Ettore Messina's departure closes the chapter on the last EuroLeague head coach hired before 2020, marking the end of the competition's longest active tenure. Bartzokas now stands as the league's longest-serving coach, but even his run doesn't come close to Erik Spoelstra’s reign in Miami.
Ettore Messina's decision to step down marks a significant moment in the EuroLeague coaching landscape.
Messina was the last remaining head coach in the competition hired before 2020, having taken charge of Olimpia Milano on June 11, 2019.
His tenure lasted 2,359 days (6.5 years), making him the longest-serving active coach in the EuroLeague until his departure.
With Messina now gone, the title of longest-tenured head coach shifts to Georgios Bartzokas of Olympiacos.
Bartzokas, who returned to the Greek powerhouse on
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Donatas Urbonas
Donatas Urbonas is an award-winning Lithuanian basketball journalist, recognized as the best sports journalist in Lithuania in 2016 and the top basketball journalist in 2018. A Vilnius University journalism graduate, Urbonas has reported on major global sports events, including the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympics, FIBA World Cups, EuroBaskets, NBA Summer League, and NBA Draft.
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