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Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
club based in
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one of the oldest in Europe. Virtus is the second most titled basketball club in Italy after
Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...
, having won 16 Italian
national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
, 8 Italian National Cups and 4 Italian Supercups. Moreover, it is one of the most successful teams in European competitions, having won two
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
s, one EuroCup, one
FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...
, one
EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confus ...
and one
Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...
. It currently plays in the Italian first division LBA as well as in the
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
. The club is owned by the coffee entrepreneur
Massimo Zanetti Massimo Zanetti (born 12 February 1948 in Treviso) is an Italian entrepreneur and former politician, owner of Segafredo, a global coffee company. Since 2016, Zanetti has also owned the Italian basketball team Virtus Bologna, one of the most su ...
. Some of the club's star players over the years have included:
Gianni Bertolotti Gianni Bertolotti (born 12 February 1950) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. Professional career During his club career, Bertolotti was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer, in 1978. Italian national team As a member of t ...
,
Tom McMillen Charles Thomas McMillen (born May 26, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and former professional basketball player. A Rhodes Scholar, McMillen represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from January 3, 1987, to January 3, 1993 ...
,
Carlo Caglieris Carlo Caglieris (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian former basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Caglieris is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian point guards of his generation, having won th ...
,
Renato Villalta Renato Villalta (born 3 February 1955) is a former professional basketball player from Italy. He played for Virtus Bologna for 13 seasons, winning three Italian championships and two national cups. Villalta is considered one of the greatest Europ ...
,
Marco Bonamico Marco Bonamico (born 18 January 1957 in Genoa) is an Italian former professional basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the small forward and power forward (basketball), power forward positions. During his playing career, his nickn ...
,
Jim McMillian James M. McMillian (March 11, 1948 – May 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball for the Columbia Lions. He led Columbia to a t ...
,
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
,
Roberto Brunamonti Roberto Brunamonti (born 14 April 1959 in Spoleto) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, he played at the point guard position. He was among the 105 player nominees for the 50 Greatest EuroLeague ...
,
Augusto Binelli Augusto "Gus" Binelli (born 23 September 1964) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, and a weight of , he played at the center position. Binelli was drafted in the second round, of the 1986 NBA ...
,
Micheal Ray Richardson Michael Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955), known as Micheal Ray Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA dr ...
,
Jure Zdovc Jurij "Jure" Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player and coach. He was most recently the head coach of Bursaspor of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). As a player, he was a tall point guard, who ...
,
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one o ...
,
Cliff Levingston Clifford Eugene Levingston (born January 4, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Professional playing career A former power forward, Levingston played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Levingston s ...
,
Arijan Komazec Arijan Komazec (born January 23, 1970) is a former Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Komazec started his professional career as a basketball player at the age of 16, in the historical club of Zadar, in the 1986–87 s ...
,
Orlando Woolridge Orlando Vernada Woolridge (December 16, 1959 – May 31, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks. He playe ...
,
Zoran Savić Zoran Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Савић; born November 18, 1966) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former professional player who is currently the sports director for Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic Le ...
, Bane Prelević, Alessandro Abbio,
Radoslav Nesterović Radoslav () is a common Slavic masculine given name, derived from ''rad-'' ("happy, eager, to care") and ''slava'' ("glory, fame"), both very common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "eager glory". It is known since the Middle Ages. T ...
,
Antoine Rigaudeau Antoine Roger Rigaudeau (born 17 December 1971) is a French former professional basketball player and professional basketball coach. During his playing days, he played at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions. Also during ...
, Alessandro Frosini,
Hugo Sconochini Hugo Ariel Sconochini (born 10 April 1971) is an Argentine retired professional basketball player. He played at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
,
Marko Jarić Marko Jarić ( sr-cyr, Марко Јарић, ; ; born 12 October 1978) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), he mainly played the point guard position. He also represented the senior FR Yugosl ...
,
Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili ( , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Credited for popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA, he is regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards and sixth men in the le ...
,
Matjaž Smodiš Matjaž Smodiš (born 13 December 1979) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 2.05 m (6'8 ") tall, he played at the power forward and center positions. During his pro club playing career, he played in seve ...
,
David Andersen David Emil Andersen (born 23 June 1980) is an Australian-Danish former professional basketball player. One of Australia's most experienced and successful players, Andersen won 12 league championships (9 European national domestic league champi ...
,
Travis Best Travis Best (born July 12, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in Europe. High school career Best attended Springfield Central High School, starring on teams ...
,
Keith Langford Andre Keith Langford (born September 15, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at , he primarily played at the shooting guard position. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. Among the numerous accol ...
,
Miloš Teodosić Miloš Teodosić ( sr-cyr, Милош Теодосић, born March 19, 1987) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the National Basketball Team ...
,
Marco Belinelli Marco Stefano Belinelli (; born 25 March 1986) is an Italian professional basketball player and the captain (sports), team captain for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NB ...
,
Daniel Hackett Daniel Lorenzo Hackett (born December 19, 1987) is an American-Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play at both the point guard and shooting gu ...
and
Tornike Shengelia Tornike "Toko" Shengelia ( ka, თორნიკე შენგელია; born 5 October 1991) is a Georgian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Shengelia also represe ...
. While some of the club's greatest coaches have been:
Vittorio Tracuzzi Vittorio Tracuzzi (2 January 1923 – 21 October 1986) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially ...
,
Dan Peterson Daniel Lowell Peterson (born January 9, 1936) is an American former professional basketball head coach. He resigned from his most recent position as the head coach of Olimpia Milano in the Italian LBA after the team was eliminated in the semi- ...
,
Terry Driscoll Edward Cuthbert "Terry" Driscoll Jr. (born August 28, 1947) is a former American college athletics administrator and professional basketball player. Until 2017, he served as athletic director at the College of William & Mary. College career Dr ...
, Alberto Bucci,
Ettore Messina Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach. Messina is regarded a ...
,
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for the senior China. During his ...
and
Sergio Scariolo Sergio Scariolo (born 1 April 1961) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the senior Spain national team. Scariolo latest coached also Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Having won four EuroB ...
.


History


1929–1956: Beginnings and post-war dynasty

Virtus was founded in 1871 as a
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
club, forming its first professional basketball team in 1929 as part of a multi sports club. The club's motto was ''Forte Franco Fermo Fiero'' ("Strong Frank Firm Proud") and was inserted in the
logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...
under the Black V, with a cross made by four F; the motto is still used by Virtus today. The team's home court was the former church of Santa Lucia in the city center, which could host a few hundred people. The first official championship of Virtus dates back to 1929. From 1929 to 1934, Virtus played in the first and second divisions within Emilia region. In 1934, the Bolognese team won the division tournament, obtaining the promotion in the top tournament after a hard-fought group of playoffs against Unione Sportiva of
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and Ginnastica
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. Team's captain was Venzo Vannini, while other important players were Giuseppe Palmieri and
Giancarlo Marinelli Giancarlo Marinelli (4 December 1915 – 12 May 1987) was an Italian basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was born in Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest ...
. After the promotion, Virtus settled permanently at the top of the national basketball league, and achieved a long series of honorable placings: in the nine championships disputed from 1935 to the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Black V collected 6-second places, 2 third places, and a sixth place, however Virtus never achieved to win a national title. From 1943 to 1945, the championship was suspended due to the outbreak of the war in the country and the beginning of the
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. At the end of the world war, Santa Lucia was no longer available for basketball games and after a brief period of outdoor matches on a field in Via del Ravone, the team moved to Sala Borsa, the city's
stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...
, readjusted in the evening for basketball matches. This unusual venue became the hallmark of a new Italian basketball season, compared to the worldwide famous
Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...
. In July 1945, Virtus, led by Achille Canna,
Luigi Rapini Luigi Rapini (21 July 1924 – 18 September 2013) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics and the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Game ...
and Antonio Calebotta, won its first national
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
title, defeating 35–31
Reyer Venezia S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball i ...
in the final. In the following season, Renzo Poluzzi became the new head coach and led Virtus to its second championship. Under Poluzzi, Virtus won the title again in 1948 and 1949, achieving the so-called "four-peat". In 1949–50 season, the Black V arrived second after
Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...
; during these years, the long-time rivalry with Olimpia, known as "derby of Italy", began. Olimpia won the title for the next four years too, while the Black V placed second in 1952 and 1953. In 1954,
Vittorio Tracuzzi Vittorio Tracuzzi (2 January 1923 – 21 October 1986) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially ...
was appointed new head coach; Tracuzzi was a Virtus player too, acting as a "
player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
". At the end of the season, Tracuzzi led Virtus to its fifth national title. The team doubled the next season, achieving a so-called "back-to-back". During the 1950s the first derbies were played against Gira and Moto Morini, the other two teams of Bologna. Due to the increasing fame of Virtus, the Sala Borsa was no longer suitable for hosting games; so in 1956, the long-time
Mayor of Bologna The Mayor of Bologna is an elected politician who, along with the Bologna’s City Council, is accountable for the strategic government of Bologna, the regional capital of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Overview According to the Italian Constitution, th ...
,
Giuseppe Dozza Giuseppe Dozza (29 November 1901 – 28 December 1974) was an Italian politician, the first Mayor of Bologna after the end of World War II. Biography The resistance One of the founders of the Communist Party of Italy, Dozza was immediately pe ...
, inaugurated a new arena, which was simply known as "Sports Hall" and had a seating capacity of more than 7,000 people. The arena was later nicknamed ''Il Madison'', after New York's
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
and, in 1966, after Dozza's retirement from politics, it was renamed "
PalaDozza PalaDozza is an indoor sporting arena located at Piazza Azzarita Manfredi 8, in Bologna, Italy. It was named after Giuseppe Dozza, the long-time communist mayor of Bologna, who served from 1945 to 1966. In Italy, the arena is frequently nickname ...
". From 1956 to 1960, Virtus placed second, always behind its arch-rival Olimpia Milan. At the end of the 1959–60 season, Tracuzzi left Virtus after having won two championships in five seasons, with a winning record of 108–22, being widely considered one of Black V's greatest coaches of all time.


1960–1968: Post-dynasty struggles

In 1960, the Spanish coach, Eduardo Kucharski, succeeded Tracuzzi at the head of the team. Virtus, led by its best player
Gianfranco Lombardi Gianfranco "Franco" Lombardi (20 March 1941 – 22 January 2021) was an Italian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, his nickname was "Dado". In 2006, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. Pr ...
, took part in its first European Champions Cup, but it was ousted by CCA Bucarest in the second round. At the end of the Italian regular season, the Black V placed second again, behind
Ignis Varese Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA. For past club spo ...
. In 1962 and 1963 Virtus arrived third and Kucharski was sacked, while
Mario Alesini Mario Alesini (17 December 1931 – 2 August 2001) was an Italian basketball player. He was part of the Italian team that finished fourth at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olymp ...
, a former Virtus player, became the new head coach. However, in the next three seasons, Alesini did not reach to bring back the title to Bologna. In 1966, Jaroslav Šíp was hired as new head coach, but Virtus never became a real contender for the championship, with Olimpia and Ignis which alternatively won the title until 1968.


1968–1991: The Porelli era

The 1960s had been an unfortunate decade for Virtus. The turning point occurred in 1968, when the lawyer
Gianluigi Porelli Gianluigi "Gigi" Porelli (10 June 1930 – 4 September 2009) was an Italian basketball executive, who served as president of Virtus Bologna from 1968 until 1991. Porelli has been widely regarded as one of the greatest contributors to the growth a ...
was appointed by the then president of the multi-sport club, Giovanni Elkan, at the head of the basketball section. Alternately nicknamed "
Torquemada Torquemada may refer to: People * Juan de Torquemada (cardinal) (1388–1468), Spanish cardinal and ecclesiastical writer * Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498), prominent leader of the Spanish Inquisition * Antonio de Torquemada (c. 1507 ...
" or "
Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fer ...
" for his quick and often dictatorial methods, or, more frequently, ''L'Avvocato'' ("The Lawyer"), Porelli has been one of the most prominent figures in the history of Virtus which, through initiatives often unpopular but almost always winning, definitively carried towards professionalism.


