BC Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgian: საკალათბურთო კლუბი "დინამო") is a professional basketball club that is based in Tbilisi, that plays in the Georgian Superliga. It is one of the oldest and most successful basketball clubs of Georgia and the former USSR, having won numerous national titles and the 1962 FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague). The club's traditional colors are blue and white.

BC Dinamo Tbilisi
BC Dinamo Tbilisi logo
LeaguesGeorgian Super Liga
Founded1934
ArenaTbilisi Sports Palace
Capacity10,000
LocationTbilisi, Georgia
Team colorsBlue, White
   
PresidentBuba Kvimsadze
OwnershipZaza Pachulia
Shio Khetsuriani
Championships1 EuroLeague
6 Georgian Championships
4 USSR Championships
3 USSR Cups
Websitebcdinamotbilisi.ge

History

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BC Dinamo was established in 1934 as the basketball division of the Dynamo Sports Society. During the 1950s and the 1960s, it was one of the leading teams of the USSR. During this period, the club won the Soviet League championships 4 times, the Soviet Cup 3 times, and finished in medal positions (top 3) of the league championship a further 8 times.

In 1960, Dinamo reached the final of the FIBA European Champions Cup (the predecessor of the current EuroLeague), where they were defeated by Rīgas ASK in 2 games. Two years later, they once again reached the final of this competition, and on that occasion, they were crowned as Europe's best team by defeating Real Madrid in a one-off game in Geneva. The club's coach at that time was the legendary Otar Korkia, who had earlier starred for the club as a player, and was voted as one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. Dinamo also reached the final of the FIBA Saporta Cup (FIBA's second-tier level competition) in 1969, where they were defeated by Slavia VŠ Praha.

Dinamo became the very first winners of the independent Georgian championships in 1991. In total, they have won 4 Superliga titles and one Georgian cup. Failure to attract major sponsorship saw the club struggle for a long spell in the 2000s. However, Bank of Georgia became the club patrons in 2011, President of the club was former National team captain Vakhtang Natsvlishvili which allowed the squad to be strengthened with foreign imports, and more ambitious targets to be established for the future. The success finally materialized in the 2013–14 season, with Dinamo making their first appearance in the play-off finals for over a decade, and winning the title in a convincing manner.

In October 2018, two-time NBA champion Zaza Pachulia and former basketball player Shio Khetsuriani purchased the team.[1]

BC Dinamo Tbilisi in international competitions

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Honours

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Domestic competitions

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Winners (4): 1949–50, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1967–68
Runners-up (4): 1947, 1960, 1961, 1969
Winners (3): 1949, 1950, 1969
Runners-up (2): 1953, 1973
Winners (6): 1990–91, 1991–92, 2002–03, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18
Runners-up (6): 1995–96, 1996–97, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2014–15, 2015–16
  • Georgian Cup
Winners (3): 2004, 2015, 2016

European competitions

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Winners (1): 1961–1962
Runners-up (1): 1959–1960
Semi-finalists (1): 1962–1963
Runners-up (1): 1968–69
Semi-finalists (1): 1969–70

Players

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Current roster

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BC Dinamo Tbilisi roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age
C 1   Sharabidze, Giorgi 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 34 – (1990-04-27)27 April 1990
SG 3   Crnić, Jovan 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 29 – (1994-11-29)29 November 1994
PG 4   Boyd, LaVell Lafrey 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 79 kg (174 lb) 30 – (1994-06-28)28 June 1994
PG 6   Grdzelidze, Levani 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 30 – (1994-04-14)14 April 1994
SG 7   Story, Malik 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 34 – (1990-02-02)2 February 1990
C 9   Londaridze, Ilia 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 87 kg (192 lb) 35 – (1989-09-15)15 September 1989
PF 10   Machaladze, Zurab 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 32 – (1992-08-15)15 August 1992
C 11   Turpin, Kiel 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 109 kg (240 lb) 35 – (1989-10-01)1 October 1989
SG 12   Patsatsia, Levan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 36 – (1988-09-27)27 September 1988
C 15   Revazashvili, Giorgi 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 33 – (1991-01-24)24 January 1991
PF 16   Gaćeša, Nikola 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 37 – (1987-09-20)20 September 1987
PF 17   Berishvili, Mikheil 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 37 – (1987-04-12)12 April 1987
PG 21   Gogodze, Nodar 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 30 – (1994-07-12)12 July 1994
Head coach

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  •   Injured

Head coaches

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References

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  1. ^ "საკალათბურთო კლუბი თბილისის "დინამო" ზაზა ფაჩულიამ და შიო ხეცურიანმა შეიძინეს". 1tv.ge.
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