Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano

EA7 Emporio Armani Milano
Nickname	Scarpette Rosse Little Red Shoes
Leagues	Serie A Eurocup
Founded	1936
History	Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano 1936–present
Arena	Mediolanum Forum
Capacity	12,500[1]
Location	Milan, Italy
Team colors	White and Red
President	Livio Proli
Head coach	Jasmin Repeša
Ownership	Giorgio Armani
Championships	26 Italian Championships 5 Italian Cups 3 Euroleagues 1 Intercontinental Cup 3 Saporta Cups 2 Korać Cup 1 Triple Crowns
Website	olimpiamilano.com
Uniforms
Home Away Euroleague

Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, also known as EA7 Emporio Armani Milano after its title sponsor (alternative names: Pallacanestro Olimpia Milan, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan), is a Lega Basket Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are red and white, and the team is sometimes referred as "Scarpette Rosse" (Little Red Shoes) because team officials imported red Converse All-Star shoes for players from the United States. The tag line stuck, and the nickname is still used by many fans today.

As per custom in the Italian league, sponsorship has kept the team name changing frequently. From 1936 until 1955 it was called Borletti Milano. From 1956 to 1973 it was renamed Simmenthal. Other famous sponsorships were Billy, Simac, Tracer and Philips in the 1980s. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below.

Olimpia is the most titled basketball club in Italy, having won 26 Italian League championships, 4 Italian National Cups, 3 FIBA European Champions Cups, 1 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, 3 FIBA Saporta Cups, 2 FIBA Korać Cups and many junior titles.

History

Olimpia was founded in 1936 by Milan businessman Adolfo Bogoncelli. The team regularly won the LEGA Basket Serie A championship of Italian basketball in the 1950s and the 1960s with players including Nane Vianello, Sandro Riminucci, Gianfranco Pieri, and Bill Bradley. In the 1970s three teams were fighting across Europe for supremacy: Olimpia Milano, Ignis Varese, and Real Madrid. Pallacanestro Varese and Olimpia Milano were arch-rivals, as the two cities are 25 miles (40 km) apart. While Milano was a frequent Italian League champion, they were unable to win the prestigious European Champions Cup.

Mediolanum Forum

Late in the 1970s, the quality of the game declined, but Olimpia Milano still managed to win a Cup Winner's Cup. In the second half of the 1970s the team signed several good players, including the Boselli twins (Franco and Dino), Mike Sylvester, Dino Meneghin, Mike D'Antoni, John Gianelli, Roberto Premier. Bob McAdoo, Joe Barry Carroll, Russ Schoene, Antoine Carr, and Mike Brown. American head coach Dan Peterson led the team back to prominence.

In the 1980s the team was sold to the Gabetti family. During this time, they qualified for nine Serie A championships finals, winning five, with the 1987 team winning the Serie A title, the European Championship (won also in 1988: both finals were won against Maccabi Elite), the Italian Cup and the 1987 Intercontinental Cup. This gave the club the coveted "Triple Crown" and the even rarer "Quadruple Crown".

Led by point guard Sasha Djordjevic, the team won another Korać Cup in 1993. Bepi Stefanel purchased the team franchise in 1994, and signed-up notable European players like Dejan Bodiroga, Gregor Fučka, Sandro De Pol, and Nando Gentile. In 1996, the team won the Italian Cup and its 25th Italian National Championship, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the club.

Team management has been inconsistent as ownership groups from 1998 to 2004; team have included Warren Kidd, Hugo Sconochini, Claudio Coldebella and Petar Naumoski. In 2005 owner Corbelli, which bought the club in 2002 from Sergio Tacchini, is flanked by Adriano Galliani (Managing Director of Italian Football club A.C. Milan), Massimo Moratti (President of rival club Internazionale), NBA star Kobe Bryant, and stylist Giorgio Armani as sponsor with Armani Jeans brand. After difficult years, led by coach Lino Lardo, Olimpia reached the national championship Finals, finally being beaten by Fortitudo Bologna.

