Virtus Bologna
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Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna is a prominent Italian basketball club, based in Bologna. It currently plays in Italy's second division, having fallen on temporary hard times after decades of success.
Virtus was founded in 1879 as a gymnastics club, and fielded its first professional basketball teams in the 1920s. The club has won 15 national league titles in Italy's top division and 8 Italian Cups. It has also been a frequent participant in the Euroleague, the basketball equivalent to football's Champions League. Virtus' best season, as measured by trophies won, was 2000-01, when it won the Italian league, Italian Cup, and Euroleague titles. It also won the Euroleague in 1998.
However, several key members of Virtus' treble-winners left immediately after that accomplishment. After the 2001-02 season, Manu Ginobili, the Euroleague Final Four MVP in 2001, left for the NBA. At the end of the 2002-03 season, Virtus suffered relegation from Italy's top flight as a result of financial problems.
The local derby between Virtus and Fortitudo Bologna is one of the most intense in the entire world of sports.
Virtus' home stadium is PalaMalaguti.
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Team honours
- Italian Championships: 15 (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1956, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001)
- Italian Cups: 8 (1974, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002)
- Italian Supercup: 1 (1995)
- Euroleague: 2 (1998, 2001)
- Cup Winners' Cups: 1 (1990)
Famous players
List of former names
- Virtus 1945-1956
- Sinudyne 1975-1980
- Granarolo 1983-1986
- Dietor 1986-1988
- Knorr 1988-1993
- Buckler 1993-1996
- Kinder 1996-2002
- Virtus 2002-2003
- Virtus 1934 2003-2004
- Carisbo Virtus 2004
- Caffè Maxim 2004-
External link
- Official site (in Italian) (http://www.virtus.it)
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