By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Pablo Laso signed a contract until the end of the 2026-27 season to become the new head coach of Anadolu Efes.
Eurohoops has reported on advanced talks between the involved parties, which extended to the 58-year-old tactician being registered as the new head coach on the official domestic league roster.
The deal was announced on Saturday.
Antrenörlük kariyeri boyunca iki EuroLeague şampiyonluğunun yanı sıra pek çok lig ve yerel kupa şampiyonluğu da yaşayan Pablo Laso ile 2026 – 2027 sezonu sonuna kadar sözleşme imzaladık.
Welcome Coach! #BenimYerimBurası pic.twitter.com/fqHFypYZiq
— Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) December 13, 2025
Laso is returning to the EuroLeague after previously serving as head coach of Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich, and Baskonia. His lengthy and successful run with Los Blancos between 2011 and 2022 included championship runs in 2015 and 2018. His next jobs were limited to only one season each, with Bayern through the 2023-24 campaign and Baskonia through the 2024-25 campaign.
Back in late November, the Istanbul outfit dismissed 53-year-old Igor Kokoskov, a few months after naming him as the new play-caller in July. Meanwhile, 52-year-old Rado Trifunovic took over as the interim head coach, guiding Efes in recent games of the 2025-26 installments of the EuroLeague and Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi.
With Laso in charge, the challenge starts at a 5-10 W-L tally in Europe’s premier club continental competition, 3.5 games away from the Play-In Showdown zone, four games away from the top six seeds leading to a direct ticket to the Playoffs 2026, and 5.5 games from leader Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv. With a double-game week for Rounds 16 and 17, Efes visits Zalgiris in Zalgirio Arena on Wednesday and welcomes Dubai in Turkcell Basketball Development Center on Friday.
However, the next team outing is at the domestic level, in Round 11 of the BSL Regular Season, with a meeting opposite fellow EuroLeague participant Fenerbahce Beko in Ulker Sports Arena on Sunday. At 6-4, the distance from top-ranked Besiktas Gain is four games.