1968–1973: Rebuilding

As soon as he arrived, at only 38 years old, Porelli sacked coach Šíp and appointed Renzo Ranuzzi, a former player. However, Ranuzzi lasted one year only, due to the poor result of the team, which ended the season at the 10th place. After another poor result in the 1969–70 season under coach Nello Paratore, in 1970, Porelli hired Black V's legendary coach Vittorio Tracuzzi and sold the best player of the time, Gianfranco Lombardi, unleashing a popular uprising that even ended up in court. Despite Tracuzzi's comeback, the team placed 10th once again. In 1970, thanks to Porelli, Virtus was also one of the main proponents and founders of the
Lega Basket The Lega Basket A (officially: ''Lega Società di Pallacanestro Serie A'', English: Basket League) is the organizing body, as delegated by the Italian Basketball Federation, of the top division of Italian professional men's basketball league, ...
, the governing body of the top-tier level professional
Italian basketball league The Lega Basket A (officially: ''Lega Società di Pallacanestro Serie A'', English: Basket League) is the organizing body, as delegated by the Italian Basketball Federation, of the top division of Italian professional men's basketball league, t ...
. In the same year, Virtus broke away from the multi sports club, becoming a
joint-stock company A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareho ...
. Thanks to this choice, which was highly criticised at the time, Porelli definitively healed the club's finances. In 1971, Porelli hired the American player John Fultz who, supported by important Italian players like
Gianni Bertolotti Gianni Bertolotti (born 12 February 1950) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. Professional career During his club career, Bertolotti was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer, in 1978. Italian national team As a member of t ...
and Luigi Serafini, succeeded in placing the team 5th in the national championship, the best result since 1967–68. In the following season, the team, composed by the same players and coached by Nico Messina, arrived 6th.


1973–1978: Peterson's revolution

In 1973, Porelli opened a new season of triumphs, thanks to a partnership with Sinudyne, a famous Italian
domestic appliance A major appliance is a non-portable or semi-portable machine used for routine housekeeping tasks such as cooking, washing laundry, or food preservation. Such appliances are sometimes collectively known as white goods, as the products were trad ...
s company, and especially with the engagement of the young American coach
Dan Peterson Daniel Lowell Peterson (born January 9, 1936) is an American former professional basketball head coach. He resigned from his most recent position as the head coach of Olimpia Milano in the Italian LBA after the team was eliminated in the semi- ...
, coming from the Chile's national basketball team. Virtus immediately won its first
Italian Cup Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
in 1973–74 season, which was club's first title since 1955–56. In the following season, Virtus signed
Tom McMillen Charles Thomas McMillen (born May 26, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and former professional basketball player. A Rhodes Scholar, McMillen represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from January 3, 1987, to January 3, 1993 ...
, a 22-years-old player from
Maryland University The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Universi ...
, who was selected with the 9th overall pick by the
Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference ...
during the
1974 NBA draft The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was held on May 28, 1974, before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and ot ...
. He signed with the Braves but postponed his entry into the NBA to attend the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
as a
Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...
. McMillen lived and studied in the UK, but he moved to Bologna during the weekends to play basketball. At the end of the season, characterized by outstanding performances by McMillen, the team placed 4th in the national championship and was eliminated at the quarterfinals of the
European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
. In 1975, McMillen started his career in the NBA, so Porelli and Peterson signed
Terry Driscoll Edward Cuthbert "Terry" Driscoll Jr. (born August 28, 1947) is a former American college athletics administrator and professional basketball player. Until 2017, he served as athletic director at the College of William & Mary. College career Dr ...
, a former NBA player and 4th overall pick in 1969 draft. Thanks to Driscoll's leadership and the fundamental support of Italian players like
Carlo Caglieris Carlo Caglieris (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian former basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Caglieris is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian point guards of his generation, having won th ...
,
Gianni Bertolotti Gianni Bertolotti (born 12 February 1950) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. Professional career During his club career, Bertolotti was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer, in 1978. Italian national team As a member of t ...
,
Marco Bonamico Marco Bonamico (born 18 January 1957 in Genoa) is an Italian former professional basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the small forward and power forward (basketball), power forward positions. During his playing career, his nickn ...
and Luigi Serafini, Virtus won its seventh national championship, the first one after twenty years. In 1976–77, Virtus ended first in the regular season, however it lost the championship finals against Varese, by 2–0. In the following season, the Black V succeeded in reaching the national finals, but nonetheless it lost 2–1 against Varese again. The team also reached the final of the Cup Winner's Cup, but lost 84–82 against
Gabetti Cantù Pierino Gabetti (22 May 1904 – 28 February 1971) was an Italian weightlifter who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics, 1924, 1928 Summer Olympics, 1928, and 1932 Summer Olympics. Biography He was born in Sestri Ponente. Gabetti won a gold me ...
. In 1978, after two consecutive second places, coach Peterson left the Black V to sign with its historic rival, Olimpia Milan. This move was heavily criticised by Black V's fans, but it was approved by Porelli himself. However, despite the controversies which rose around his farewell, Peterson's legacy was huge: the American coach deeply changed the team's organization and contributed in bringing back Virtus to the top of Italian basketball after twenty years of struggles.


1978–1980: Driscoll's back-to-back

After Peterson's departure, Terry Driscoll was appointed new head coach. Porelli signed also
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
, one of the best centers in Europe; the team was also composed by great Italian players as
Renato Villalta Renato Villalta (born 3 February 1955) is a former professional basketball player from Italy. He played for Virtus Bologna for 13 seasons, winning three Italian championships and two national cups. Villalta is considered one of the greatest Europ ...
,
Carlo Caglieris Carlo Caglieris (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian former basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Caglieris is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian point guards of his generation, having won th ...
and the captain
Gianni Bertolotti Gianni Bertolotti (born 12 February 1950) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. Professional career During his club career, Bertolotti was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer, in 1978. Italian national team As a member of t ...
. In the national finals, Virtus faced its former coach, Dan Peterson and his new team, Olimpia. Despite the great expectations around a hard-fought final, the Black V easily won the title in only two games. The team also reached the semi-finals of the
Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winne ...
, where it was eliminated for only one point by the Dutch EBBC. In the following season, Porelli signed
Jim McMillian James M. McMillian (March 11, 1948 – May 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball for the Columbia Lions. He led Columbia to a t ...
, a 1972
NBA champion The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Easter ...
with the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
. McMillian, who was immediately nicknamed by Virtus fans as ''Il Duca Nero'' ("The Black Duke"), led the team achieving a back-to-back, winning its ninth titles against Cantù. The team took part also in the European Champions Cup, where it was eliminated in the semi-finals group stage. At the end of the season, Driscoll's two-year contract had expired. Porelli and Driscoll could not agree on a contract. Despite Driscoll's great successes, first as player, one championship, and two championships as a coach in five years, when no agreement was reached, Driscoll chose to return to retire from basketball.


1980–1988: Champions Cup Final and 10th title

At the beginning of the 1980–81 season, Driscoll's assistant, Ettore Zuccheri, became the new head coach, but he was later replaced by Renzo Ranuzzi. The team reached once again the national finals, but it slightly lost the playoff series by 2–1 against Cantù. Returning to the top in Italy, the Black V attempted to become a major team in Europe too, and in
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
, Virtus reached the final of the
FIBA European Champions Cup The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
in
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
. However, a few days before the final, McMillian suffered a serious injury against Brindisi and was forced not to play in the final, which then Virtus lost by only one point against
Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...
, after a very contested game and dubious
referees A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titles ...
' choices. After the defeat in the Cup, Porelli sacked Ranuzzi and hired coach
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of S ...
, worldwide known as "The Professor". The team was composed also by young and talented Italian players like
Roberto Brunamonti Roberto Brunamonti (born 14 April 1959 in Spoleto) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, he played at the point guard position. He was among the 105 player nominees for the 50 Greatest EuroLeague ...
and
Augusto Binelli Augusto "Gus" Binelli (born 23 September 1964) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, and a weight of , he played at the center position. Binelli was drafted in the second round, of the 1986 NBA ...
, as well as important foreign players, like the Bahamian center
Elvis Rolle Elvis Rolle (born February 8, 1958) is a Bahamian former professional basketball player. Rolle was born in the Bahamas and moved to Florida, United States, in 1969 to live with an uncle. He attended Fort Pierce Central High School in Fort Pierce, ...
. Despite his fame, Nikolić did not succeed in bringing Virtus back to title, so in 1983, after the brief experiences of George Bisacca and Mauro Di Vincenzo, the 35 years-old Alberto Bucci, from Bologna, became the new head coach. In the same years, the club signed a deal with Granarolo, a milk and dairy production company, which became the new team's sponsor. The skilled American small forward
Jan van Breda Kolff Jan van Breda Kolff (born December 16, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and college coach. The son of coach Butch van Breda Kolff and grandson of Dutch soccer player Jan van Breda Kolff, he played from 1974 to 1976 f ...
was also added to the roster. Virtus ended the regular season second, after Peterson's Olimpia. The two teams faced each other in a historic final, always remembered as one of the best in Italian basketball history, in which Virtus defeated Olimpia by 2–1, reaching its 10th national title, also known as ''La Stella'' ("The Star"), due to the star which is attributed to teams that manage to win ten national championships. In the same year, the team completed a domestic double by adding a National Cup. In 1984–85, Virtus reached the semi-final group stage of the Champions Cup, where, however, it was eliminated. After a defeat in the playoffs' quarterfinals against Olimpia, Bucci was sacked and
Sandro Gamba Alessandro "Sandro" Gamba (born 3 June 1932) is an Italian former professional basketball player and coach. Gamba was a finalist for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, and was elected as a member in 2006. He ...
became the new coach. Gamba, one of the most successful Italian coaches of all time, did not succeed in winning with Virtus too, exiting in the first round of 1986 playoffs and being eliminated in the quarterfinals of 1987 playoffs. In 1988,
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
, a former Virtus star, replaced Gamba. Despite the head coach's change, the team continued collecting poor successes, being ousted in the
Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir ...
's quarterfinals and in the first round of national playoffs.


1988–1991: The "Sugar-mania"

In 1988, Porelli hired
Bob Hill Robert W. Hill''The Sporting News: 1992-93 Official NBA Register''. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News Publishing Co. 1992. (born November 24, 1948) is an American basketball coach. Hill grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, moving to Worthingt ...
, who was
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
' head coach until the previous season. Hill brought in Italy two former
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
players:
Micheal Ray Richardson Michael Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955), known as Micheal Ray Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA dr ...
, worldwide known as "Sugar", an
NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...
and former player for the Knicks and
New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
, who was banned from the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
for violations of league's drug policy, and
Clemon Johnson Clemon James Johnson Jr. (born September 12, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and the former head basketball coach at Florida A&M. Johnson was a 6'10", center who played 761 games for four teams during his 10 seasons ...
, 1983 NBA champion with the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
, who also played for the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
and
Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...
.Cook: Senior class Pitt's Johnson refuses to pout, becomes leader
''post-gazette.com'' published 14 February 2002
At the beginning of the season, Porelli reached an agreement with Knorr, a German food and beverage brand, which became the team's sponsor. In 1988–89 Virtus won its third Italian Cup, but it was defeated in the semi-finals for the national championship against Enichem Livorno, coached by Bucci. Despite the playoffs' elimination, the season was considered a rebirth for Virtus: the national cup was the team's first trophy since 1984 and the great performances of Richardson had brought back the passion for basketball in the city. This period became known as "Sugar-mania", from Richardson's historic nickname. In the following summer, Hill surprisingly resigned from his post and his assistant, the 30 years-old
Ettore Messina Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach. Messina is regarded a ...
, was appointed new head coach. The Black V won the Italian Cup again and on 13 March 1990, won its first European title, the
FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the European professional club basketball system, second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winn ...
, the second-tier level European-wide competition, defeating 79–74 the
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
coached by
George Karl George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach ...
. The final was characterized by an outstanding performance of Richardson, able of scoring 29 points. However, the team was once again eliminated in national playoffs' quarterfinals against Phonola Caserta. In 1990–91, Virtus placed third in the regular season but it was once again eliminated in the national semi-finals by Caserta. At the end of the season, Richardson was not confirmed and signed for
Slobodna Dalmacija (, where "Free" is an adjective) is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split. History was first issued on 17 June 1943 by Tito's Partisans in an abandoned stone barn on Mosor, a mountain near Split, while the city was occupied by the I ...
, putting an end to a three-year period in which he brought Virtus to win its first European trophy and laid the foundations for club's successes in the following years. In 1991, after two years of internal struggles within the shareholders' assembly, during which he also briefly lost the control of the club, Porelli sold Virtus to Alfredo Cazzola, a local
trade fair A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...
entrepreneur. During 23 years of tenure, Porelli won four national titles, four Italian Cups and one Cup Winner's Cup, transforming a simple basketball section of a multisport club into one of the richest and most successful teams in Europe.


