The Meteoric Rise of The Roca Team

The Monegasque basketball team is breaking record after record, putting them back in the spotlight in recent years, including a EuroCup win for the Roca Team in 2021. In 2023, they won the French championship for the first time in their history, and also won the EuroLeague third-place game, finishing third in Europe.

The history of basketball in Monaco dates back to 1928, with the creation of the first AS Monaco basketball club. As early as 1950, Monegasque basketball players were winning their first titles, including a runners-up spot in France’s Nationale 1 (today’s Jeep Elite).

From 2016 to 2018, the Monegasque team finished first in the Pro A regular season. At the same time, they achieved the remarkable triumph of winning the Leaders Cup three times in a row on the court of the Disneyland Paris Arena, a rare hat trick in this event.

Runners-up in France in 2018, 2019 and 2022, the Roca Team moved up a gear for the 2022-2023 season, claiming their first-ever title as Saša Obradović’s squad beat Boulogne’s Metropolitans 92 in the final. This victory validates the club’s strategy of bringing in seasoned players such as Elie Okobo, Jordan Loyd, John Brown, and Mike James alongside captain Yakuba Ouattara.

At home, the Roca team plays at the Salle Gaston-Médecin in the Stade Louis II. In 2022, to meet EuroLeague standards, the Monegasque government renovated this public facility in record time to accommodate 5,000 spectators.