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Teams with the most ABA league titles

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The Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA) League has existed since 2001, and so far, nine clubs have won the championship title. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the teams that have been crowned ABA League champions — and reveal which club holds the record for the most titles.

4) Olimpija Ljubljana – 1 Title

The first-ever ABA League champion, in the 2001–02 season, was Olimpija Ljubljana. That inaugural season featured clubs from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Budućnost Podgorica as the representative of FR Yugoslavia. The Final Four was held in Ljubljana, and besides Olimpija, the participants were Cibona, Pivovarna Laško, and Krka — who lost in the final game.

4) Zadar – 1 Title

Zadar’s championship in the 2002–03 season was a true sensation. The Final Four was held again in Ljubljana, but the absolute favorite was Maccabi Tel Aviv, playing in the Adriatic League for the first time. Zadar first defeated Crvena zvezda, the regular-season champion, in the semifinals, and then stunned “The Pride of Israel” 91–88 in the final.

4) Hemofarm Vrsac – 1 Title

The dominance of Serbian clubs was evident in the 2004–05 season when all four semifinalists came from Serbia. Hemofarm first defeated the defending champion Reflex (FMP), and then won the title by beating Partizan 89–76 in the final.

4) Maccabi Tel Aviv – 1 Title

What they failed to achieve in their first attempt, Maccabi managed nine years later — this time on their home court. In the 2011–12 season, they broke Partizan’s streak of five consecutive titles.

4) Cibona – 1 Title

The 2013–14 ABA League Final Four was held in Belgrade Arena, and everything pointed to a “Eternal Derby” final between Partizan and Crvena zvezda. However, Cibona and Cedevita had other plans, setting up an all-Croatian final that Cibona went on to win.

4) Buducnost Podgorica – 1 Title

In the 2017–18 season, Budućnost won a dramatic final series against Crvena zvezda to claim the ABA League title. The missed dunk by Lessort and the high tension both on and off the court are still remembered vividly. The following season, Budućnost made its debut in the EuroLeague.

3) FMP Zeleznik – 2 Titles

The first Serbian team to win the ABA League was FMP Železnik, competing under the name Reflex in the 2003–04 season. They defeated Cibona 71–70 in the final in Zagreb. Two years later (2005–06), now playing as FMP, they claimed their second title at the Final Eight tournament in Sarajevo with a 73–72 win over Partizan.

2) Crvena zvezda – 7 Titles

Crvena zvezda waited a long time for their first ABA League title, but once they won it, two more quickly followed. After losing the 2018 final to Budućnost, the Red and Whites bounced back with three more titles in the following years. Their most recent triumph came in the 2023–24 season.

Crvena zvezda’s ABA League titles:
2014–15 🏆
2015–16 🏆
2016–17 🏆
2018–19 🏆
2020–21 🏆
2021–22 🏆
2023–24 🏆

1) Partizan – 8 Titles

After losing two finals, Partizan finally captured their first ABA League championship in 2007. Once they reached the top, they went on to defend the title four more times in a row. Maccabi briefly interrupted their run in 2012, but Partizan reclaimed the throne the very next season. Following several years of Crvena zvezda dominance, the return of coach Željko Obradović brought two more titles — in 2023 and 2025.

Partizan’s ABA League titles:
2006–07 🏆
2007–08 🏆
2008–09 🏆
2009–10 🏆
2010–11 🏆
2012–13 🏆
2022–23 🏆
2024–25 🏆

What Is the ABA League?

💡 The ABA (Adriatic Basketball Association) League, also known as the Adriatic League, is a regional basketball competition featuring clubs primarily from the former Yugoslav countries — Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
Starting from the 2024–25 season, the ambitious Dubai Basketball Club from the United Arab Emirates has joined the league. Over the years, teams from Israel, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria have also participated.

The inaugural 2001–02 season was won by Union Olimpija. The record holder for most titles is Partizan Belgrade, with eight championships. After the regular season, the top eight teams compete in the playoffs for the title and a direct EuroLeague berth.
The team finishing last is relegated to the ABA League 2, introduced in the 2017–18 season, while the second-to-last plays a relegation playoff against the runner-up of the second division.

The ABA League has been a proving ground for many world-class players and future NBA stars, including Nikola Jokić, Bogdan Bogdanović, Bojan Bogdanović, Dario Šarić, Jusuf Nurkić, Jan Vesely, Joffrey Lauvergne, Boban Marjanović, Vasilije Micić, Ivica Zubac, Goran Dragić, Džanan Musa, and many other basketball greats.

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