1991–2000: The Cazzola era

As president, Cazzola brought to Virtus an entrepreneurial mentality, which would be necessary in the team's future growth. In the 1991–92 season, the Black V, led by captain Brunamonti and
Jure Zdovc Jurij "Jure" Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player and coach. He was most recently the head coach of Bursaspor of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). As a player, he was a tall point guard, who ...
, reached the national semi-finals, but lost against
Scavolini Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...
, which had already eliminated Virtus in the national cup few months before. The team also lost against Partizan in the FIBA European League quarterfinals.


1992–1995: Danilović's three-peat

In the summer of 1992, Cazzola signed
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one o ...
, a young Yugoslav player who won the latest FIBA European League with Partizan. Under the strong leadership of Danilović and the important support of Brunamonti, Claudio Coldebella,
Paolo Moretti Paolo Moretti (born 30 June 1970 in Arezzo) is a former professional basketball player, and current basketball coach from Italy, who won the silver medal with his national team at the Eurobasket 1997 in Spain. Standing at a height of , he played ...
,
Augusto Binelli Augusto "Gus" Binelli (born 23 September 1964) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, and a weight of , he played at the center position. Binelli was drafted in the second round, of the 1986 NBA ...
and
Bill Wennington William Percey Wennington (born April 26, 1963) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who won three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships with the Chicago Bulls. A center, he represented Canada in the 1984 Olympics a ...
, the team, coached by Ettore Messina, won its eleventh national championship, defeating 3–0 the Benetton Treviso. However the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the FIBA European League by Real Madrid Teka. In the following season, Messina became the new coach of
Italy's national basketball team The Italy men's national basketball team () represents Italy in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). Italy has qualified for 38 EuroBasket tournaments, winning two gold medals ( ...
and Alberto Bucci, returned to coach Virtus, with whom he had won a national championship in 1984. The team was completed with
Cliff Levingston Clifford Eugene Levingston (born January 4, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Professional playing career A former power forward, Levingston played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Levingston s ...
, two-time NBA champion with the
Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
. In the same year, Cazzola signed a deal with Buckler Beer, a brand of
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...
, which became the new sponsor of the team. In October 1993, Virtus took part to the
McDonald's Open The McDonald's Championship (sometimes called the McDonald's Open) was an international men's basketball competition that featured a representative of the National Basketball Association (representing North America) against champion club teams ...
in Munich, where it arrived second, after the
Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
. In May 1994, Virtus won its second consecutive national title, defeating 3–2 Scavolini Pesaro, after a very contested final. Once again, the Black V was ousted during the FIBA European League quarterfinals by
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
. In the 1994–95 season, Joe Binion replaced Levingston, while the rest of the team remained untouched. In May 1995, Virtus won its 13th title, defeating 3–0 Benetton Treviso, accomplishing a so-called "
three-peat In sports (especially in North America), a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships or tournaments. The term, a portmanteau of the words ''three'' and ''repeat'', originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Ass ...
". However, for the third consecutive times, the team which dominated the Italian league was eliminated at the FIBA European League quarterfinals, this time by
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...
.


1995–1997: Transition years and Brunamonti's retirement

After the three-peat, Danilović left Virtus for the
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...
. Cazzola signed
Arijan Komazec Arijan Komazec (born January 23, 1970) is a former Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Komazec started his professional career as a basketball player at the age of 16, in the historical club of Zadar, in the 1986–87 s ...
, a Croatian guard-forward, and
Orlando Woolridge Orlando Vernada Woolridge (December 16, 1959 – May 31, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks. He playe ...
, a long-time NBA player; while young Italian players like Alessandro Abbio became increasingly important. In September 1995, Virtus won its first
Italian Supercup The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous sea ...
against Benetton Treviso; while in October, the Black V participated in the
McDonald's Championship The McDonald's Championship (sometimes called the McDonald's Open) was an international men's basketball competition that featured a representative of the National Basketball Association (representing North America) against champion club teams ...
, arriving second after the
Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...
. The team ended the regular season in first place, but he was eventually eliminated by Stefanel Milano in the playoffs' semi-finals. Moreover, the team did not succeed in passing the second group stage of the Champions Cup. In 1996, captain Roberto Brunamonti retired from basketball after 14 seasons as a Virtus player. During the summer, the club signed important international players like
Zoran Savić Zoran Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Савић; born November 18, 1966) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former professional player who is currently the sports director for Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic Le ...
from Real Madrid Teka and
Branislav Prelević Branislav Prelević or Mpranislav Prelevits ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Прелевић, ; born 19 December 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He is commonly referred to by his nickname Bane ( sr-Cyrl, Бане ...
from
PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
. Moreover, Kinder, a product brand line of Italian confectionery multinational
Ferrero SpA Ferrero International SpA ( , ), more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba. Ferrero is a manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second ...
, became the new sponsor of Virtus. On 8 March 1997, coach Bucci was replaced by Lino Frattin, who after a few days, won Black V's fifth Italian Cup against Cantù. The team was eliminated by Stefanel Milano in the Top 16 of the FIBA EuroLeague, the former Champions Cup. In the national playoffs, Virtus was eliminated in the semi-finals by the other Bologna's team, Teamsystem, which, after years of poor results, was becoming increasingly competitive.


1997–2000: Danilović's comeback and the first EuroLeague

In 1997, Roberto Brunamonti became team's general manager, while coach Messina and Sasha Danilović returned to Virtus and the team was completed with important international players like
Radoslav Nesterovič Radoslav () is a common Slavic masculine given name, derived from ''rad-'' ("happy, eager, to care") and ''slava'' ("glory, fame"), both very common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "eager glory". It is known since the Middle Ages. Th ...
,
Antoine Rigaudeau Antoine Roger Rigaudeau (born 17 December 1971) is a French former professional basketball player and professional basketball coach. During his playing days, he played at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions. Also during ...
,
Hugo Sconochini Hugo Ariel Sconochini (born 10 April 1971) is an Argentine retired professional basketball player. He played at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
and Alessandro Frosini, as well as with the confirmation of Zoran Savić and Alessandro Abbio. In the same year, the club moved to PalaMalaguti, an indoor sporting arena in
Casalecchio di Reno Casalecchio di Reno ( Bolognese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. History Casalecchio's name is derived from ''Casaliculum'' ("collection of little houses"), and from the presence of ...
with a seating capacity of more than 8,000 people, leaving PalaDozza after almost 40 years. On 23 April 1998, Virtus won its first
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
, defeating 58–44
AEK A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Established ...
in Barcelona, with Savić elected MVP of the Final Four. While on 31 May, Virtus conquered its 14th national title, defeating in Game 5 of the final, Teamsystem Bologna. At twenty seconds from the end of the game, with Fortitudo leading by 4, Danilović scored a three-point shot and at the same time suffered a foul by
Dominique Wilkins Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is a French-born American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins is a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seve ...
, completing the so-called "four-point shot". Then Virtus won the match in the overtime. The 1998 final between Virtus and Fortiudo is widely considered as the greatest one in the history of Italian basketball, with two teams from the same city, which were among the best ones in the continent. During this period, Bologna was nicknamed "Basket City", due to the fame and the victories of town's two teams. In the following season, Virtus won its 7th Italian Cup in January 1999. The team also defeated Fortitudo 57–62 in a historic EuroLeague's semi-final in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, but it lost 82–74 in the final against Žalgiris of
Tyus Edney Tyus Dwayne Edney Sr. (born February 14, 1973) is an American basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Pepperdine Waves men's team of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Listed at , he played point guard. He played coll ...
and was eliminated in the semi-finals for the national championship by Treviso. In 1999–2000 season, the Black V lost the Italian Cup final against Treviso and was defeated 83–76 by AEK, in the
FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...
's final in
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
. Moreover, Virtus was once again eliminated by Treviso, in the semi-finals for the national championship. In May 2000, Cazzola sold Virtus to Marco Madrigali, a video game entrepreneur, who became the new president of the club. Under Cazzola's presidency, Virtus lived a period which became known as its "
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
", in which the Black V won four national titles, two Italian Cups and a EuroLeague, becoming one of the most notable and successful teams in Europe.


2000–2003: The Madrigali era


2000–2002: Ginóbili's rise and the second EuroLeague

In the 2000–01 season, Madrigali and Brunamonti signed important players, like
Marko Jarić Marko Jarić ( sr-cyr, Марко Јарић, ; ; born 12 October 1978) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), he mainly played the point guard position. He also represented the senior FR Yugosl ...
,
Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili ( , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Credited for popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA, he is regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards and sixth men in the le ...
,
Matjaž Smodiš Matjaž Smodiš (born 13 December 1979) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 2.05 m (6'8 ") tall, he played at the power forward and center positions. During his pro club playing career, he played in seve ...
,
Rashard Griffith Rashard Nathan Griffith (born October 8, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Early career A native of Chicago, Illinois, Griffith starred for the nationally ranked King Jaguars of the Chicago Public League, where he was ...
and
David Andersen David Emil Andersen (born 23 June 1980) is an Australian-Danish former professional basketball player. One of Australia's most experienced and successful players, Andersen won 12 league championships (9 European national domestic league champi ...
; while at the beginning of the season, Sasha Danilović suddenly announced his retirement from basketball. The absence of a strong leader like Danilović and the subsequent ban for doping of another historic player like Hugo Sconochini, forced every single player of the team to take more responsibility, but at the same time opened spaces to the immature and talented newcomers, free to show their abilities and experience at a high level. After a tough beginning, the season had a turning point during the Christmas derby against Fortitudo, which was soundly won by the Black V by 99–62. From then, Virtus started an outstanding season, characterized by an unrepeatable group capable of beating every record and becoming one of the strongest European teams of all time and, according to many, the strongest ever. On 28 April 2001, Virtus won its seventh Italian Cup against Pesaro, while on 10 May, the Black V won its second
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
, defeating 3–2
Tau Cerámica Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia, S.A.D commonly known as Saski Baskonia () and also simply as Baskonia, is a professional basketball team based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. History 1959–1969 ...
, in the first and only series in the history of EuroLeague finals. Manu Ginóbili was elected Finals MVP. On 19 June, Virtus won its 15th national championship, beating Paf Wennington Bologna 3–0, while Ginobili was elected Italian League MVP too.Manu Ginoboli Info Page – Bio
, nba.com. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
After the double in 1997–98, in 2000–01 season, Virtus completed a so-called Triple Crown (known in Italy as ''Grande Slam''), winning all the trophies that it could won. In the following season, Virtus won its 8th Italian Cup, but after some defeats Madrigali fired Messina. However, after a field invasion by Virtus supporters before a match against
Pallacanestro Trieste Pallacanestro Trieste 2004 is an Italian professional basketball club based in Trieste. They played in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) for five seasons (2018–19 LBA season, 2018–19 to 2022–23 LBA season, 2022–23 season); after winning playof ...
, Madrigali was forced to re-hire him. Despite this, the team lost 89–83 the
EuroLeague final The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is the highest level tier, and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe. Real Madrid have won the European championship o ...
, which was held in PalaMalaguti, against
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...
of
Dejan Bodiroga Dejan Bodiroga ( sr-Cyrl, Дејан Бодирога; born 2 March 1973) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player, who is currently the president of EuroLeague Basketball. In 1998 and 2002, he received the Golden Badge ...
and
Željko Obradović Željko Obradović ( sr-cyrl, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball Coach (basketball), coach and former professional player who is the head coach for KK Partizan, Partizan of the ...
, and was eliminated in the semi-finals for the national championship by Benetton Treviso.


