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]
History
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] They began playing in "Rawshe", their first facility. In 1945, the Ministry of Interior gave permission to the club to join various sports leagues, including basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis and ping pong.
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 began dominiating the national basketball scene in the 1950s, winning nine out of ten Lebanese Basketball League seasons in the decade.
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]
Arenas and facilities
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 | |
Achievements
The following is a list of achievements the club has won.[10]
Domestic
- Lebanese Basketball League
- Winners (31): 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
- Lebanese Basketball Cup
- Winners (4): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2019
- Lebanese Basketball Supercup
- Winners (2): 2012, 2019
International
- Basketball Champions League Asia
- Arab Club Basketball Championship
- Winners (5): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010
- FIBA West Asia Super League
- WABA Champions Cup
Players
Retired numbers
| 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 | |
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Al Riyadi roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Updated: 5 January 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Elmedin Kikanović | Marwan Ziadeh | Ismail Ahmad |
| PF | Thon Maker | Bilal Tabbara | |
| SF | Hayk Gyokchyan | Zach Lofton | |
| SG | Karim Zeinoun | Amir Saoud | Mohamad Kraidly |
| PG | Wael Arakji | Ali Mansour |
See also
References
External links
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