Ettore Messina

Ettore Messina (born 30 September 1959 in Catania, Italy) is one of the most successful and respected coaches in European basketball history. He began coaching in the late 1970s and went on to lead top European clubs including Virtus Bologna, Benetton Treviso, CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid, and Olimpia Milano. Messina has won four EuroLeague championships (two with Virtus Bologna and two with CSKA Moscow) and multiple domestic titles in Italy and Russia, along with numerous national cups and supercups. He also coached the Italian national team, earning a silver medal at EuroBasket 1997. Messina spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich and is widely regarded as one of Europe’s greatest basketball minds, with multiple Coach of the Year honors and inclusion among the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. Late in his career he transitioned to a management role at Olimpia Milano after a long and decorated coaching tenure.