2002–2003: Financial problems and interdiction

In 2003, Ginóbili moved to the NBA, where he played for the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
, and Ettore Messina was hired by Benetton, thus
Bogdan Tanjević Bogdan Tanjević ( sr-Cyrl, Богдан Тањевић; born 13 February 1947), nicknamed "Boša" () is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. He is best known for being KK Bosna's head coach when the club became the t ...
was appointed new head coach. During the summer, due to contrasts with Madrigali, Brunamonti also left the club, after nearly 20 years spent as player and general manager. After a soundly defeat in
Fabriano Fabriano is a town and ''comune'' of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at above sea level. It lies in the Esino valley upstream and southwest of Jesi; and east-northeast of Fossato di Vico and east of Gubbio (both in U ...
, Tanjević was replaced by
Valerio Bianchini Valerio Bianchini (born July 22, 1943) is an Italian professional basketball coach. He was the first coach in Italian basketball to win three championship titles with three clubs ( Cantù, Virtus Roma and Victoria Libertas Pesaro). His nickname ...
, who failed in reaching the playoffs for the first time in Virtus history but succeeded in saving the team from relegation. However, suffering from serious financial problems, mainly caused by the failure of Madrigali's video game company CTO SpA, Virtus was excluded from the Serie A in August 2003, after missing payments to players, first of all the young Slovenian
Sani Bečirovič Sani Bečirovič (born 19 May 1981) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach, executive and former player, who last served as the sporting director for Panathinaikos B.C., Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague. As a ...
.


2003–2013: The Sabatini era

The bankruptcy was avoided thanks to the intervention of a local trade fair entrepreneur, Claudio Sabatini, who transacted all the
debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money Loan, borrowed or otherwise withheld from another party, the creditor. Debt may be owed by a sovereign state or country, local government, company, or an individual. Co ...
s of the club, after agreements with creditors and took over the company from Madrigali. Sabatini acquired also the club Progresso Castelmaggiore, from a small town in Bologna's hinterland, which played in Serie A2 and sponsored the new team with FuturVirtus brand, guaranteeing, therefore, the continuity of the glorious name "Virtus" despite the exclusion from the championships.


2003–2005: Promotion to Serie A

In 2003–04 season, Sabatini signed important former NBA players like Charles Smith,
Vonteego Cummings Vonteego Marfeek Cummings (born February 29, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Atenienses de Manatí (basketball), Atenienses de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) in Puerto Rico. A co ...
and
Rick Brunson Eric Daniel Brunson (born June 14, 1972) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played nine seasons in the NBA and has als ...
. The team was initially coached by Giampiero Ticchi, who was replaced in November by Alberto Bucci, Black V's historic coach. Despite good premises, FuturVirtus did not reach the promotion in Serie A, losing 3–0 in the final series of playoffs from
Aurora Jesi Aurora Basket Jesi is an Italian professional basketball club based in Jesi. It plays in the second division Serie A2 as of the 2015-16 season. History In 1965, Gianni Rossetti (a television journalist for RAI), Carlo Barchiesi (current preside ...
. During the summer of 2004 the club obtained the re-affiliation to the
Italian Basketball Federation The Italian Basketball Federation () is the governing body of basketball in Italy. It is based in Rome. It organises national competitions in Italy and the Italian basketball leagues, which operate the country's two professional leagues, Lega B ...
and the right to use the name "Virtus Pallacanestro" again. The team was completed, among others, with
Corey Brewer Corey Wayne Brewer (born March 5, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national c ...
, A.J. Guyton and
Bennett Davison Bennett Davison (born November 21, 1975) is an American former basketball player who played professionally for over ten years, including several seasons in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A. Davison is also known for his success as a college player, wh ...
and was coached by Giordano Consolini, who served as Messina's assistant for years. On 3 June 2005, Virtus returned to the top division, defeating 3–0 the Premiata Montegranaro.


2005–2009: National finals and return to Europe

In the 2005–06 season, Sabatini hired
Zare Markovski Zare Markovski (; born October 28, 1960, in Skopje) is a Macedonian former professional basketball player and head coach. Career Zare Markovski as player played in KK Rabotnički and MZT Skopje. His career as a player was short. At the age of 23 ...
from
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
as new head coach and signed, among others,
David Blu David Blu (; born David Bluthenthal; July 18, 1980) is an American–Israeli former professional basketball player, who spent 10 seasons playing in the EuroLeague. Standing at , he played at the small forward and power forward positions. He is c ...
thenthal,
Dušan Vukčević Dušan Vukčević (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Вукчевић; born 14 November 1975) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and coach, who last served as an assistant coach for Peristeri Athens of the Greek Basket League and the ...
and Christian Drejer. Despite a good season's start the team ended 9th, out of the playoffs. After the end of the season, Bluthenthal, who was Black V's top scorer, went to Fortitudo, while Virtus confirmed Vukčević and Drejer, as well as coach Markovski. Moreover, Sabatini signed
Travis Best Travis Best (born July 12, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in Europe. High school career Best attended Springfield Central High School, starring on teams ...
, a former NBA player for the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
,
Brett Blizzard Brett Alan Blizzard (born June 12, 1980) is an American-Italian basketball player. Originally of American nationality, Blizzard opted to acquire dual citizenship in Italy while playing overseas. He became eligible to play on Italy's national team ...
,
Guilherme Giovannoni Guilherme Giovannoni (born June 2, 1980) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player. He played at the power forward position for several clubs in Brazil and Europe. Currently, he is a commentator on the National Basketball Association a ...
,
Vlado Ilievski Vlado Ilievski (; born 19 January 1980) is a former Macedonian professional basketball. Standing at , he played at the point guard position. Professional career During his career, Ilievski played for Nemetali Ogražden, KK Partizan, Antbirlik An ...
and
Tyrone Grant Tyrone Jeremy Grant (born January 24, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and now CEO of Team First Inc as well as Wave Holistic Health. At a height of 2.02 m (6'7 ") tall, he played at the small forward and Power forward (b ...
. The team reached the Italian Cup final, losing against Benetton Treviso and placed second in the regular season, qualifying for the playoffs after a five-year absence. Markovski's team reached the championship finals, but it was defeated 3–0 by
Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana Basketball Siena, also known as simply Mens Sana, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871. Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from spon ...
. The Black V also reached the EuroCup semi-finals, where it was defeated by the Ukrainian team
Azovmash Mariupol MBC Mariupol (, formerly BK Azovmash) was a Ukrainian professional basketball club. It was founded in 1990 in the city of Mariupol in South-Eastern Ukraine. Mariupol was one of the strongest teams in Ukraine along with Kyiv, Khimik, and Cher ...
. In the following summer, the team was suddenly reshaped and Markovski was fired by Sabatini, whose presidency was characterized by his fickle nature, which led him implementing unexpected and often unpopular choices. The president hired Stefano Pillastrini as new head coach and signed, among others, Alan Anderson, Delonte Holland,
Dewarick Spencer Dewarick Antwain Spencer (born May 4, 1982) is an American professional basketball player who plays for AlKaramah SC of the Syrian Basketball League . Nicknamed "Dee," he is tall and plays both point guard and shooting guard positions. From Mobi ...
and
Roberto Chiacig Roberto Chiacig (born 1 December 1974 in Cividale del Friuli, Italy) is an Italian former professional basketball player, still playing at an amateur level. Playing as a center, his most notable achievement was the silver medal obtained by the ...
. Virtus participated in the EuroLeague, but arrived last in the
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
, winning only two games out of 14. In January 2008, Pillastrini was fired and Renato Pasquali became the new coach; after few months Sabatini re-signed Travis Best, who led the team to the second consecutive Italian Cup final, lost against
Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...
. However, Virtus ended the season at the 16th place. In 2008–09 season, the team was completely renewed with prominent players like the former NBA player
Earl Boykins Earl Antoine Boykins (born June 2, 1976) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is an assistant coach for the USC Trojans men's team. He played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Ne ...
,
Keith Langford Andre Keith Langford (born September 15, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at , he primarily played at the shooting guard position. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. Among the numerous accol ...
, Sharrod Ford and the re-sign of Dušan Vukčević. After few months, coach Pasquali was succeeded by
Matteo Boniciolli Matteo Boniciolli (born 18 April 1962) is an Italian basketball coach of Scafati Basket in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has been a head coach since 1999, guiding several clubs in Italy and abroad to titles, also having taken charge ...
. On 21 February, Virtus played its third consecutive Italian Cup final, which once again lost against Siena. On 26 April 2009, Virtus won the European third tier trophy, the
EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confus ...
, against
Cholet Basket Cholet Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Cholet, France. The club plays in the LNB Pro A. Their home arena is La Meilleraie. Established in 1975, Cholet won its first French championship in the 2009–10 season. In 1998 and ...
, thanks to 21 points of the Final Four MVP Keith Langford. The team ended the regular season at the 5th place and was eliminated in the first round of national playoffs by Treviso. Boniciolli was immediately fired by president Sabatini and the team was reshaped again during summer.


2009–2013: Transition years

In the following season, Sabatini hired Lino Lardo as head coach and appointed Vukčević as team's captain. He also signed, among others, David Moss, Andre Collins,
Petteri Koponen Petteri Johannes Koponen (born 13 April 1988) is a Finnish professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Standing at , he played both point gu ...
and
Viktor Sanikidze Viktor Sanikidze (alternate spelling: Victor) (born 1 April 1986) is a Georgian politician, former professional basketball executive and former player. He played at both the small forward and power forward positions in his entire career. Saniki ...
. Virtus lost its fourth consecutive Italian Cup final and ended the season 5th, being eliminated 3–2 in the first round of the playoffs by Cantù. In 2010–11, the team was completed with
Giuseppe Poeta Giuseppe "Peppe" Poeta (born September 12, 1985) is an Italian former professional basketball player and current head coach of Germani Brescia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). During his professional career, he played the point guard pos ...
, Valerio Amoroso, Jared Homan, as well as K.C. Rivers from 2011. The Black V ended the regular season 8th and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Siena. In 2011–2012, Sabatini hired Alessandro Finelli as new coach and signed important players like
Chris Douglas-Roberts Chris Douglas Roberts (born January 8, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Memphis. High school career Douglas-Roberts played high school basketball at Cass Technical Hig ...
, a former NBA players,
Terrell McIntyre Lance Terrell McIntyre (born October 18, 1977) is a retired American professional basketball player. Standing at 5'9 " (1.76 m), he played at the point guard position. A two-time All-EuroLeague First Team selection, he reached the EuroLeague Fin ...
and
Angelo Gigli Angelo Gigli (born 4 June 1983) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He has also represented the Italian national team internationally. Standing at , he was a left-handed power forward and center. Early life Gigli was born in S ...
. In late 2011, Sabatini sold Virtus to a foundation of local entrepreneurs, however, he remained as CEO and ''de facto'' general manager. At the end of the regular season, the Black V arrived 5th, being eliminated by
Dinamo Sassari Polisportiva Dinamo, commonly known as Dinamo Sassari and currently known as Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Sassari, Sardinia. They are the 2018–19 European ...
, in the first round of the playoffs. In the following season, Virtus signed, among others, Steven Smith, Richard Mason Rocca and
Jacob Pullen Jacob Everse Pullen (born November 10, 1989) is an American-Georgian professional basketball player for Napoli Basket of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played for the Kansas State Wildcats. Pullen has both American and Georgian citize ...
. During the season, Luca Bechi succeeded Finelli as new head coach. The team ended the season at the 14th place.


