CB Estudiantes

Club Baloncesto Estudiantes, S.A.D.,^[1] (English: Club Basketball Students) known simply as Estu and as Movistar Estudiantes for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball team based in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is a member of the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto (ACB). Founded in 1948, it is one of the most recognized basketball teams in Spain.

Some of its achievements include winning three Spanish Cups and reaching the ACB Finals in 2004. Playing on the courts of said Institute, with a large number of teams of all categories from children to juniors, the club's youth academy has produced many great players and coaches of Spanish basketball throughout its history, such as Alberto Herreros, Nacho Azofra, Aíto García Reneses, José Miguel Antúnez, Jesús Codina, José Sagi-Vela, Gonzalo Sagi-Vela, Fernando Martín, Alfonso Reyes, Felipe Reyes, Carlos Jiménez, Fran Guerra, Sergio Rodríguez, Iñaki de Miguel, Javier Beirán, Pepu Hernández, Carlos Suárez, Darío Brizuela, Jaime Fernández, Daniel Clark, Jayson Granger, Sebas Saiz or Juancho Hernangómez.

The club Estudiantes was founded in April 1948 by a group of students (the "Estudiantes") of a public preparatory school (the Instituto Ramiro de Maeztu, IRM) in Madrid to form a team to practice sport during the school recesses. Mr. Antonio Magariños, Professor of Latin and head of studies of the high school, was the first president of the club. It held the position until 1964. From 1949 it has played in the maximum category of the Spanish basketball.

By the time when the first Spanish-wide season-long championship was organized in 1955, by the Spanish Basketball Association (FEB), it was one of the six clubs participating in that tournament, as the second best team from the Province of Madrid (the first being Real Madrid). Until 2021, it had always participated in the premier Spanish basketball league along with Real Madrid and Joventut. It was also one of two only Spanish basketball clubs with teams both at the top male and female Spanish championships.

In May 1963, Estudiantes won their first trophy, the Spanish Cup, against Real Madrid. In April 1986, after several decades without sporting success, Estudiantes won their first Copa Príncipe de Asturias against Granollers, led by the American forward David Russell. The 1990s and 2000s would be the golden age of the college club. While competing every year in ACB and European competitions, he achieved success and won trophies. In April 1992, a month after winning his second Spanish Cup against CAI Zaragoza, Estudiantes reached the 1992 EuroLeague Final Four in Istanbul, finishing in 4th place. It was his Annus mirabilis. In March 1999, the team played his only European final, in the 1998–99 Korać Cup, by defeated by FC Barcelona. In January 2000, Estu won his third Spanish Cup against Valencia, the last one until today. In the 2003–04 ACB season, it reached the Spanish ACB League finals, where they could not win against FC Barcelona.

In May 2012, after several irregular seasons, marked by a bad economic situation, Estudiantes was relegated for the first time in its history from the top tier of Spanish basketball, but remained in the league because LEB Oro champion CB 1939 Canarias didn't present the required documentation and money.^[2] In May 2016, again, the team was relegated, but remained in the ACB because champion Palencia Baloncesto didn't present the required documentation and money. The club's irregular sporting situation could have been resolved with more efficient management, but finally, after several relatively stable years, the team's relegation was completed during the coronavirus pandemic in May 2021. Since then, Estu remains in LEB Oro, fighting for promotion back to the ACB and gradually resolving its financial situation. Even so, during this negative period, Estudiantes has managed to expand their trophy collection, winning the Copa Princesa de Asturias twice more against Granada (2022) and Básquet Coruña (2024). In January 2026, Estudiantes added to its list of achievements once again, winning the newly created competition, the Spain Cup, against Palencia Baloncesto, the host team of the Final Four.