On January 25, 2006, in the midst of a disappointing season in the Euroleague and domestically, Djordjevic was named as the team's new coach. He left as coach after the 2006–07 season, but not before securing Olimpia a berth in the 2007–08 Euroleague. In 2008 Giorgio Armani bought the team from Giorgio Corbelli, standing as the only owner, entirely changing the management structure, naming Livio Proli as President and Lucio Zanca as general manager. Piero Bucchi was chosen to coach the new team, leading Olimpia twice to second place in LEGA Basket, being defeated by Montepaschi Siena in both case.

Alessandro Gentile

On January 2011, after 23 years, glorious coach Dan Peterson came back from retirement to replace Piero Bucchi as head coach. However, his stint at Olimpia Milano this time was quite short: after failing to reach the championship Finals, on June 9, Olimpia Milano announced Sergio Scariolo as new head coach for the 2011–12 season. The first player signed for the 2011–12 season was Omar Cook, an American-born play maker, who had played the previous season with Power Electronics Valencia. Due to the NBA lockout, Danilo Gallinari went back to his Alma Mater, playing 15 games (8 in the Italian League, 7 in Euroleague): he left the team in December. Sergio Scariolo was replaced by Luca Banchi at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, and the team bought from Montepaschi Siena: David Moss, Kristjan Kangur, and Daniel Hackett.

The team reached the quarterfinals of Euroleague 16 years after its last appearance, but the team lost against the eventual league champions, Maccabi Electra. The team finished in the 1st position the LEGA Basket regular season, and in the 7th game of the playoff's finals, Olimpia won its 26th Italian League championship title, its first after 18 years. Alessandro Gentile, the captain of Olimpia, was named MVP of the finals.

Honours

Domestic competitions

Italian League

• Winners (26): 1935-36, 1936-37, 1937-38, 1938-39, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1954-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1971-72, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89, 1995-96, 2013–14

Italian Cup

• Winners (5): 1971-72, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1995-96, 2015–16

European competitions

FIBA European Champions Cup / Euroleague

• Winners (3): 1965–66, 1986–87, 1987–88
• Runners-up (2): 1966–67, 1982–83
• Final Four (4): 1966, 1967, 1988, 1992

FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup / FIBA Saporta Cup

• Winners (3): 1970–71, 1971–72, 1975–76
• Runners-up (2): 1983–84, 1997–98

FIBA Korać Cup

• Winners (2): 1984–85, 1992–93
• Runners-up (2): 1994–95, 1995–96

International competitions

FIBA Intercontinental Cup

• Winners (1): 1987

Unofficial

Triple Crown

• Winners (1): 1971-72 small, 1986-87

Players

Current roster

Olimpia Milano roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age F/C 1 McLean, Jamel 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 28 – 18 April 1988 G 3 Lafayette, Oliver 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 32 – 6 May 1984 G/F 5 Gentile, Alessandro 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 23 – 12 November 1992 G/F 7 Cerella, Bruno 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 29 – 30 July 1986 PG 9 Kalnietis, Mantas 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 29 – 6 September 1986 F/C 13 Mačvan, Milan 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 120 kg (265 lb) 26 – 16 November 1989 C 15 Magro, Daniele 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 109 kg (240 lb) 29 – 14 April 1987 PG 20 Cinciarini, Andrea 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 29 – 21 June 1986 G/F 21 Sanders, Rakim 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 26 – 8 July 1989 SG 22 Jenkins, Charles 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 27 – 28 February 1989 C 27 Barać, Stanko 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) 127 kg (280 lb) 29 – 14 August 1986 G/F 43 Simon, Krunoslav 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 30 – 24 June 1985 C 51 Batista, Esteban 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 122 kg (269 lb) 32 – 2 September 1983	Head coach Jasmin Repeša Assistant coach(es) Mario Fioretti Massimo Cancellieri Athletic trainer(s) Giustino Danesi Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated: January 04, 2016

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2	Bench 3
C	Esteban Batista	Daniele Magro	Stanko Barac
PF	Jamel McLean	Milan Mačvan
SF	Alessandro Gentile	Rakim Sanders	Bruno Cerella
SG	Charles Jenkins	Krunoslav Simon
PG	Mantas Kalnietis	Oliver Lafayette	Andrea Cinciarini

