The champions of the 2022-23 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals will celebrate the title in one of the most famous buildings in Lithuanian sports history and Kaunas folklore, Kaunas Sports Hall, which recently received a major facelift.

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Eight teams will battle it out for the U18 continental crown from May 18 through 21 in the hallowed hall, which is located in the art deco-styled district Zaliakalnis. But whichever team hoists the trophy will be only the latest to shed tears of joy in the arena.

The Kaunas Sports Hall was built in just six months - and just in time - to host EuroBasket 1939. The host team Lithuania went undefeated to win the title and defend its crown from 1937, with games drawing 11,000 spectators even though the hall had only 3,500 seats.

The arena itself - the first hall in Europe designed specifically for basketball - became the first modern sports hall in Lithuania and is referred to as the “Mecca of Lithuanian basketball”. It was praised architecturally for, among other highlights, its four riveted steel arches. The hall hosted many different sports over the years including handball, boxing, volleyball and futsal.

Kaunas Sports Hall, which is also known as the S. Darius and S. Girenas Hall, was also the first home to the country’s powerhouse basketball club Zalgiris Kaunas. The club played its home games in the hall from its foundation in 1944 until 2010, winning the Lithuanian championship eight times between 1946 to 1958 as well as 15 times between 1991 and 2008, to go with five Soviet Union League titles. Zalgiris and its fans at the Kaunas Sports Hall also celebrated the 1998-99 EuroLeague crown and finishing as runners-up in 1985-86. During that time, Zalgiris claimed the Saporta Cup in 1997-98 and the Intercontinental Cup in 1986, too. Zalgiris left the hall in 2011 when the club’s current home, Zalgirio Arena, opened.

Another highlight for the Kaunas Sports Hall was the FIBA U16 European Championship 2015, where Lithuania reached the final but lost 85-83 to Bosnia and Herzegovina in front of 4,500 spectators.

In 2007, the complex of buildings of the S.Darius and S.Girenos sports center entered the Register of Cultural Values and became protected by the state. And Kaunas Sports Hall was awarded the European heritage mark in 2014.

Still, the arena needed renovations - with partial reconstruction from 1958 to 1962 to replace the wooden tribunes with reinforced concrete stands, improvement of the building’s insulation and installation of a heating system.

Major reconstruction began in June 2019.

Over three years of work, facades were renovated and insulated; the roof and supporting structures were repaired; the entire premises were set up with modern equipment; the layout of the rooms was changed; rooms were installed on the second floor; fixed and telescopic grandstands for 2,500 spectators were installed; and special acoustic curtains were added to divide the space into four smaller zones so that different activities can take place simultaneously.

A new multi-purpose floor was also laid with markings for various sports besides basketball, including handball, volleyball, tennis, badminton and futsal.

At the same time, the builders made sure to keep the building’s original appearance with valuable features including the arches, doors and windows having been preserved and restored.

After three years of reconstruction, Kaunas Sports Hall reopened on September 24, 2022, with a concert and dancing performance. City officials say sports will initially take a back seat in terms of usage of the hall, which will serve the needs of the urban community with exhibitions, concerts, non-formal education, cultural events and community activities.

But from May 18-21, Kaunas Sports Hall will once again return to its original roots and host the ANGT Finals to determine the best on the continent - just like when it opened in 1939.

Former Zalgiris home, venue for EuroBasket 1939 to host ANGT Finals

Anadolu Efes Istanbul registered a thrilling 74-77 victory over Olympiacos Piraeus in the first semifinal on Friday at the Final Four in Belgrade and thus will continue to fight for the first back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles in almost a decade. Vasilije Micic, last season's Final Four MVP, broke a tie with a step-back three-pointer from the top of the circle on the buzzer to win it.

Real Madrid rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to outduel arch-rival FC Barcelona the rest of the way and win 83-86 in the second semifinal at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade, Serbia. Real's French connection drove the comeback, with Fabien Causeur and Geurschon Yabusele drilling 18 points each and Vincent Poirier coming up with big plays down the stretch. Sergio Llull added 15 points for the winners, including a key layup with 22 seconds left. For Barcelona, season MVP Nikola Mirotic had a monster double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds. Nicolas Laprovittola added 17 points and Brandon Davies 15 for Barcelona, which got 9 assists from Nick Calathes.

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Championship Game - Full Game Replay

Anadolu Efes Istanbul made history by defending its crown from last season with a defensive-minded 57-58 victory over Real Madrid, the team with the most titles in competition history, 10. Efes becomes the first back-to-back EuroLeague champion since Olympiacos Piraeus in 2012 and 2013. The only other repeat winners since 1988 when the modern Final Four era began are Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004 and 2005) and Jugoplastika Split (1989, 1990, 1991).