• Non-commercial logo
• Movistar sponsorship logo (2014–present)

Along the years CB Estudiantes has had several sponsorship names:

• La Nevera (The IRM Arena): (1948–71)
• Polideportivo Antonio Magariños: (1971–87)
• Palacio Vistalegre: (2001–2005)
• Madrid Arena: (2005–2010)
• Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid: (1987–2001, 2010–present)^[3]

• Polideportivo Antonio Magariños, where currently play the women's and the youth teams of the club.
• Internal view of Movistar Arena, the current home arena of the club since 2010.
• Estudiantes time out during a game versus Valencia Basket in November 2005.
• 2010–11 season players (from left to right): Nik Caner-Medley, Jiří Welsch, Albert Oliver, Germán Gabriel, Sergio Sánchez, Josh Asselin, Marc Blanch, Yannick Driesen, Jayson Granger, Daniel Clark, Tyrone Ellis, Pancho Jasen, Jaime Fernández.

Estudiantes has a rivalry with Real Madrid. Both teams meet in the Madrid basketball derby (Spanish: Derbi madrileño). Since 2011, both teams currently share their home arena, the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid. Until 2021, Estudiantes and Real Madrid, along with Joventut, were the only teams that had played all the seasons in the top tier. However, Estudiantes was relegated to LEB Oro after finishing 18th in the 2020–21 ACB season.

• Antonio Díaz-Miguel, F, 1950–1952, 1953–1958, Inducted 1997

• Liga ACB

Runners-up (4): 1962–63, 1967–68, 1980–81, 2003–04

• Copa del Rey de Baloncesto (Spanish King's Cup)

Winners (3): 1963, 1992, 2000

Runners-up (4): 1962, 1973, 1975, 1991

• Spain Cup

Winners (1): 2025–26

• Copa Princesa de Asturias (Spanish Princess' Cup) (defunct)

Winners (3): 1986, 2022, 2024

• EuroLeague

4th place (1): 1991–92

Final Four (1): 1992

• FIBA Saporta Cup (defunct)

Semifinalists (2): 1973–74, 1975–76

• FIBA Korać Cup (defunct)

Runners-up (1): 1998–99

• EuroCup Basketball

Semifinalists (2): 2002–03, 2003–04

• FIBA EuroChallenge (defunct)

4th place (1): 2006–07

Final Four (1): 2007

• FIBA International Christmas Tournament (defunct)

Winners (1):1992

4th place (4): 1972, 1974, 1975, 1993

• Torneo Comunidad de Madrid (defunct)

Winners (8): 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003

• Albacete, Spain Invitational Game

Winners (1): 2014

• Torneo Ciudad de Getafe

Winners (1): 2019

The Gold and Diamond Badge of Club Estudiantes^[4] is the highest honor bestowed by the sports organization. It is characterized as a piece of jewelry that represents the club's shield in gold, adorned with diamonds, symbolizing excellence, commitment and a long association with the entity. It is an exclusive symbol awarded to people who have made an exceptional contribution to its history, values or functioning, including presidents, historical players or important people for their career and institutional or social support. Currently, fifteen people have received the distinction in the club's more than 75-year history:

Presidets of the club

• José Hermida (1964–1971)
• Pedro Dellmans (1971–1983)
• Juan Francisco Moneo (1983–1998)
• Alejandro González Varona (1998–2004)
• Juan Francisco García (2004–2005, 2008–2014)

Institutional

• Francisco González, chairman of Argentaria
• Alberto Toledano, CEO and managing director of Asefa
• César Alierta, CEO and chairman of Telefónica
• Luis Miguel Gilpérez, chairman of Telefónica

Sports

• Juan Antonio Martínez Arroyo, player (1961–1975)
• José Sagi-Vela, player (1963–1969, 1974–1977)
• John Pinone, player (1984–1993)
• Pepu Hernández, head coach (1994–2001, 2001–2005, 2011–2012)

Social

• Manolo Cavido, prop man and team manager
• Petra Guzmán, prop woman, waitress and cleaning woman of the Instituto Ramiro de Maeztu

CB Estudiantes has also a women's team which was founded in 1989 and played during several seasons in Liga Femenina, the Spanish women's basketball top tier.^[5] It currently plays in Liga Femenina.

^[6]

• Official website (in Spanish)