Bàsquet Manresa

Did You Know?

• Joan 'Chichi' Creus was the Spanish Cup Most Valuable Player in 1996 and the ACB Finals MVP in 1998.
• George Gervin, a Basketball Hall of Famer, played for Manresa at age 38, averaging 23.1 points and helping the team avoid relegation.
• Manresa will participate in the EuroCup for the 2025–26 season.

History

Bàsquet Manresa began in 1931 as Manresa Bàsquetbol Club. Three years later, it merged with Club Bàsquet Bages to form Unió Manresana de Bàsquet. In 1940, the club won the Copa Barcelona and became the basketball section of CE Manresa. The team first reached the Liga Nacional in 1968 but was sent back down after just one season. Two years later, Manresa returned to the top flight and placed fourth, earning a spot in the Korać Cup, where it made the quarterfinals. In 1979, the club split from CE Manresa and became Manresa Esportiu Bàsquet, eventually growing into a steady presence in the Liga ACB. Its best years came with TDK as sponsor from 1985 to 2000. In 1992, following professional club regulations, Manresa became a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva and changed its name to Bàsquet Manresa, which allowed Manresa EB and its former rival CB Manresa to finally merge. In 1996, Manresa won its first national trophy by beating FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, held in Murcia. Two years later, after finishing the regular season in sixth place and without home-court advantage in any playoff round, Manresa won the 1997–98 Liga ACB. It eliminated Adecco Estudiantes in the quarterfinals, Real Madrid in the semifinals, and then defeated Tau Cerámica Baskonia 3–1 in the finals. Joan Creus was named MVP of the finals, just as he had been in the Copa del Rey two years earlier. This championship is still regarded as one of the biggest surprises in Spanish sports history. As league champions, Manresa entered the EuroLeague but was eliminated in the group stage. The golden era ended abruptly in 2000 when the club was relegated to the Liga LEB after a 95–91 overtime loss to Gijón Baloncesto. Since then, Manresa has moved back and forth between the ACB and LEB, winning promotions as LEB champions in 2002 and 2007. In 2012 and 2013, the club was relegated twice but stayed in the ACB because no LEB Oro team could move up. In 2017, after its worst top-tier season since 1983–84, Manresa dropped to LEB Oro, but bounced back the next season by beating Club Melilla Baloncesto in the playoff final.