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2021-22/real-madrid-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2021/330/)

Game Info

Final Four 2022 Belgrade

### Barcelona’s Higgins, Efes’s Micic shine under Friday night lights

Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, witnessed one of the most exciting nights of semifinals in Final Four history. Friday's first game was a thriller that went down to the last seconds in which Anadolu Efes Istanbul advanced to its second straight championship game after holding off CSKA Moscow in what was a rematch of the 2019 championship game. Efes led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter before CSKA erased the deficit. The game came down to the closing seconds and Will Clyburn missed a go-ahead three, which allowed Efes to hold on. Vasilije Micic led the Efes attack with 25 points and 6 assists before fouling out and Sertac Sanli also shined with 19 points and 8 rebounds. For CSKA, Clyburn scored 26 and Daniel Hackett had 11 of his 17 in the fourth quarter.

In the second semi, FC Barcelona edged AX Armani Exchange Milan 84-82 on Cory Higgins's game-winning jumper with 0.8 seconds remaining. Barcelona fought back from an 8-point third-quarter deficit and survived a fourth quarter that featured three lead changes and was tied entering the final minute. Milan's Kevin Punter missed an open look from behind the arc before Higgins raced down the floor and buried a pull-up jumper from the top of the key, sending Barcelona through. Nikola Mirotic led the winners with 21 points and Nick Calathes tallied 17 points and 6 assists before leaving with an ankle injury. Higgins finished with 11 points and Pau Gasol scored 10 points for Barcelona, which returned to the championship game for the first time since 2010 when it won its second EuroLeague crown. Punter paced Milan with 23 points.

Catch up on FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul from Final of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, May 30, 2021

FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final - May 30, 2021

### Efes makes history

Anadolu Efes Istanbul made history by winning the EuroLeague for the first time after outlasting FC Barcelona 81-86 in the championship game at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. The victory made all the Efes players champions for the first time as well as Coach Ergin Ataman, who became the first Turkish-born head coach to lift the trophy.

In a tight game, Barcelona came back from an 11-point deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter and was within a single point with 3:25 remaining, but Vasilije Micic scored 7 points in the final 3 minutes to make sure Efes went home with the trophy. Micic finished with 25 points and 5 assists to earn Final Four MVP honor in addition to his season-long MVP accolade. His backcourt mate Shane Larkin added 21 points while big man Sertac Sanli chipped in with 12 for the winners. Cory Higgins led Barcelona with 23 points and Kyle Kuric netted 18 for Barcelona, which came up short in its bid to win its third continental crown, and first since 2010.

AX Armani Exchange finished third in its first Final Four appearance since 1992, defeating CSKA Moscow 83-73 in the third-place game.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2020-21/fc-barcelona-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2020/328/)

Final Four 2021 Cologne

### Guards star in high-scoring semis

The climax to the season was staged at Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria-Gasteiz and got underway with the first-ever Final Four meeting between two Turkish teams. Anadolu Efes Istanbul used its stellar backcourt to comfortably overcome Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, with Shane Larkin scoring 30 points and Vasilije Micic adding 25 in a 92-73 victory. Larkin’s PIR of 43 was the best ever at a Final Four.

The second semifinal saw CSKA Moscow fall behind by 14 points in the third quarter against Real Madrid, but Nando De Colo stepped up with 10 points in the final quarter and CSKA finished the game on a 13-5 run to triumph 95-90. De Colo finished with 23 points and Sergio Rodriguez also came up big with the same point total against his former club.

Catch up on Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs CSKA Moscow from the 2018/19 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, 19th May 2019

Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs CSKA Moscow - Championship Game - 19th May 2019

### CSKA stays strong for its eighth crown

The championship game was a well-balanced tussle that saw CSKA dominate the first quarter before Efes controlled the second, making it 44-42 to the Muscovites at halftime. The outcome was still in the balance midway through the fourth quarter before a 6-0 run for CSKA featuring 4 points from Nando De Colo established a double-digit lead. Efes fought back to a 4-point deficit inside the final 2 minutes, but CSKA used strong defense and accurate free throw shooting to seal the outcome and clinch its eighth continental crown with a 91-83 victory.

