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Unicaja, AEK Atenas, La Laguna Tenerife, and Galatasaray are competing for the BCL 2025 title starting Friday at the SUNEL Arena in Athens, a city that will host the Basketball Champions League Final Four for the third time. It will be a great celebration of European basketball with 4 teams that have already tasted continental success and are having a fantastic season aiming to clinch the BCL title. Here is how the 4 contenders are shaping up:
Unicaja
The Malaga team will play their third consecutive BCL Final Four after Málaga 2023, Belgrade 2024, and now Athens 2025. Under Ibon Navarro’s guidance, they are having a dream season, having won all 3 titles they have competed for so far – FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore, Endesa Super Cup in Murcia, and King’s Cup in Gran Canaria. Unicaja’s results so far have been outstanding, making the final stretch of the season very exciting.
The current BCL champions secured their quarter-final series with a 2-0 win against Pallacanestro Reggiana and also notched victories in their last two Liga Endesa matches last week. They beat La Laguna Tenerife 78-91 on Thursday and had a convincing 98-80 win against MoraBanc Andorra on Sunday at the Martín Carpena. These recent positive results have boosted Unicaja’s confidence heading into the challenge against AEK Athens on Friday, a crucial semifinal matchup against a strong Greek team enjoying home support.
AEK Athens
The Athenian team is having one of its best seasons in recent years. The appointment of Dragan Sakota at the start of the season, the most successful coach in AEK Athens over the past two decades, signaled the club’s ambitions. It’s worth noting that under Sakota’s leadership, AEK Athens won the BCL in 2018, a feat they aim to repeat as hosts this time.
The Unicaja’s semifinal opponent reached the BCL Final Four in SUNEL Athens 2025 after defeating French side Nanterre 92 by 2-1 in the quarter-finals. AEK Athens capitalized on their home advantage in this series, winning both matches at home, maintaining an unbeaten record as hosts throughout the European season. Their BCL record at the SUNEL Arena stands at an impressive 8-0, adding more difficulty to the semi-final clash against Unicaja on Friday at 20:00 Spanish time.
It’s worth mentioning that AEK Athens is currently competing in the Greek League semifinals, which started last weekend against Olympiacos.
The outcome of the first game underscores AEK Athens’ excellent form, as they narrowly lost at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus by 87-85. In that game, shooting guard Hunter Hale scored 34 points (4/8 in 2-pointers, 6/8 in threes, and 8/8 in free throws), adding 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Hale is a strong candidate for the BCL MVP and a player to watch this Friday. Additionally, there will be a reunion with a familiar face, Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who was with Málaga from 2013 to 2016, leaving a positive impression at the club.
AEK Athens’ goal is to secure their second BCL title, having won their first in 2018 and finishing as runners-up in 2020, where they lost in the final to San Pablo Burgos. In all these editions, including 2025, whenever they have reached a BCL Final Four, they have played in Athens as hosts.
La Laguna Tenerife
There is little left to say about the island team that hasn’t been mentioned already. A dominant force in the BCL, having won two titles (2017 and 2022, tied with San Pablo Burgos), they are also the team with the most appearances in the Final Four of the competition. This marks their sixth appearance in the final phase, the fourth in a row, only missing out three times, showcasing their stability and potential. It’s worth noting that along with AEK Athens and Filou Oostende, Tenerife is one of the three clubs that have participated in all 9 editions of the competition.
The Tenerife team arrives in Athens in excellent form. They are currently the best team in the competition, remaining undefeated in all 14 matches played this season. Their strong performances extend to the Liga Endesa, where they hold the second position, only behind Real Madrid. In the Spanish league, they have a record of 24 wins and 7 losses, already securing home-court advantage in the Liga Endesa Playoff quarter-finals.
In the BCL quarter-finals, they overcame Italian side Dethona Basket 2-0. Despite the result, the series was challenging, with the Spanish team having to secure a victory in overtime in the first game in Tenerife.
In last week’s games, La Laguna Tenerife suffered a defeat against Unicaja on Thursday by 78-91 but bounced back over the weekend by defeating Bàsquet Girona 84-93 on the road.
La Laguna Tenerife travels to Athens aiming to solidify their status as the dominant force in the BCL and become the only team with three titles in the competition. Currently tied with San Pablo Burgos at two BCL titles, the Tenerife team’s first step will be against Galatasaray on Friday at 17:00 Spanish time, facing one of the powerhouses of Turkish basketball.
Galatasaray
A historic name in Turkish basketball returns to a grand stage. Galatasaray enters the event in their best form in recent years, making their first-ever appearance in the Final Four after five seasons in the BCL.
They are the third Turkish team to reach the semifinals after Banvit (2017) and Pinar Karsiyaka (2021), aiming to become the first Turkish club to lift the title. If successful, it would be their second continental title, having won the Eurocup in 2016, a year before Unicaja achieved the same feat.
Under the guidance of head coach Yakup Sekizkok, Galatasaray advanced to Athens 2025 by defeating ERA Nymburk 2-0 in the quarter-finals despite playing with a home disadvantage. The Istanbul team has improved throughout the season, becoming a dangerous opponent. Unicaja knows this well, as Galatasaray was the only team to defeat them in the BCL, with an 86-84 victory in the Round of 16.
In the Turkish league, they currently sit in sixth place with 14 wins and 14 losses, but have suffered defeats in their last three games against Darussafaka Lassa (94-87), Aliaga Petkimspor (81-86), and Manisa Basket Divissa (94-75), with the latter two being opponents of Unicaja in this season’s BCL in the group stage and Round of 16, respectively.
Galatasaray’s roster features a deep rotation with significant physical presence in all positions. Their key players are in the backcourt, with point guard Will Cummings and small forward James Palmer Jr. (MVP of the Round of 16), considered among the most talented players in the competition. This team, with a 12-5 record, including 3 games from the Play-In round leading to the Round of 16, is battle-tested and should not be underestimated in the quest for the BCL title in Athens.
These are the four teams entering the grand Athenian event that kicks off this Friday. Each one faces unique challenges, but they share the common goal of claiming the BCL 2025 title in what promises to be an outstanding ninth edition.