2013–2016: Struggles and relegation

After years of poor successes, Sabatini definitively exited from the club and in 2013,
Renato Villalta Renato Villalta (born 3 February 1955) is a former professional basketball player from Italy. He played for Virtus Bologna for 13 seasons, winning three Italian championships and two national cups. Villalta is considered one of the greatest Europ ...
, a former Virtus star, was appointed president. In 2013–14 season, Virtus signed, among others, Matt Waksh,
Willie Warren Willie D. Warren (born October 22, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners. High school career After a successful high school career at North Crowley High School, Warren was s ...
and Shawn King. In January 2014, Bechi was sacked due to poor results, and Giorgio Valli became the new coach. However, the team arrived 13th, out of the playoffs. In 2014–15 season, Virtus returned to the playoffs, thanks to an outstanding season of its top-scorers
Allan Ray Allan Nathaniel Ray (born June 17, 1984) is an American sports agent and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for four years at Villanova University. He played one season ( 2006–07) with the Boston Celtics of th ...
,
Jeremy Hazell Jeremy Hazell (born March 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall. College career Hazell came to prominen ...
and
Okaro White Okaro White (born August 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for BC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for Florida State Seminoles men's basketball, Florida St ...
. However, it was eliminated in the first round by Olimpia Milan. In the following year Villalta was abruptly removed from his post and Francesco Bertolini was appointed president by the foundation. After a few months, Bertolini was replaced too by Alberto Bucci, the former Virtus coach, who won three national titles with the Black V between 1980s and 1990s. However, the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
was characterized by a serious injury to team captain, Allan Ray, and the substitute players signed by the club failed to adequately replace the injured top-player. On 4 May 2016, at the end of the regular season the team ranked 16th and last, therefore it was relegated to Serie A2 for the first time in its history.


2016–present: The Zanetti era


2016–2019: Promotion and Champions League

In the following summer, president Bucci announced Alessandro Ramagli as new head coach of Virtus. The club built a good team for the league, led by important players such as Guido Rosselli,
Klaudio Ndoja Klaudio Ndoja (born May 18, 1985) is a retired Albanian-Italian professional basketball player. He last played for JuveCaserta Basket, JuveCaserta. He was a member of the Albania national basketball team, Albania national team in 2012 for the Euro ...
,
Michael Umeh Michael Umeh (born 18 September 1984) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who last played for ESSM Le Portel of the French LNB Pro A. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria because both of his parents emigrated f ...
and Kenny Lawson. During the season an important change in ownership occurred: the coffee entrepreneur and former politician,
Massimo Zanetti Massimo Zanetti (born 12 February 1948 in Treviso) is an Italian entrepreneur and former politician, owner of Segafredo, a global coffee company. Since 2016, Zanetti has also owned the Italian basketball team Virtus Bologna, one of the most su ...
, owner of Segafredo, who was also team's sponsor, became the majority shareholder of the club. Virtus ended second in the regular season behind
Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...
and on 19 June 2017, won the playoffs, beating
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
by 3–0, thus returning to the top series after only one year. During the playoffs, the Black V returned after more than twenty years to Bologna's historic arena,
PalaDozza PalaDozza is an indoor sporting arena located at Piazza Azzarita Manfredi 8, in Bologna, Italy. It was named after Giuseppe Dozza, the long-time communist mayor of Bologna, who served from 1945 to 1966. In Italy, the arena is frequently nickname ...
, which became the new official home court in the following season. In summer 2017, the club signed two of the most prominent Italian players,
Pietro Aradori Pietro Aradori (born 9 December 1988) is an Italian professional basketball player for Fortitudo Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Professional career The Brescia n ...
and
Alessandro Gentile Alessandro Gentile (born November 12, 1992) is an Italian professional basketball player who last played for Scafati Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was selecte ...
, as well as two international players like
Marcus Slaughter Marcus Anthony Slaughter (born March 18, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he primarily played at the Center (basketball), center position. He completed his collegiate career playing for ...
and
Oliver Lafayette Oliver Lafayette (born May 6, 1984) is an American-born former Croatian professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. A two-time EuroCup Basketball, EuroCup winner, Lafayette has also won ...
. Despite good premises, the team was eliminated in the first round of Italian Cup's Final Eight and failed to qualify for the championship playoffs. The 2018–19 season began with the appointment of Alessandro Dalla Salda as new club's CEO and the hire of
Stefano Sacripanti Stefano "Pino" Sacripanti (born 15 May 1970 in Cantù, Italy) is an Italian professional basketball coach, he is the current head coach for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Coaching career He is the coach of the ...
as new head coach. Aradori and Filippo Baldi Rossi were confirmed and the club signed, among others, Tony Taylor, Kevin Punter,
Amath M'Baye Amadou-Amath M'Baye (born 14 December 1989) is a French professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at , he plays at the power forward (basketball), power forward position. Professional care ...
and
Brian Qvale Brian Arthur Qvale ( ; born November 3, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Toyotsu Fighting Eagles Nagoya of the Japan - B2 League. He played college basketball for the University of Montana before moving to Eu ...
, to participate in the
Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...
, which was Virtus's first European competition after ten years. The team reached a record of seven wins in the first seven games of the continental competition, which had never been achieved before. In March 2019, the team signed
Mario Chalmers Almario Vernard Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Zamboanga Valientes of the Asian Tournament (TAT). He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Minnesota ...
, two-time
NBA champion The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Easter ...
with the
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...
. On 9 March, president Alberto Bucci died at 70 years old, due to complications from a cancer. On 11 March, after a defeat against
Cantù Cantù (; Brianzöö: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza. History The name could stem from that of the Canturigi, a population of I ...
and with Virtus temporarily out of playoffs, the team board sacked Sacripanti and appointed the Serbian
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for the senior China. During his ...
as new head coach. On 4 April, the Black V defeated
Nanterre 92 Nanterre 92 is a professional basketball club from the city of Nanterre (a western suburb of Paris), France. The club has played in French basketball league system, the top-tier level basketball league in France, the LNB Pro A, Pro A, since 2011. ...
, reaching the BCL Final Four in Antwerp, which won on 5 May defeating
Iberostar Tenerife Club Cantera Base 1939 Canarias S.A.D., commonly known as CB Canarias and known as La Laguna Tenerife for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. Domestically, the team plays in the top- ...
73–61, thanks to an outstanding game by Kevin Punter, who was able to score 26 points and was nominated Final Four MVP. The BCL was the fifth European title in team's history and the first one after ten years. In July 2019, Virtus opened its women's basketball wing, to participate in the Serie A1 championship. In the same month, Giuseppe Sermasi, a local entrepreneur and former vice president, became Virtus new president, holding the vacant post after Bucci's death, while
Luca Baraldi Luca Baraldi (born 7 September 1960) is an Italian sports executive and director. During his long-time career, he worked both in basketball with Virtus Bologna and in football for Parma, Lazio, Modena, Bologna and Padova. Biography Luca Baraldi ...
, a prominent sports executive and a leading manager of Segafredo, was appointed new CEO.


2019–2023: Teodosić's magic, the 16th title and the EuroCup

On 13 July, Virtus signed a three-year deal with
Miloš Teodosić Miloš Teodosić ( sr-cyr, Милош Теодосић, born March 19, 1987) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the National Basketball Team ...
, 2016
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
champion and former NBA player, who was widely considered one of the best European
point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...
of all time. In August, the Black V signed Kyle Weems, a small forward from
Tofaş TOFAŞ Türk Otomobil Fabrikası A.Ş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, ...
, and Stefan Marković, a point guard from
BC Khimki BC Khimki () is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Khimki, Moscow Oblast. The club's senior men's first team participates in the Russian Basketball Super League 1. The club's full official name is BC Khimki Moscow Region. Khim ...
who, along with Teodosić, would become the backbone of the team in the following seasons. Among others, the club signed also
Vince Hunter Vincent Hunter (born August 5, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the UTEP Miners. High school career Hunter attended Consortium ...
, Julian Gamble and
Giampaolo Ricci Giampaolo Ricci (born September 27, 1991) is an Italian basketball professional player and the team captain for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He plays at the forward positions. Ricci has also represen ...
. In the 2019–20 season, Virtus played some home games, including the derby against Fortitudo won 94–62, at the
Virtus Segafredo Arena Virtus Segafredo Arena, simply known for sponsorship reasons as Segafredo Arena, is a temporary indoor arena located in Bologna, with a capacity of 9,980 seats, one of the largest of the country. The arena was opened in November 2019 and hosted t ...
, a temporary indoor arena with a capacity of nearly 10,000 seats, located in the Fiera District. On 7 April 2020, after more than a month of suspension, the
Italian Basketball Federation The Italian Basketball Federation () is the governing body of basketball in Italy. It is based in Rome. It organises national competitions in Italy and the Italian basketball leagues, which operate the country's two professional leagues, Lega B ...
officially ended the 2019–20 season, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
that severely hit Italy. Virtus ended the season first, with 18 wins and only 2 defeats, but the title was not assigned. On 5 May, the EuroLeague's commissioner
Jordi Bertomeu Jordi Bertomeu Orteu (born 15 January 1959) is a Spanish basketball administrator. He is the former President, Chairman, and CEO of Euroleague Basketball, which operates the professional European club competitions the EuroLeague and EuroCup. Bi ...
announced the cancellation of the EuroCup season too. Virtus, which had achieved the league's playoffs, was confirmed for the following season. After the early end of the season, the team was largely confirmed for the following championship and, in May and June, the club signed prominent Italian players, like Awudu Abass and
Amedeo Tessitori Amedeo Vittorio Tessitori (born 7 October 1994) is an Italian professional basketball player for Reyer Venezia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the Italian National Basketball. Professional career Tessitori was raised in the youth te ...
, and homegrown ones, like
Amar Alibegović Amar Alibegović (born 31 March 1995) is a Bosnian professional basketball player for Trapani Shark of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He is the son of Teoman Alibegović, a former basketball player. Professional career Virtus Roma (2018–2020) I ...
. In September, Virtus hosted the Supercup's Final Four at the Segafredo Arena, but it lost against Olimpia Milan 75–68; the Supercup was the first competition since the cancellation of the previous season. In November 2020, Virtus signed a three-year deal with
Marco Belinelli Marco Stefano Belinelli (; born 25 March 1986) is an Italian professional basketball player and the captain (sports), team captain for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NB ...
, from the
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
. Belinelli, one of the greatest Italian players of all time and 2014 NBA Champion, started his career with Virtus in the early 2000s. The season was also characterized by the emergence of
Alessandro Pajola Alessandro Pajola (born 9 November 1999) is an Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He is also a member of the senior Italian national team. Standing at , he plays ...
, the young Italian point guard who became one team's most important players. In April 2021, despite a winning record of 19–2, Virtus was defeated in the EuroCup's semifinals by
UNICS Kazan BC UNICS () is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukr ...
. However, the season ended with a great success. In fact, after having knocked out 3–0 both Basket Treviso in the quarterfinals and
New Basket Brindisi New Basket Brindisi, for sponsorship reasons named Valtur Brindisi or shortly Brindisi, is a professional Italian basketball based in Brindisi, Apulia. They compete in Serie A2 (basketball), Serie A2, second level of Italian basketball system. F ...
in the semifinals, on 11 June Virtus defeated 4–0 its historic rival Olimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years. Teodosić was appointed MVP of the finals. On 15 June, after a few days from the victory, Đorđević was not confirmed as head coach at the end of his two-year contract, due to some tensions with the club's ownership occurred during the season. On 18 June, the club hired the new head coach, signing a three-year deal with
Sergio Scariolo Sergio Scariolo (born 1 April 1961) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the senior Spain national team. Scariolo latest coached also Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Having won four EuroB ...
, from the
Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...
. Moreover, Marković, Hunter, Gamble and Ricci were not renewed, while in July and August 2021 Virtus signed important foreign players like
Ekpe Udoh Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( ; born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball f ...
,
Kevin Hervey Kevin Hervey (born July 9, 1996) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for U-BT Cluj-Napoca of the Romanian Liga Națională de Baschet Masculin (LNBM) and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for UT Arl ...
and
Mouhammadou Jaiteh Mouhammadou Einstein Jaiteh (born 27 November 1994), commonly known as Mam Jaiteh, is a French professional basketball player for AS Monaco of the French LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. He is of Senegalese and Gambian descent. Early life and caree ...
, as well as one of the most talented Italian point guards,
Nico Mannion Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Ar ...
, from the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
. On 21 September, the team won its second Supercup, defeating Olimpia Milano 90–84. However, during the same month, Udoh and Abass suffered serious knee injuries and Virtus signed
JaKarr Sampson JaKarr Jordan Sampson (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Kuwait SC of the Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League. He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm. He is a frequent rebounder and shot-bl ...
from the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
and
Isaïa Cordinier Isaïa Cordinier (born 28 November 1996) is a French professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 44th overall pick in the 2016 NBA d ...
from
Nanterre 92 Nanterre 92 is a professional basketball club from the city of Nanterre (a western suburb of Paris), France. The club has played in French basketball league system, the top-tier level basketball league in France, the LNB Pro A, Pro A, since 2011. ...
to replace them. On 28 October 2021, Zanetti was elected president of Virtus, succeeding Giuseppe Sermasi at the head of the club, and became the only shareholder after a €2 million capital increase. In early 2022, the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
and the subsequent international sanctions against Russia forced all international players to leave the country. On 3 March, Virtus signed the Italian point guard
Daniel Hackett Daniel Lorenzo Hackett (born December 19, 1987) is an American-Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play at both the point guard and shooting gu ...
, while on 7 March, the club reached an agreement with the Georgian power forward
Tornike Shengelia Tornike "Toko" Shengelia ( ka, თორნიკე შენგელია; born 5 October 1991) is a Georgian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Shengelia also represe ...
, both of them from
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
. Despite a tough EuroCup regular season ended at the fourth place, Virtus ousted
Lietkabelis BC Lietkabelis (), commonly known as Lietkabelis Panevėžys, also known as 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lit ...
,
Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...
and
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
in the first three rounds of the
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
and, on 11 May 2022, defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
after 14 years. With 21 points scored, the Serbian point guard Miloš Teodosić was once again appointed MVP of the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both
Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...
and
Tortona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...
in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan. During the following summer, Udoh, Hervey, Sampson, Alibegović and Tessitori left the club, but Virtus confirmed the backbone of the roster, notably including Shengelia, who was renewed until June 2024. Moreover, the club signed prominent foreign players like
Jordan Mickey Jordan Grayson Mickey (born July 9, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Louisiana State University before being selected by the Celti ...
,
Gabriel Lundberg Gabriel Ifeanyi "Iffe" Lundberg (born 4 December 1994) is a Danish professional basketball player for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Denmark national team ...
,
Semi Ojeleye Jesusemilore Talodabijesu "Semi" Ojeleye ( ; born December 5, 1994) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for both Duke University and Southern Methodist Univers ...
and
Ismaël Bako Ismaël Bako (born 10 October 1995) is a Belgian professional basketball player for UNICS Kazan of the Russian VTB United League. Standing at , he plays at the center position. He started his career in 2012 with Leuven Bears and transferred to Ant ...
. On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69
Banco di Sardegna Sassari Polisportiva Dinamo, commonly known as Dinamo Sassari and currently known as Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Sassari, Sardinia. They are the 2018–19 FIBA Euro ...
and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy. However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs. Moreover, the team was defeated in the
Italian Basketball Cup The Italian Basketball Cup (Italian: Coppa Italiana di Pallacanestro), or Coppa Italia, is an annual professional basketball competition between pro clubs from the Italian Basketball League (LBA). It is Italy's first-tier cup competition, and is ...
final by
Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball. On 11 July 2023, Miloš Teodosić did not renewed his expired contract with Virtus, amicably parting ways with the Italian club and signing with
KK Crvena zvezda Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда, ), usually referred to as KK Crvena zvezda or simply Crvena zvezda, currently named Crvena zvezda Meridianbet for sponsorship reasons, is a men ...
, marking the end to four fantastic seasons, which saw the Black V returning to the top of European basketball after decades. With the Serbian star, often nicknamed "''Il Mago''" () by fans, Virtus won its 16th title in 2021, reached the national finals three times in a row, and also won the EuroCup in 2022 and two Supercups.


