Legia Warszawa Sekcja Koszykówki (in English: Legia Warsaw Basketball Section) is a Polish men's basketball club, based in Warsaw. The team currently plays in the PLK, the Polish first division. The club was established in 1929 as the basketball section of the military multi-sport club of Legia Warsaw. Legia became the leading team in Polish basketball in the 1950s and 1960s with seven national championships and two national cups.
It is one of the sports sections of Legia brand, with the most famous being a football team.
History
First steps to glory
The basketball section of Legia Warsaw was founded in 1929. The first game of the team was on December 8, 1929, when the team won 31–5 over Jutrznia.
The team was re-activated in 1947, after absence during World War II, by students from the Stefana Batorego. The team won the national high school championship, and after several more promotions, it returned to the highest-level league in 1951.
Legia played its first international match on September 6, 1953, facing UDA Praha. In 1956, the first national championship in club history was won after finishing first with a 14–4 record. A year after their triumph in the competition, Legia's basketball players once again secured the Polish championship. Then, in one of the more interesting matches for places 1-6, it took five overtimes to determine the winner in the Legia - ŁKS game! The Łódź Sports Club, competing at the time as Włókniarz Łódź, ultimately defeated Legia 77-75. For Legia, it was the only loss out of five games in this phase of the competition, and our players secured the Polish championship.
Legia's basketball players were the first Polish team to represent the country in European cup competitions. Their second consecutive Polish championship in 1957 secured team's participation in the FIBA European Champions Cup the following year. In the second round, Legia faced the best team in Europe at that time Rīgas ASK. Although the victory in Warsaw did not allow them to advance to the semifinals, it was a huge surprise for the basketball community in Europe. Legia became powerhouse in Poland, winning 7 national titles in 13 years in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as 2 Polish cups.
Financial difficulties lead to downfall
Unfortunately, in the 2002-03 season, Legia, instead of building on their momentum, ended their adventure in the top league for many years. This was due to the club's severe financial problems, which prevented them from paying the players' contractual obligations. Most of the basketball players left the club, and Legia finished the season with juniors. The youth players were unable to save Legia's position in the top league.
In the following season, after many troubles, Legia finally played in the First League with a very strong squad that was expected to fight for a return to the national elite. Unfortunately, Legia performed below expectations - they advanced to the playoffs from the eighth place and lost 0-3 to Turów Zgorzelec in the first round of the playoffs. Warsaw continued to struggle with financial problems, resulting in the team not registering for the First League. Legia spent the 2003-04 season in the Second League, which was the third tier of national championship, and even at this level had to fight against relegation.[2]
On May 15, 2014, the team was brought under a new legal form when the joint-stock company "Legia Warszawa Sekcja Koszykówki" was founded; the main shareholders of the club are Legia Warszawa SA and Robert Chabelski. In 2017, Legia was promoted to the PLK after being absent for 14 years.[3]
Regaining its status in Poland
In 2020-21 season for the first time since promoted back to the PLK, Legia finished the season with a positive record, winning 24 of 37 games and finishing fourth. That let the team to participate in FIBA Europe Cup. 2021-22 season was successful both internationally and locally, reaching the FIBA Europe Cup quarterfinal and PLK final for the first time since 1969. The European run continued when Legia participated in 2022–23 Basketball Champions League and 2023–24 FIBA Europe Cup.
After the end of the 2023–24 PLK season, in which they finished fifth, club started a rebuilding process. First step was to hire a new sports director in Aaron Cel.[4] Later that summer it was announced that a new coach would take over the team as Legia signed a contract with Croatian specialist Ivica Skelin.[5] Long-time captain of Legia, Dariusz Wyka, left the team.[6] After not getting a place in any of the more prestigious European competitions, Legia joined up-and-coming ENBL.[7]
Arena
Legia basketball players played in the former riding school hall which was adapted from a former riding school in the 1950s for the needs of indoor sports. At the start of the 1992-93 season Legia basketball team moved to the current Hala OSiR Bemowo facility. The hall in which basketball players play today was converted from a former aircraft hangar to the needs of indoor sports.[8]
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