Will Clyburn played through an injury to lead his team with 20 points and 5 rebounds and was rewarded with the Final Four MVP award. Shane Larkin’s 29 points in defeat were the highest total in championship game history. The title triumph saw CSKA big man Kyle Hines join an elite group by winning his fourth EuroLeague crown, a feat achieved by only 14 other players in European basketball history.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2018-19/anadolu-efes-istanbul-cska-moscow/E2018/260/)

Final Four 2019 Vitoria-Gasteiz

### Zalgiris celebrates despite semifinal loss

The Final Four was staged at the Stark Arena in Belgrade and Friday’s semifinal saw Coach Zeljko Obradovic maintain his hopes of winning his 10th title in his home city as Fenerbahce Istanbul overcame Zalgiris, 76-67. Ali Muhammed scored 19 points to lead the winners. Brandon Davies gave it his all with a double-double in defeat for the Lithuanian champs in Zalgiris’s first Final Four appearance in nearly two decades.

The reigning champ was joined in the championship game by Real Madrid, which fought back from a first-quarter double-digit deficit against CSKA Moscow to win 83-92. Luka Doncic and Sergio Llull scored 16 points apiece and Gustavo Ayon added a double-double. Nando De Colo netted 20 un defeat.

### Real wins 'La Decima'

The championship game saw the title winners from 2015 and 2017 go for glory once again as Real battled Fenerbahce. Nicolo Melli topped the scoring with a championship-game record 28 points and Fenerbahce had a narrow lead, 38-40, at halftime. But Los Blancos scored the first 7 points of the second half and never trailed again, with the lead peaking at 11 in the fourth quarter. Fenerbahce rallied late to get within 3, but a Trey Thompkins tip-in and free throws from Fabien Causeur settled the outcome.

The victory saw Real become the first team to take 10 continental crowns, while Pablo Laso became the first Spanish coach in 37 years to win multiple EuroLeague titles. Real’s triumph was a team effort as 11 different players scored in the championship game, but the man picked out for more individual plaudits was Luka Doncic, who added to his personal collection by being named Final Four MVP after recording 16 points and 7 rebounds in the semifinal followed by 15 points and 4 assists in the title game.

Sunday’s title decider was preceded by an unusually intense third-place game, culminating in wild celebrations for thousands of traveling fans from Lithuania as Zalgiris withstood a late charge from CSKA to prevail 79-77.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2017-18/real-madrid-fenerbahce-dogus-istanbul/E2017/260/)

Final Four 2018 Belgrade

Real Madrid v Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul (2018-05-20T18:00:00.000Z)

### Olympiacos shocks CSKA again

The 2017 Final Four at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul started with a familiar sinking feeling for CSKA Moscow. The reigning champion led most of the way against Olympiacos Piraeus in the opening semifinal, but 10 fourth-quarter points from Vassilis Spanoulis allowed the Reds to fight back and secure their fourth Final Four victory over CSKA in the space of six seasons, eventually winning 78-82 after a missed three-pointer attempting to win the game from Milos Teodosic with 8 seconds remaining.

Olympiacos was joined in the championship game by Fenerbahce Istanbul, which overpowered Real Madrid 84075 behind a colossal performance from Ekpe Udoh with 18 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocked shots. Udoh’s PIR of 36 was the best at a Final Four in seven years and helped his team overcome 28 points from league MVP Sergio Llull.

### Fenerbahce thrills Istanbul

Roared on by a vociferous local crowd for the championship game against Olympiacos, Fenerbahce wasted no time in seizing the momentum as Ekpe Udoh and Jan Vesely combined for an explosive alley-oop on the game’s opening play. Olympiacos battled hard to keep it close in the first half, but an 11-2 run in the third quarter broke the game open and Fenerbahce powered home the rest of the way to seal the title, 80-64. Bogdanovic and Nikola Kalinic led the scoring with 17 points apiece but the star man was once more Udoh, who was named Final Four MVP after contributing 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a championship game record 5 blocked shots.

The victory saw Fenerbahce become the first Turkish team ever to become crowned champions of Europ, and also allowed legendary Coach Zeljko Obradovic to reach the milestone of nine European titles with five different clubs. Obradovic was later announced as the first person to win the Alexander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year award on three occasions.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2016-17/fenerbahce-istanbul-olympiacos-piraeus/E2016/263/)

Final Four 2017 Istanbul

### Favorites CSKA, Fenerbahce survive semifinal tests

The opening semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Arena saw the first-ever meeting between two Russian teams at the Final Four and pregame favorite CSKA Moscow lived up to that status by leading all the way against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar for an 88-81 victory. Season MVP Nando De Colo inspired his team with 30 points, the most ever scored in a semifinal at that time.

