{"id":27159,"date":"2026-05-21T02:58:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T02:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/27159\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T02:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T02:58:32","slug":"sergio-scariolo-and-pedro-martinez-a-rivalry-that-has-lasted-36-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/27159\/","title":{"rendered":"Sergio Scariolo and Pedro Martinez – a rivalry that has lasted 36 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes basketball creates perfect circles. Sergio Scariolo and Pedro Martinez know this better than most, as they prepare to meet again in a EuroLeague<\/a> Final Four, 36 years after their first encounter, when both were 28-year-old coaches just beginning to break into the European elite.<\/p>\n

Back in 1990, they faced each other in the Radivoj Korac Cup final, with Scariolo leading Scavolini Pesaro and Martinez on the bench of Joventut Badalona.<\/p>\n

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Today, they arrive in Athens as established names in European basketball, both widely respected as benchmarks of modern coaching.<\/p>\n

Aleksa Avramovic on the EuroLeague Final Four: I think Olympiacos will win the title this year<\/a><\/p>\n

That first final went to Martinez. His Joventut side won 99-98 in Pesaro and later sealed the title in the return leg in Badalona, 96-86. Martinez had only recently taken over the team after the dismissal of Herb Brown, stepping into the role almost unexpectedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was an assistant\u2026 Brown was fired and I was passing by,\u201d Martinez once said on the EuroLeague & Friends podcast<\/a>, reflecting on the moment that changed his career.<\/p>\n

At the time, Scariolo was in his first season as a head coach. With Valerio Bianchini having moved to Virtus Roma, the young Italian was handed the responsibility of leading Scavolini, a team featuring players such as Magnifico, Costa, Gracis, Daye, and Cook. He was still not even 29 years old when that final took place.<\/p>\n

Today, the two coaches meet again as friends and respected rivals. Scariolo, now leading Real Madrid, has often spoken about that historic final.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have commented on that final a few times\u2026 it was the first time we faced each other, and we remember it with respect and in a friendly way,\u201d Scariolo said.<\/p>\n

\"Basketball<\/p>\n

Martinez, meanwhile, has acknowledged that Scariolo was already \u201cmuch more experienced\u201d at the time, emphasizing how rare it is for two coaches under 30 to meet in a European final.<\/p>\n

Longevity has defined both of their careers. Martinez has highlighted how difficult it is to reach and remain at the highest level for decades, while Scariolo continues to build a legacy that spans generations of players and teams.<\/p>\n

Dimitris Diamantidis: Do you know what was Zeljko Obradovic\u2019s magic?<\/a><\/p>\n

In 1991, Scariolo reached his first Final Four with Scavolini, finishing fourth after losing in the semifinal to Jugoplastika. In 2007, he returned to the same stage with Unicaja, again in Athens. Now, more than three decades later, he is still chasing his first EuroLeague title as a head coach.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Real Madrid and Valencia Basket will meet in the semifinals in Athens. On the court, there will be players who were not even born in 1990. Only Sergio Llull had already been born at that time, though he was just a toddler.<\/p>\n

But beyond the game itself, the story is about continuity. About two coaches whose careers have stretched across eras, now meeting again on basketball\u2019s biggest stage. A semifinal, yes, but also a journey through time.<\/p>\n

\"Valencia\"<\/p>\n

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