site: Rimca bo v Cedeviti Olimpiji zamenjal Jurica Golemac . vecer.com . 22 September 2021 . sl-si . 27 January 2020.
  18. Web site: Dimec nov slovenski reprezentant v vrstah Cedevite Olimpije . . 23 September 2021 . sl . 1 June 2020.
  19. Web site: Zdaj je uradno: Luka Rupnik okrepil Cedevito Olimpijo . 24ur.com . 23 September 2021 . sl . 6 December 2020.
  20. Web site: S. J.. Olimpijo okrepil prvi strelec Lige ABA . . 23 September 2021 . sl . 23 May 2020.
  21. Web site: Olimpija devetič osvojila superpokal . . 23 September 2021 . sl . 17 September 2020.
  22. Web site: Cedevita Olimpija po treh letih znova državni prvak . . 23 September 2021 . sl . 30 May 2021. Mitja. Lisjak.
  23. Web site: T. O. . Cedevita Olimpija z dvojnim dvojčkom Zacha Augusta do 10. superpokala . . 23 September 2021 . sl . 17 September 2021.
  24. Web site: D. S. . Cedevita Olimpija z odličnim drugim polčasom do 21. pokalne lovorike. . 18 February 2022 . sl . 18 February 2022.
  25. Web site: Tudi Blažič pristal v zmajevem gnezdu . RTV Slovenija. 24 July 2020. sl.
  26. Web site: Žiga Dimec naslednji slovenski reprezentant v zmajevem gnezdu . 24ur.com . 24 July 2020. sl.
  27. Web site: Dvorana Stožice . sport-ljubljana.si . 13 June 2019. sl.
  28. Web site: Hala Tivoli (dvorana in drsališče Tivoli) – Šport Ljubljana . sport-ljubljana.si . 21 October 2020. sl.
  29. Web site: Hauptman: Čustva se hitro naberejo, sploh pa zdaj, ko sem ranljiv . . 26 January 2023 . sl . 26 January 2023.
  30. Web site: Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana . eurocupbasketball.com . 9 February 2023.
  31. Web site: Kratka zgodovina kluba . cedevita.olimpija.com . 8 August 2019 . sl. Short club's history. ...v vitrinah pa je moč najti trofeje, ki sta jih osvojila tako KK Olimpija Ljubljana, kot tudi KK Cedevita Zagreb..
  32. Web site: A. G. . Španec Mulero novi športni direktor Cedevite Olimpije . . 6 May 2024 . sl . 6 May 2024.
  33. Web site: Klub . cedevita.olimpija.com . 21 October 2020 . sl-SI.
  34. Web site: Vodstvena ekipa . cedevita.olimpija.com . 21 October 2020 . sl-SI.