Season by season

Season	Domestic competitions				Cup	European competitions
	Tier	League	Pos.	Postseason		Tier	League	Result
2006–07	1	Serie A	2	Semifinalist	Semifinalist	N/A
2007–08	1	Serie A	7	Quarterfinalist	–	1	Euroleague	RS
2008–09	1	Serie A	6	Runner-up	–	1	Euroleague	T16
2009–10	1	Serie A	3	Runner-up	Quarterfinalist	1	Euroleague	RS
2010–11	1	Serie A	3	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist	1	Euroleague	RS
2011–12	1	Serie A	2	Runner-up	Semifinalist	1	Euroleague	T16
2012–13	1	Serie A	4	Quarterfinalist	Quarterfinalist	1	Euroleague	RS
2013–14	1	Serie A	1	Champion	Quarterfinalist	1	Euroleague	QF
2014–15	1	Serie A	1	Semifinalist	Runner-up	1	Euroleague	T16
2015–16	1	Serie A	1	TBD	Champion	1	Euroleague	RS

Top performances in European & Worldwide competitions

Season	Achievement	Notes
Euroleague
1957–58	Quarter-finals	eliminated by Honvéd, 80-72 (W) in Milan and 85-95 (L) in Budapest
1962–63	Quarter-finals	eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi, 70-65 (W) in Tbilisi and 68-74 (L) in Milan
1963–64	Semi-finals	eliminated by Real Madrid, 82-77 (W) in Milan and 78-101 (L) in Madrid
1965–66	Champions	defeated CSKA Moscow 68–57 in the semi-final, defeated Slavia Prague 77–72 in the final of the Final Four in Bologna / Milan
1966–67	Final	defeated Slavia Prague 103-97 in the semi-final, lost to Real Madrid 83-91 in the final (Madrid)
1967–68	Semi-finals	eliminated by Spartak ZJŠ Brno, 64-63 (W) in Milan, 86-103 (L) in Brno
1972–73	Semi-finals	eliminated by Ignis Varèse, 72-97 (L) in Milan, 100-115 (L) in Varese
1982–83	Final	lost to Ford Cantù, 68-69 in the final (Grenoble)
1985–86	Semi-final group stage	3rd place in a group with Cibona, Žalgiris, Real Madrid, Maccabi Elite and Limoges
1986–87	Champions	defeated Maccabi Elite, 71-69 in the final of European Champions Cup in Lausanne
1987–88	Champions	defeated Aris 87-82 in the semi-final, defeated Maccabi Elite 90-84 in the final of the Final Four in Ghent
1989–90	Quarter-finals	5th place in a group with FC Barcelona, Jugoplastika Split, Limoges, Aris, Maccabi Elite, Commodore Den Helder and Lech Poznań
1991–92	Final Four	3rd place in Istanbul, lost to Partizan 75–82 in the semi-final, defeated Estudiantes Caja Postal 99-81 in the 3rd place game
1996–97	Quarter-finals	eliminated 2–1 by Smelt Olimpija, 94–90 (W) in Milan, 69–73 (L) in Ljubljana, 61-77 (L) in Milan
2013–14	Quarter-finals	eliminated 3-1 by Maccabi Electra, 99-101 (L) and 91-77 (W) in Milan, 63-75 (L) and 66-86 (L) in Tel Aviv
Saporta Cup
1970–71	Champions	defeated Spartak Leningrad 56–66 (L) in Leningrad and 71-52 (W) in Milan in the double final of European Cup Winner's Cup
1971–72	Champions	defeated Crvena Zvezda 74-70 in the final of European Cup Winner's Cup in Thessaloniki
1975–76	Champions	defeated Tours 88-83 in the final of European Cup Winner's Cup in Turin
1976–77	Semi-finals	eliminated by Forst Cantù, 78-101 (L) in Cantù and 98-95 (W) in Milan
1983–84	Final	lost to Real Madrid 81–82 in the final (Ostend)
1997–98	Final	lost to Žalgiris 67–82 in the final (Belgrade)
Korać Cup
1977–78	Semi-finals	eliminated by Bosna, 79-76 (W) in Milan and 81-101 (L) in Sarajevo
1984–85	Champions	defeated Ciao Crem Varèse, 91–78 in the final of Korać Cup in Brussels
1988–89	Semi-finals	eliminated by Wiwa Vismara Cantù, 81-95 (L) in Cantù and 70-65 (W) in Milan
1992–93	Champions	defeated Virtus Roma, 95-90 (W) in Rome and 106-91 (W) in Milan in the double finals of Korać Cup
1993–94	Semi-finals	eliminated by Stefanel Trieste, 79-96 (L) in Trieste and 103-96 (W) in Milan
1994–95	Final	lost to Alba Berlin, 87-87 (D) in Milan and 79-85 (L) in Berlin
1995–96	Final	lost to Efes Pilsen, 68-76 (L) in Istanbul and 77-70 (W) in Milan
Eurocup
2015–16	Quarter-finals	eliminated by Dolomiti Energia Trento, 73-83 (L) in Trento and 79-92 (L) in Milan
Intercontinental Cup
1967	3rd place	3rd place in Rome, lost to Ignis Varèse 70–79 in the semi-final, defeated Corinthians 90-89 in the 3rd place game
1968	3rd place	3rd place in Philadelphia, lost to Real Madrid 84–93 in the semi-final, defeated Botafogo 82-54 in the 3rd place game
1983	5th place	5th place with a 2-3 record in a league tournament in Buenos Aires
1987	Champions	defeated FC Barcelona 100-84 in the final of Intercontinental Cup in Milan
McDonald's Championship
1987	3rd place	3rd place in a three teams Tournament in Milwaukee with Milwaukee Bucks and Soviet Union
1989	3rd place	3rd place in Rome, lost to Jugoplastika Split 97-102 in the semi-final, defeated FC Barcelona 136-104 in the 3rd place game

