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Lebanese basketball team From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Riyadi Club Beirut (Arabic: نادي الرياضي بيروت, lit. 'Sporting Club Beirut'), commonly known simply as Al Riyadi, is a multi-sports club team based in Manara, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 1934,[2] the multi-sports club, which is mainly known for their basketball program, also plays ping-pong, martial arts, and other sports.
| Al Riyadi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Nickname | دولة الرياضي[1] The Yellow Castle | |||
| Leagues | Lebanese Basketball League Basketball Champions League Asia | |||
| Founded | 1934 | |||
| History | Al Riyadi Club Beirut (1934–present) | |||
| Arena | Saeb Salam Arena | |||
| Capacity | 2,500 | |||
| Location | Manara, Beirut, Lebanon | |||
| Team colours | Yellow, White and Blue | |||
| President | Mazen Tabbara | |||
| Head coach | Ahmad Farran | |||
| Team captain | Amir Saoud | |||
| Championships | 3 Champions League Asia 1 West Asia Super League 4 WABA Champions Cup 5 Arab Club Championship 31 Lebanese League 4 Lebanese Cup 2 Lebanese Supercup | |||
| Retired numbers | 3 (10, 6, 4) | |||
| Website | riyadi.com | |||
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Al Riyadi is the most successful basketball team in Lebanese history, and one of the best in Asian basketball.[3][4] Competing in the Lebanese Basketball League, Al Riyadi is the most decorated Lebanese basketball club, with 31 league titles, a joint-record three Basketball Champions League Asia titles, and five Arab Club Championships. Nicknamed "the Yellow Castle", basketball team plays its home games at the Saeb Salam Arena.[4]
Al Riyadi Club was founded in 1934 by Hussein Sejaan, Hassan Ladki, Fouad Zantout, Youssef Shaker, Mustafa Shaker, Zouheir Yatim, Helmi Chehab, and Wafic Nsouli, who formed the first basketball team.[2]
The team played its first game against a foreign team in 1947, when Al Riyadi faced Turkish club Galatasaray, and lost the game 33–39. The game was attended by the first President of Lebanon Bechara El Khoury.[2]
Al Riyadi launched its first women's basketball team in 1965. The club built its own sports arena, the Saeb Salam Arena, in 1991, helped by former President Tammam Salam.[2]
In the 2023–24 season, Al Riyadi won its 31st league championship.[5] On 1 June 2024, they won their first FIBA West Asia Super League championship.[6] On June 15, Al Riyadi also won the 2024 Basketball Champions League Asia championship, their third Asian continental title.[7] As champions, they qualified directly for the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, as the first Lebanese team in history to do so.[8]
The Saeb Salam Arena was finished in 1991 and holds a capacity for 2,500 people.[9]
| Home arenas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arena | Tenure | |
| Rawshe | 1934–1947 | |
| Sanayeh | 1947–1954 | |
| Rawshe | 1954–1991 | |
| Saeb Salam Arena | 1991–present | |
The following is a list of achievements the club has won.[10]
| Al Riyadi retired numbers | ||||
| N° | Player | Position | Tenure | Ceremony date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Jean Abdelnour | SF | 2009–2023 | 13 December 2023[15] |
| 6 | Ali Mahmoud | PG | 2004–2016, 2017–2019 | |
| 10 | Ismail Ahmad | C | 2000–01, 2004–2017, 2018–20, 2022–present | |
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Al Riyadi roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 5 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Elmedin Kikanović | Marwan Ziadeh | Ismail Ahmad |
| PF | Thon Maker | Bilal Tabbara | |
| SF | Hayk Gyokchyan | Manny Harris | |
| SG | Karim Zeinoun | Amir Saoud | Mohamad Kraidly |
| PG | Wael Arakji | Ali Mansour |
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