By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
Since 1958 the best clubs in Europe are facing each other in order to define who is the best. Despite the fact that a total of 61 seasons have passed since then, in total, just 21 clubs have won the ultimate crown.
The teams were led by 30 different coaches. And those coaches have their origin in just 11 countries. It’s time for a history lesson, even if the current generation of coaches have very few things to be jealous of the past legends.
12. Lithuania (1 trophy)
| Position | Name | Trophies | Season/ Teams |
| 1 | Jonas Kazlauskas | 1 | 1998-99/ Zalgiris Kaunas |
Jonas Kazlauskas remains the only Lithuanian coach who won the EuroLeague and he did it with a team that played uptempo when it was out of fashion in Europe.
Everyone remembers the superb performance of Zalgiris Kaunas in 1999 Final Four and Kazlauskas became overnight a coaching sensation. While he didn’t have the same success in other clubs, he became one of the most trusted national team coaches around the world.
He sat on the bench of Lithuania, Greece, and China during the Yao Ming era.
11. Armenia (1 trophy)
| Position | Name | Trophies | Season/ Teams |
| 1 | Armenak Alajajian | 1 | 1968-1969/ CSKA Moscow |
At the time, Armenia was part of the Soviet Union. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Armenak Alajajian made history by becoming the first former European champion as a player who also won the trophy as a head coach.
Born in 1930, he passed away on December 4, 2017. Armenak Alajajian was four-time European champion, winner of the European Championship Cup both as a player and as a coach, Silver Medalist of the 18th Olympic Games in Tokyo (1964), eight-time Champion of USSR, Honourary Master of Sport of the USSR and Honourary Coach of Russia.
He was a star virtuoso playmaker of his time. Mr. Alajajian was honored for his outstanding philanthropy in support of Armenian and Canadian causes. He also established an Alajajian Cup for basketball championships in Moscow and Yerevan.