Friday’s second game was a thriller, as Laboral Kutxa Vitoria-Gasteiz – appearing at the Final Four for the first time since 2008 – recovered from an early double-digit deficit to set up a closely fought battle with Fenerbahce Istanbul. Baskonia’s Darius Adams hit the rim with a three-point attempt to win the game on the final buzzer and it went to overtime. Fenerbahce took over in the extra period, with Bogdan Bogdanovic scoring 9 of his 18 points to send his team into the championship game for the first time with an 88-77 victory.

### CSKA takes a thriller

The championship game was an instant classic, as CSKA raced to a 50-30 halftime lead before Fenerbahce gradually narrowed the gap and eventually went ahead through Kostas Sloukas’s free throws with 20 seconds remaining. It all came down to the last play, which saw Nando De Colo miss an attempted game-winning three-pointer, but Victor Khryapa rose high to tip home the rebound on the final buzzer, forcing overtime. That was the cue for De Colo to dominate and he scored 9 points in the extra period to give his team a 101-96 victory, securing CSKA its third title of the century as Coach Dimitris Itoudis overcame his mentor, Zeljko Obradovic.

After scoring 22 points in the championship game and 30 in the semifinal, De Colo took the Final Four MVP award to become the only player ever to hold the season MVP, the Final Four MVP and the Top Scorer Trophy at the same time.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2015-16/fenerbahce-istanbul-cska-moscow/E2015/250/)

Final Four 2016 Berlin

### History repeats as Olympiacos downs CSKA

History repeated itself in the opening semifinal in Madrid's Barclaycard Center where Olympiacos Piraeus overcame CSKA Moscow at the Final Four for the third time in four seasons. After beating the Muscovites in the 2012 championship game and the 2013 semifinal, the Reds did it again to overturn a 9-point deficit with 4 minutes remaining. Spanoulis missed his first 11 shots of the game, but scored 11 points in the final quarter, including the go-ahead triple with 10 seconds remaining to seal a 68-70 comeback victory. Georgios Printezis posted 14 points and 8 rebounds to lead Olympiacos.

The second semifinal saw host Real Madrid overcome Fenerbahce Istanbul 96-87. It was a physical game that saw five players foul out, but the key plays came in the second quarter when a trio of triples from KC Rivers allowed Real to establish a 21-point lead. Fenerbahce made it closer after the break, but Real kept on downing long-range strikes, finishing with a Final Four joint-high of 14 three-pointers as Rivers made 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. Gustavo Ayon amassed 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners.

### Real claims ninth crown

The championship game was closely fought over the first 20 minutes and Olympiacos held a 40-41 lead midway through the third quarter. But then Jaycee Carroll took over with 11 points in a row, including 3 three-pointers in less than 2 minutes. Real never looked back from that moment to secure a 78-59 win.

Carroll paced the winners with 16 points, but the Final Four MVP Award went to veteran forward Andres Nocioni, who combined 12 points and 7 rebounds in the title game after recording 12 points and 6 rebounds in the semifinal. It was Real’s record ninth continental crown in total and the club’s first since 1995.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2014-15/real-madrid-olympiacos-piraeus/E2014/251/)

Final Four 2015 Madrid

### Another Milan miracle for Maccabi

The Final Four started with a thriller as Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv launched another memorable comeback at Mediolanum Forum. Exactly a month after its stunning escape in the playoffs opener against host Milan, this time it was CSKA Moscow on the receiving end as Tyrese Rice’s layup with 2 seconds remaining secured a 67-68 victory, overturning a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit.

The second semifinal was a completely different story as Real Madrid blitzed archival FC Barcelona, recording the biggest ever winning margin in a semifinal with a 100-62 thrashing. Real’s 14 triples – on just 29 attempts – tied the Final Four’s highest mark. Sergio Rodriguez led the way with 21 points and 6 assists.

### Maccabi completes the journey

A thrilling season came to a suitably dramatic conclusion with the first overtime championship game of the century. The end-of-quarter scores show just how closely the game was contested, with neither Real nor Maccabi able to establish a convincing margin: 16-15; 35-33; 55-53; 73-73. There were 19 lead changes and seven ties after halftime alone and the extra period was required after Tyrese Rice missed a three-pointer on the regulation-time buzzer and Alex Tyus couldn’t convert the rebound.

Overtime was completely different, though, as Maccabi took over behind Tyus and Rice, who scored 21 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Coach David Blatt's men eventually pulled away for an 86-98 triumph, sending its 10,000 fans inside Mediolanum Forum into raptures as the club claimed its sixth continental crown. Rice was inevitably named Final Four MVP after scoring 39 points in the two games.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2013-14/real-madrid-maccabi-electra-tel-aviv/E2013/253/)