The History

The most successfull Croatian basketball club Cibona was founded in 1946 as Sloboda. But in the next cuople of years the club changed the name for many times, form Sloboda to SD Zagreb, Vihod, Polet to finally come to the name Lokomotiva which has been in use for the next 25 years.

It was November 1975 when the basketball part of the club split with the Sport's society Lokomotiva, going its own way as a club under the name Cibona what on the Latin means 'good food'. Namely, four gigants from the food industry, Kraš, Franck, Badel and Voće, joined under that name and became main sponsors of teh club.

Cibona has been playing in the Ex-Yugoslavian First Division in every season since 1951 with the only exceptions coming in 1951 and 1960. The true golden period of the club has begun already with the new name but the peak of Cibona's success came in the time between 1980 and 1987, the same year Zagreb hosted the World's Student Games. The inauguration of the new Hall followed that year on June the 30th 1987.

Cibona played its first European Game in the new Hall on October the 14th 1987 in Radivoj Korać Cup, meeting Kotkan from Finland. many still remember that game by Dražen Petrović who scored 62 points, the most in the history of Cibona since it has been playing in European Cups. Another famous player also member of Hall of Fame was playing for Cibona during that golden period, Krešimir Čosić, who also proved himself as a coach and in diplomacy latter. In those euforic seven years Cibona won no less then 14 titles together with its two prestigious ones, the title of teh European Champion in 1985 and 1986. Cibona's Sport's Hall is carrying the name of Dražen Petrović since October the 4th 1993.

Cibona has been taking part in European Club's competitions since 1977 with the only pause coming in the season 1989(90. It is also the only club which took part in all editions of the strongest European League since 1991/92. What people in the club aremostly proud of is the trophy from the ULEB Opening Tournament in Ljubljana 2001, so called unofficial Championship of six best teams in Europe.

Looking through numbers, Cibona participated in European competitions for 16 years, it has six seasons in Cup Winners Cup and seven seasons in Radivoj Korać Cup. Counting all the previous 28 seasons, the club played 364 official games until the beginning of this season, winning 210 of themand being defeated at 153 occaions. Only one game ended without the winner.

TROPHIES:

• Cup of European Champions (2): 1985, 1986.
• Cup Winners Cup (2): 1982, 1987
• Cup Radivoj Korać (1): 1972
• Croatian National Championship (11): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2002.
• Yugoslavian National Championship: (3): 1982, 1984, 1985.
• Croatian National Cup (5): 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002.
• Yugoslavian National Cup (8): 1969, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988.
• ULEB Opening Tournament (1): 2001