2023–present: Rebuilding

In the following summer, the roster deeply changed. In addition to Teodosić, players like Weems, Jaiteh, Mannion and Bako left the club, as Virtus signed the Italian power forward Achille Polonara, as well as prominent foreign players like the point guard Jaleen Smith, the small forward
Ognjen Dobrić Ognjen Dobrić ( sr-cyr, Огњен Добрић; born 27 October 1994) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the KLS, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. Career KK Crvena zvezda (2013–2023) Ognjen grew up with Crve ...
, and the centers
Bryant Dunston Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr. (; born May 28, 1986) is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player for BC Žalgiris, Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He a ...
and
Devontae Cacok Devontae Calvin Cacok ( ; born October 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the UNC Wilmington Seah ...
. Moreover, new developments occurred within the club ownership. On 27 June, Carlo Gherardi, owner of CRIF, a global company specialized in business information and analytics, became the minority shareholder of the club, acquiring a participation of 40%. On 15 September, just a few weeks before the season start, Scariolo was fired following controversial statements regarding the new roster and the upcoming season, and the club hired Luca Banchi as new head coach. On 24 September, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia. In December, Smith left the club joining
KK Partizan Košarkaški klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Партизан, lit=Basketball Club Partizan), commonly known as Partizan Belgrade, or as Partizan Mozzart Bet for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball Sports cl ...
and Cacok suffered a serious injury, that brought the club to sign the Croatian center
Ante Žižić Ante Toni Žižić (; born 4 January 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 23rd overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA draft. Professio ...
 from
Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...
and the Latvian guard
Rihards Lomažs Rihards Lomažs (born 13 April 1996) is a Latvian professional basketball player who last played for Telekom Baskets Bonn of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). Professional career Lomažs started his career in Latvia, playing for Jelgava, Jūrmal ...
from
Merkezefendi Merkezefendi () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Denizli Province, Turkey. Its area is 336 km2, and its population is 336,818 (2022). The district was established as a result of the 2013 Turkish local government reorganis ...
. Despite an impressive first half of the season, Virtus ended the EuroLeague regular season at the 10th place, qualifying only for the play-in, where after having defeated 67–64
Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...
, it lost against
Baskonia Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia, S.A.D commonly known as Saski Baskonia () and also simply as Baskonia, is a professional basketball team based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. History 1959–1969 ...
89–77, not qualifying for the playoffs. Moreover, the Black V placed first during the Italian regular season but, after having knocked out
Tortona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...
by 3–2 and
Reyer Venezia S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball i ...
by 3–1, it lost the third consecutive final against Milan by 3–1. In the following months, despite losing Lundberg, Dunston, Abass and Mickey, the club confirmed the backbone of the roster and added prominent international players like the small forward
Will Clyburn William Dalen Clyburn (born May 17, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Clyburn attended three colleges, from 2008 to 2013: Marshalltown Community College, Un ...
, a former EuroLeague champion and Final Four MVP, and the point guard
Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician and retired professional wrestler. He is the former mayor and current deputy mayor of the city of Longwood, Florida and is a former gladiator on ''American Gladiators''. ...
, as well as solid Italian players like the center Mouhamet Diouf and the power forward Nicola Akele. In December 2024, Banchi resigned as head coach after a 2–11 start in the EuroLeague, and the club signed
Duško Ivanović Duško Ivanović (; born September 1, 1957) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Professional playing ca ...
as his successor. In January 2025, a major change occurred in the club's management, when Zanetti removed his long-time associate Luca Baraldi as CEO of Virtus, ending his 6 years-long tenure.


Logos

Virtus SEF.svg, Multi sport club SEF Virtus logo Virtus VB.svg, Used during the 1930s V solid.svg, Used during the 1940s and the 1950s V serif.svg, Used from the 1960s until 1984 V star.svg, Used after the 10th title of 1984 Virtus Bologna logo.svg, Current logo used since 1996


Arena

Since its foundation, Virtus Bologna has changed several home arenas. Each of them was more than just a basketball court, rather a real "house" of the Black V, marking, in the period when they were used, a different era of the long club's history: In 2023, the club officially presented the project for a new arena with 10,000 seating capacity in the Fiera District, next to the temporary Virtus Segafredo Arena, which will be ready in 2026.


Honours


Domestic competitions

* Italian League : Winners (16): 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2000–01,
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
: Runners-up (20): 1935, 1936, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1942–43, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 2006–07, 2021–22,
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
, 2023–24 *
Italian Cup Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
: Winners (8): 1973–74, 1983–84, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 : Runners-up (7): 1992–93, 1999–00, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10,
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
*
Italian Supercup The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous sea ...
: Winners (4): 1995,
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
: Runners-up (9): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2009, 2010,
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
*
Italian LNP Cup The Italian LNP Cup (), known as Turkish Airlines Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual cup competition for Italian basketball teams organized by Italy's second league in the Italian basketball league system, the Serie A2 Basket. The tournamen ...
: Winners (1):
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
* Italian Serie A2 : Winners (1): 2016–17


European competitions

*
EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...
: Winners (2): 1997–98, 2000–01 : Runners-up (3): 1980–81, 1998–99, 2001–02 : 4th place (1): 1979–80 : Final Four (3):
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
,
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
,
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
* EuroCup : Winners (1): 2021–22 : Semifinalists (1):
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
*
FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...
(defunct) : Winners (1): 1989–90 : Runners-up (2): 1977–78, 1999–00 : Semifinalists (2): 1978–79, 1981–82 *
Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...
: Winners (1): 2018–19 *
FIBA EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confus ...
(defunct) : Winners (1): 2008–09 *
FIBA EuroCup FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confus ...
(defunct) : 3rd place (1): 2006–07


Worldwide competitions

*
FIBA Intercontinental Cup The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, previously known to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs and the FIBA Club World Cup, is an annual international men's basketball competition organised by FIBA, the sport's global governing body. The competit ...
: Runners-up (1):
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
*
McDonald's Championship The McDonald's Championship (sometimes called the McDonald's Open) was an international men's basketball competition that featured a representative of the National Basketball Association (representing North America) against champion club teams ...
(defunct) : Runners-up (2):
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...


Unofficial

* Triple Crown : Winners (1): 2000–01


Season by season


Top performances in European and Worldwide competitions


The road to the European cups victories

1989–90 FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup 1997–98 FIBA EuroLeague 2000–01 EuroLeague 2008–09 FIBA EuroChallenge 2018–19 Basketball Champions League 2021–22 EuroCup


Players


Current roster


Depth chart


Notable players


Retired numbers


Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers

*
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
, C, 1978–1980, Inducted 1996 *
Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili ( , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Credited for popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA, he is regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards and sixth men in the le ...
, SG, 2000–2002, Inducted 2022


FIBA Hall of Famers

*
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
, C, 1978–1980, Inducted 2007 *
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of S ...
, Head coach, 1981–1982, Inducted 2007 *
Antoine Rigaudeau Antoine Roger Rigaudeau (born 17 December 1971) is a French former professional basketball player and professional basketball coach. During his playing days, he played at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions. Also during ...
, PG, 1997–2003, Inducted 2015 *
Bogdan Tanjević Bogdan Tanjević ( sr-Cyrl, Богдан Тањевић; born 13 February 1947), nicknamed "Boša" () is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. He is best known for being KK Bosna's head coach when the club became the t ...
, Head coach, 2002, Inducted 2019 *
Jure Zdovc Jurij "Jure" Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player and coach. He was most recently the head coach of Bursaspor of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). As a player, he was a tall point guard, who ...
, PG, 1991–1992, Inducted 2021 *
Ettore Messina Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach. Messina is regarded a ...
, Head coach, 1989–1993 and 1997–2002, Inducted 2021