Matches against NBA teams

6 October 2015

Boxscore

Boston Celtics

124–91

Olimpia Milano

Mediolanum Forum, Milan

Sponsorship names

Logo of Armani Jeans Milano (2004-2011)

Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:^[2]

• Borletti (1936–55)
• Simmenthal (1955–73)
• Innocenti (1973–75)
• Cinzano (1975–78)
• Billy (1978–83)
• Simac (1983–86)
• Tracer (1986–88)
• Philips (1988–93)
• Recoaro (1993–94)
• Stefanel (1994–98)
• Sony (1998–99)
• Adecco (1999–02)
• Pippo (2002–03)
• Breil (2003–04)
• Armani Jeans (2004–2011)
• EA7-Emporio Armani (2011–present)

Notable players

• Joe Barry Carroll (1984–1985)
• Ken Barlow (1986–1987)
• Dejan Bodiroga (1994–1996)
• Melvin Booker (1998–1999, 2007–2008)
• Rolando Blackman (1995–1996)
• Bill Bradley (1965–1966)
• Rickey Brown (1987–1988)
• Giuseppe Brumatti (1967–1977)
• Antonio Davis (1992–1993)
• Mike D'Antoni (1977–1990)
• Aleksandar Đorđević (1992–1994; 2005)
• Vittorio Ferracini (1967–1969, 1973–1983)
• Gregor Fučka (1994–1997)
• Danilo Gallinari (2006–2008; 2011)
• Jonas Mačiulis (2009–2011)
• Linas Kleiza (2014–2015)
• Mantas Kalnietis (2016–present)
• Keith Langford (2012–2014)
• Massimo Masini (1963–1974)
• Bob McAdoo (1986–1990)
• Dino Meneghin (1980–1990 & 1993-1994)
• Alessandro Gentile (2011–present)
• Ferdinando Gentile (1994–1998)
• Daniel Hackett (2013–2015)
• Riccardo Pittis (1984–1993)
• Roberto Premier (1981–1989)
• Antonello Riva (1989–1994)
• Giorgos Sigalas (1997–1998)
• Mike Sylvester (1975–1980)
• Skip Thoren (1965–1966)

References

1. Euroleague.net Milan, Italy to host 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four.
2. Lega A page on the history of Olimpia Milano. (Italian)

External links

• Official website (Italian) (English)
• Forum Olimpia Milano