Other notable players

* Awudu Abass * Alessandro Abbio *
Mario Alesini Mario Alesini (17 December 1931 – 2 August 2001) was an Italian basketball player. He was part of the Italian team that finished fourth at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olymp ...
*
Pietro Aradori Pietro Aradori (born 9 December 1988) is an Italian professional basketball player for Fortitudo Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Professional career The Brescia n ...
* Filippo Baldi Rossi *
Marco Belinelli Marco Stefano Belinelli (; born 25 March 1986) is an Italian professional basketball player and the captain (sports), team captain for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NB ...
*
Gianni Bertolotti Gianni Bertolotti (born 12 February 1950) is a retired Italian professional basketball player. Professional career During his club career, Bertolotti was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer, in 1978. Italian national team As a member of t ...
* Gianfranco Bersani *
Augusto Binelli Augusto "Gus" Binelli (born 23 September 1964) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, and a weight of , he played at the center position. Binelli was drafted in the second round, of the 1986 NBA ...
*
Marco Bonamico Marco Bonamico (born 18 January 1957 in Genoa) is an Italian former professional basketball player. At a height of tall, he played at the small forward and power forward (basketball), power forward positions. During his playing career, his nickn ...
*
Mario Boni Mario Boni (born 30 June 1963 in Codogno, Italy) is an Italian former professional basketball player. Playing as shooting guard or small forward, he had a long career in the Italian leagues, finishing as the top scorer of the top-tier level Ser ...
* Davide Bonora *
Roberto Brunamonti Roberto Brunamonti (born 14 April 1959 in Spoleto) is a retired Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of tall, he played at the point guard position. He was among the 105 player nominees for the 50 Greatest EuroLeague ...
*
Carlo Caglieris Carlo Caglieris (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian former basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Caglieris is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian point guards of his generation, having won th ...
* Antonio Calebotta * Achille Canna *
Roberto Chiacig Roberto Chiacig (born 1 December 1974 in Cividale del Friuli, Italy) is an Italian former professional basketball player, still playing at an amateur level. Playing as a center, his most notable achievement was the silver medal obtained by the ...
* Claudio Coldebella *
Galeazzo Dondi Galeazzo Dondi (19 March 1915 – 22 October 2004) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, wer ...
* Sergio Ferriani * Alessandro Frosini *
Vittorio Gallinari Vittorio Gallinari (born 22 October 1958) is an Italian former basketball player and current sports agent. He is the father of Danilo Gallinari, who plays for the Washington Wizards in the NBA. He was born in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano. During his pl ...
*
Pietro Generali Pietro Generali (born Mercandetti Generali; 23 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was an Italian composer primarily of operas and vocal music. Generali was born in Masserano. He studied counterpoint with Giovanni Masi in Rome and spent a few m ...
*
Alessandro Gentile Alessandro Gentile (born November 12, 1992) is an Italian professional basketball player who last played for Scafati Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was selecte ...
*
Angelo Gigli Angelo Gigli (born 4 June 1983) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He has also represented the Italian national team internationally. Standing at , he was a left-handed power forward and center. Early life Gigli was born in S ...
*
Daniel Hackett Daniel Lorenzo Hackett (born December 19, 1987) is an American-Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play at both the point guard and shooting gu ...
*
Gianfranco Lombardi Gianfranco "Franco" Lombardi (20 March 1941 – 22 January 2021) was an Italian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, his nickname was "Dado". In 2006, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. Pr ...
*
Walter Magnifico Walter Magnifico (born June 18, 1961 in San Severo, Italy) is a former Italian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of 2.09 m (6'10 ") tall, he played at the Power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), cent ...
*
Nico Mannion Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Ar ...
*
Giancarlo Marinelli Giancarlo Marinelli (4 December 1915 – 12 May 1987) was an Italian basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was born in Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest ...
*
Paolo Moretti Paolo Moretti (born 30 June 1970 in Arezzo) is a former professional basketball player, and current basketball coach from Italy, who won the silver medal with his national team at the Eurobasket 1997 in Spain. Standing at a height of , he played ...
*
Alessandro Pajola Alessandro Pajola (born 9 November 1999) is an Italian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He is also a member of the senior Italian national team. Standing at , he plays ...
*
Giuseppe Poeta Giuseppe "Peppe" Poeta (born September 12, 1985) is an Italian former professional basketball player and current head coach of Germani Brescia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). During his professional career, he played the point guard pos ...
* Renzo Ranuzzi *
Luigi Rapini Luigi Rapini (21 July 1924 – 18 September 2013) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics and the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Game ...
*
Giampaolo Ricci Giampaolo Ricci (born September 27, 1991) is an Italian basketball professional player and the team captain for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He plays at the forward positions. Ricci has also represen ...
* Luigi Serafini *
Mike Sylvester Michael Joseph "Mike" Sylvester (born December 10, 1951) is an American and Italian retired basketball player who is currently coach at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Due to the United States boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics, he was t ...
*
Amedeo Tessitori Amedeo Vittorio Tessitori (born 7 October 1994) is an Italian professional basketball player for Reyer Venezia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the Italian National Basketball. Professional career Tessitori was raised in the youth te ...
*
Vittorio Tracuzzi Vittorio Tracuzzi (2 January 1923 – 21 October 1986) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially ...
*
Renato Villalta Renato Villalta (born 3 February 1955) is a former professional basketball player from Italy. He played for Virtus Bologna for 13 seasons, winning three Italian championships and two national cups. Villalta is considered one of the greatest Europ ...
*
Luca Vitali Luca Vitali (born 9 May 1986) is an Italian professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Cantù of the Italian Serie A2. He's a versatile player who can play as a point guard, shooting guard or small forward, defending on nearly any oppone ...
*
Michele Vitali Michele Vitali (born 31 October 1991) is an Italian professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Reggiana, Reggio Emilia of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) as a shooting guard. Personal life His brother is fellow pro basketball player ...
* Dino Zucchi *
Klaudio Ndoja Klaudio Ndoja (born May 18, 1985) is a retired Albanian-Italian professional basketball player. He last played for JuveCaserta Basket, JuveCaserta. He was a member of the Albania national basketball team, Albania national team in 2012 for the Euro ...
*
Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David "Manu" Ginóbili ( , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Credited for popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA, he is regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards and sixth men in the le ...
* Andrés Pelussi *
Hugo Sconochini Hugo Ariel Sconochini (born 10 April 1971) is an Argentine retired professional basketball player. He played at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
*
David Andersen David Emil Andersen (born 23 June 1980) is an Australian-Danish former professional basketball player. One of Australia's most experienced and successful players, Andersen won 12 league championships (9 European national domestic league champi ...
*
Elvis Rolle Elvis Rolle (born February 8, 1958) is a Bahamian former professional basketball player. Rolle was born in the Bahamas and moved to Florida, United States, in 1969 to live with an uncle. He attended Fort Pierce Central High School in Fort Pierce, ...
*
Guilherme Giovannoni Guilherme Giovannoni (born June 2, 1980) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player. He played at the power forward position for several clubs in Brazil and Europe. Currently, he is a commentator on the National Basketball Association a ...
*
Carl English Carl Jerome English (born February 2, 1981) is a Canadian former professional basketball player and general manager for the St. John's Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada. A shooting guard, he has also played for the Canadian nation ...
*
Bill Wennington William Percey Wennington (born April 26, 1963) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who won three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships with the Chicago Bulls. A center, he represented Canada in the 1984 Olympics a ...
*
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
*
Arijan Komazec Arijan Komazec (born January 23, 1970) is a former Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Komazec started his professional career as a basketball player at the age of 16, in the historical club of Zadar, in the 1986–87 s ...
* Christian Drejer *
Gabriel Lundberg Gabriel Ifeanyi "Iffe" Lundberg (born 4 December 1994) is a Danish professional basketball player for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Denmark national team ...
*
Petteri Koponen Petteri Johannes Koponen (born 13 April 1988) is a Finnish professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Standing at , he played both point gu ...
*
Isaïa Cordinier Isaïa Cordinier (born 28 November 1996) is a French professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 44th overall pick in the 2016 NBA d ...
*
Mouhammadou Jaiteh Mouhammadou Einstein Jaiteh (born 27 November 1994), commonly known as Mam Jaiteh, is a French professional basketball player for AS Monaco of the French LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. He is of Senegalese and Gambian descent. Early life and caree ...
*
Amath M'Baye Amadou-Amath M'Baye (born 14 December 1989) is a French professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at , he plays at the power forward (basketball), power forward position. Professional care ...
*
Antoine Rigaudeau Antoine Roger Rigaudeau (born 17 December 1971) is a French former professional basketball player and professional basketball coach. During his playing days, he played at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions. Also during ...
*
Viktor Sanikidze Viktor Sanikidze (alternate spelling: Victor) (born 1 April 1986) is a Georgian politician, former professional basketball executive and former player. He played at both the small forward and power forward positions in his entire career. Saniki ...
*
Tornike Shengelia Tornike "Toko" Shengelia ( ka, თორნიკე შენგელია; born 5 October 1991) is a Georgian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Shengelia also represe ...
*
Nikos Oikonomou Nikolaos "Nikos" Oikonomou (alternate spellings: Ikonomou, Ekonomou) (Greek: Νικόλαος "Νίκος" Οικονόμου; born February 19, 1973) is a former Greek professional basketball player, and a current professional basketball coach. ...
*
Kostas Patavoukas Konstantinos "Kostas" Patavoukas (alternate spelling: Constantinos "Costas") () (born February 3, 1966) is a Greek retired professional basketball player. Professional career Patavoukas started his playing career as a youth with Asteras Exarhio ...
*
David Blu David Blu (; born David Bluthenthal; July 18, 1980) is an American–Israeli former professional basketball player, who spent 10 seasons playing in the EuroLeague. Standing at , he played at the small forward and power forward positions. He is c ...
*
Saulius Štombergas Saulius Štombergas (born December 14, 1973) is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player, basketball coach and businessman. Štombergas is widely considered to be among the greatest Lithuanian basketball players of all time, known fo ...
*
Deividas Gailius Deividas Gailius ( Daunys; April 26, 1988) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player who recently played for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Standing at , he plays the small forward and shooting guard positions ...
*
Vlado Ilievski Vlado Ilievski (; born 19 January 1980) is a former Macedonian professional basketball. Standing at , he played at the point guard position. Professional career During his career, Ilievski played for Nemetali Ogražden, KK Partizan, Antbirlik An ...
*
Mladen Šekularac Mladen Šekularac ( sr-cyrl, Младен Шекуларац; born January 29, 1981) is a Montenegrin basketball coach and former professional player. Playing career At one point Šekularac was considered to be one of the biggest European tal ...
*
Michael Olowokandi Michael Olowokandi (born 3 April 1975) is a Nigerian former professional basketball player. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in London, he played collegiately for the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, California. Nicknamed "the Kandi Man," Olowokand ...
*
Semi Ojeleye Jesusemilore Talodabijesu "Semi" Ojeleye ( ; born December 5, 1994) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for both Duke University and Southern Methodist Univers ...
*
Ekpe Udoh Ekpedeme Friday "Ekpe" Udoh ( ; born May 20, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball f ...
*
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one o ...
*
Ognjen Dobrić Ognjen Dobrić ( sr-cyr, Огњен Добрић; born 27 October 1994) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the KLS, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. Career KK Crvena zvezda (2013–2023) Ognjen grew up with Crve ...
*
Marko Jarić Marko Jarić ( sr-cyr, Марко Јарић, ; ; born 12 October 1978) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), he mainly played the point guard position. He also represented the senior FR Yugosl ...
* Nikola Jestratijević *
Dejan Koturović Dejan Koturović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејан Котуровић; born 31 March 1972) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player. Playing career Europe During his professional career, Koturović played for Spartak Subotica, Partizan, ...
* Stefan Marković *
Žarko Paspalj Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly ...
*
Zoran Savić Zoran Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Савић; born November 18, 1966) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former professional player who is currently the sports director for Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic Le ...
*
Branislav Prelević Branislav Prelević or Mpranislav Prelevits ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Прелевић, ; born 19 December 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He is commonly referred to by his nickname Bane ( sr-Cyrl, Бане ...
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Miloš Teodosić Miloš Teodosić ( sr-cyr, Милош Теодосић, born March 19, 1987) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Serbian KLS, the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the National Basketball Team ...
*
Dušan Vukčević Dušan Vukčević (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Вукчевић; born 14 November 1975) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and coach, who last served as an assistant coach for Peristeri Athens of the Greek Basket League and the ...
*
Sani Bečirovič Sani Bečirovič (born 19 May 1981) is a Slovenian professional basketball coach, executive and former player, who last served as the sporting director for Panathinaikos B.C., Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League and the EuroLeague. As a ...
* Marko Milić *
Rasho Nesterović Radoslav "Rasho" Nesterović ( sr-Cyrl, Радослав "Рашо" Нестеровић, , ; born May 30, 1976) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He holds citizenship in both Slovenia and Greece. During his career in the NBA, ...
*
Matjaž Smodiš Matjaž Smodiš (born 13 December 1979) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 2.05 m (6'8 ") tall, he played at the power forward and center positions. During his pro club playing career, he played in seve ...
*
Jure Zdovc Jurij "Jure" Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player and coach. He was most recently the head coach of Bursaspor of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). As a player, he was a tall point guard, who ...
*
John Amaechi John Uzoma Ekwugha Amaechi , OBE (; born 26 November 1970) is an English psychologist, consultant and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Penn State Nittany Lions, and profess ...
* Alan Anderson * Charlie Bell *
Travis Best Travis Best (born July 12, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in Europe. High school career Best attended Springfield Central High School, starring on teams ...
* Joe Binion *
Anthony Bonner Anthony Bonner (born June 8, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Saint Louis. High school Bonner attended Vashon High School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he also played basketball. Du ...
*
Earl Boykins Earl Antoine Boykins (born June 2, 1976) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is an assistant coach for the USC Trojans men's team. He played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Ne ...
*
Jan van Breda Kolff Jan van Breda Kolff (born December 16, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and college coach. The son of coach Butch van Breda Kolff and grandson of Dutch soccer player Jan van Breda Kolff, he played from 1974 to 1976 f ...
*
Corey Brewer Corey Wayne Brewer (born March 5, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA national c ...
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Mario Chalmers Almario Vernard Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Zamboanga Valientes of the Asian Tournament (TAT). He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Minnesota ...
*
Terry Driscoll Edward Cuthbert "Terry" Driscoll Jr. (born August 28, 1947) is a former American college athletics administrator and professional basketball player. Until 2017, he served as athletic director at the College of William & Mary. College career Dr ...
*
Rashard Griffith Rashard Nathan Griffith (born October 8, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Early career A native of Chicago, Illinois, Griffith starred for the nationally ranked King Jaguars of the Chicago Public League, where he was ...
* A. J. Guyton *
Clemon Johnson Clemon James Johnson Jr. (born September 12, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and the former head basketball coach at Florida A&M. Johnson was a 6'10", center who played 761 games for four teams during his 10 seasons ...
*
Keith Langford Andre Keith Langford (born September 15, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at , he primarily played at the shooting guard position. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. Among the numerous accol ...
*
Cliff Levingston Clifford Eugene Levingston (born January 4, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Professional playing career A former power forward, Levingston played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Levingston s ...
*
Kyle Macy Kyle Paul Macy (born April 9, 1957) is an American basketball commentator. He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball, Purdue Boilermakers and Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, Kentucky Wildcats, and spent seven y ...
*
Joe Meriweather Joe C. Meriweather (October 26, 1953 – October 13, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'10" center from Southern Illinois University, Meriweather played ten seasons (1975–1985) in the NBA as a member of the Houston R ...
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Tom McMillen Charles Thomas McMillen (born May 26, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and former professional basketball player. A Rhodes Scholar, McMillen represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from January 3, 1987, to January 3, 1993 ...
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Jim McMillian James M. McMillian (March 11, 1948 – May 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball for the Columbia Lions. He led Columbia to a t ...
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Jordan Mickey Jordan Grayson Mickey (born July 9, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Louisiana State University before being selected by the Celti ...
* Kevin Punter *
Allan Ray Allan Nathaniel Ray (born June 17, 1984) is an American sports agent and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for four years at Villanova University. He played one season ( 2006–07) with the Boston Celtics of th ...
*
Micheal Ray Richardson Michael Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955), known as Micheal Ray Richardson, is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA dr ...
* John Roche *
Russ Schoene Russ Schoene ( ; born April 16, 1960) is a retired American professional basketball player and former assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Washington. Schoene starred at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where the 6- ...
* Charles Smith *
Greg Stokes Gregory Lewis Stokes (born August 5, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (33rd pick overall) of the 1985 NBA draft. A 6'10" forward-center from the University ...
* Kyle Weems *
Okaro White Okaro White (born August 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for BC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for Florida State Seminoles men's basketball, Florida St ...
*
Orlando Woolridge Orlando Vernada Woolridge (December 16, 1959 – May 31, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks. He playe ...


Players at the NBA draft


Head coaches

* Renzo Poluzzi (1948–1951) * Dino Fontana (1950–1951) * Venzo Vannini (1951–1952) * Larry Strong (1952–1953) *
Giancarlo Marinelli Giancarlo Marinelli (4 December 1915 – 12 May 1987) was an Italian basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was born in Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest ...
(1953–1954) *
Vittorio Tracuzzi Vittorio Tracuzzi (2 January 1923 – 21 October 1986) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially ...
(1954–1960) * Eduardo Kucharski (1960–1963) *
Mario Alesini Mario Alesini (17 December 1931 – 2 August 2001) was an Italian basketball player. He was part of the Italian team that finished fourth at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olymp ...
(1963–1966) * Jaroslav Šíp (1966–1968) * Renzo Ranuzzi (1968–1969) * Nello Paratore (1969–1970) *
Vittorio Tracuzzi Vittorio Tracuzzi (2 January 1923 – 21 October 1986) was an Italian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially ...
(1970–1971) * Nico Messina (1971–1973) *
Dan Peterson Daniel Lowell Peterson (born January 9, 1936) is an American former professional basketball head coach. He resigned from his most recent position as the head coach of Olimpia Milano in the Italian LBA after the team was eliminated in the semi- ...
(1973–1978) *
Terry Driscoll Edward Cuthbert "Terry" Driscoll Jr. (born August 28, 1947) is a former American college athletics administrator and professional basketball player. Until 2017, he served as athletic director at the College of William & Mary. College career Dr ...
(1978–1980) * Ettore Zuccheri (1980–1981) * Renzo Ranuzzi (1981) *
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of S ...
(1981–1982) *
George Bisacca George Bisacca was the fourth head coach of the Fairfield Stags men's basketball team. Coaching career Bisacca was the head coach of the Fairfield Stags men's basketball team coach for 11 seasons from 1958 to 1968 where he compiled a 151–87 ...
(1982) * Mauro Di Vincenzo (1982–1983) * Alberto Bucci (1983–1985) * Alessandro Gamba (1985–1987) *
Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first ...
(1987–1988) *
Bob Hill Robert W. Hill''The Sporting News: 1992-93 Official NBA Register''. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News Publishing Co. 1992. (born November 24, 1948) is an American basketball coach. Hill grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, moving to Worthingt ...
(1988–1989) *
Ettore Messina Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach. Messina is regarded a ...
(1989–1993) * Alberto Bucci (1993–1997) * Lino Frattin (1997) *
Ettore Messina Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has won four EuroLeague championships as a head coach. Messina is regarded a ...
(1997–2002) *
Bogdan Tanjević Bogdan Tanjević ( sr-Cyrl, Богдан Тањевић; born 13 February 1947), nicknamed "Boša" () is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. He is best known for being KK Bosna's head coach when the club became the t ...
(2002) *
Valerio Bianchini Valerio Bianchini (born July 22, 1943) is an Italian professional basketball coach. He was the first coach in Italian basketball to win three championship titles with three clubs ( Cantù, Virtus Roma and Victoria Libertas Pesaro). His nickname ...
(2002–2003) * Giampiero Ticchi (2003) * Alberto Bucci (2003–2004) * Giordano Consolini (2004–2005) *
Zare Markovski Zare Markovski (; born October 28, 1960, in Skopje) is a Macedonian former professional basketball player and head coach. Career Zare Markovski as player played in KK Rabotnički and MZT Skopje. His career as a player was short. At the age of 23 ...
(2005–2007) * Stefano Pillastrini (2007–2008) * Renato Pasquali (2008) *
Matteo Boniciolli Matteo Boniciolli (born 18 April 1962) is an Italian basketball coach of Scafati Basket in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has been a head coach since 1999, guiding several clubs in Italy and abroad to titles, also having taken charge ...
(2008–2009) * Lino Lardo (2009–2011) * Alessandro Finelli (2011–2013) * Luca Bechi (2013–2014) * Giorgio Valli (2014–2016) * Alessandro Ramagli (2016–2018) *
Stefano Sacripanti Stefano "Pino" Sacripanti (born 15 May 1970 in Cantù, Italy) is an Italian professional basketball coach, he is the current head coach for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Coaching career He is the coach of the ...
(2018–2019) *
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for the senior China. During his ...
(2019–2021) *
Sergio Scariolo Sergio Scariolo (born 1 April 1961) is an Italian professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the senior Spain national team. Scariolo latest coached also Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Having won four EuroB ...
(2021–2023) * Luca Banchi (2023–2024) *
Duško Ivanović Duško Ivanović (; born September 1, 1957) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Professional playing ca ...
(2024–present)


Sponsorship names

Throughout the years, due to sponsorship, the club has been known as : * Minganti Bologna (1953–1958) *
Oransoda Lemonsoda is a brand of Italian carbonated soft drinks created in the 1940s by Milan-based company Saga and currently owned by Royal Unibrew. History The original Lemonsoda flavor was lemon. Oransoda and Pelmosoda, orange and grapefruit-flavore ...
Bologna (1958–1960) * Idrolitina Bologna (1960–1961) * Virtus Bologna (1961–1962) * Knorr Bologna (1962–1965) *
Candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...
Bologna (1965–1969) * Virtus Bologna (1969–1970) * Norda Bologna (1970–1974) * Sinudyne Bologna (1974–1983) * Granarolo Bologna (1983–1986) * Dietor Bologna (1986–1988) * Knorr Bologna (1988–1993) * Buckler Beer Bologna (1993–1996) * Kinder Bologna (1996–2002) * Virtus Bologna (2002–2003) * Carisbo Bologna (2003–2004) * Caffè Maxim Bologna (2004–2005) * VidiVici Bologna (2005–2007) * La Fortezza Bologna (2007–2009) *
Canadian Solar Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is a global renewable energy company. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, the company manufactures solar PV modules, provides battery energy storage solutions and develops utility-scale solar power and batt ...
Bologna (2009–2012) * SAIE3 Bologna (2012–2013) *
Oknoplast Oknoplast is a Polish multinational company established in 1994 in Kraków that manufactures PVC windows, window components, doors, aluminium products and roller shutters. Currently based in Ochmanów with their enterprise zone near Kraków. Fa ...
Bologna (2013) * Granarolo Bologna (2013–2015) * Obiettivo Lavoro Bologna (2015–2016) * Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2016–present)


Kit manufacturer

* 1977–1983:
Lotto Lotto may refer to: * Lotto, original, 15th century name of the Italian lottery * Lotto America, one of many U.S. lottery games called Lotto * Lotto (Milan Metro), a railway station in Milan, Italy * Lotto carpet, a carpet having a lacy arabesq ...
* 1983–1988: Les Copains * 1988–1996:
Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...
* 1996–1999:
Fila Fila (; ) is a South Korean-owned athleisure brand headquartered in Seoul. The company was originally founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Italy. Fila Korea acquired the brand in 2007 and launched its initial p ...
* 1999–2009:
Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...
* 2009–2024:
Macron Macron may refer to: People * Emmanuel Macron (born 1977), president of France since 2017 * Brigitte Macron (born 1953), French teacher, wife of Emmanuel Macron * Jean-Michel Macron (born 1950), French professor of neurology, father of Emmanuel ...
Virtus Segafredo-Ambalt Recanati
Virtus.it, Retrieved 23 March 2017.
* 2024–present:
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Historical record and names at Lega Basket Serie A
Retrieved 27 June 2015 {{Lega Basket Serie A 1929 establishments in Italy Basketball teams established in 1929 Basketball teams in Emilia-Romagna EuroLeague-winning clubs Basketball in Bologna