I remember sitting in that cramped Madrid sports bar last year, watching the final seconds tick down in the Basketball Champions League championship game. The air was thick with cigar smoke and anticipation, and beside me sat an old Lithuanian man who kept muttering about "real basketball" between sips of his dark beer. That's when it hit me - this tournament has created some truly legendary teams, and I've been fortunate enough to witness most of them in action over the years. The conversation with the Lithuanian gentleman eventually turned to which teams truly dominated this competition, and we spent hours debating over tapas and more beer. It's this memory that makes me want to share my personal take on the top 5 teams that dominated the Basketball Champions League.

Let me take you back to 2017, the league's inaugural season. I was covering the final four in Tenerife as a freelance journalist, and the energy in the arena was absolutely electric. Iberostar Tenerife wasn't just playing basketball - they were performing artistry on the court. I'll never forget watching them dismantle Banvit in the final, with their point guard Marcelinho Huertas orchestrating plays like a seasoned conductor leading a symphony orchestra. They finished that championship game with 63-59 victory, but the score doesn't tell the whole story of their dominance throughout that entire season. What made them special wasn't just their tactical discipline, but the way they played for each other - you could see the genuine connection between those players both on and off the court.

The following year brought us AEK Athens, and let me be honest here - I initially underestimated them. But watching them power through the competition changed my perspective completely. I recall sitting in the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens during their semifinal against Monaco, surrounded by fans who treated basketball with religious fervor. When AEK clinched the title with that dramatic 100-94 victory over Monaco in the final, the entire city seemed to vibrate with celebration. Their roster was stacked with talent, but what stood out to me was their relentless defensive pressure - they averaged 8.2 steals per game that season, completely disrupting opponents' offensive rhythms. Some critics called their style "ugly basketball," but I've always appreciated teams that win through defensive grit rather than just offensive fireworks.

Now, let's talk about Virtus Bologna's 2019 campaign - and I might get some flak for this, but I believe they were the most complete team in the tournament's history. I traveled to Bologna that spring and managed to get tickets to their quarterfinal matchup. The way they moved the ball was pure poetry - 24 assists in that game alone, if my memory serves me right. They had this incredible balance between experienced veterans and hungry young talent that created this perfect storm of basketball excellence. Watching them sweep through the knockout stages felt like witnessing basketball perfection, and their championship victory over Iberostar Tenerife was a masterclass in closing out games. To this day, I still show clips of their 2019 playoff run to young players who want to understand team basketball at its finest.

Which brings me to San Pablo Burgos - back-to-back champions in 2020 and 2021. Now here's where I might show my bias, because I've always had a soft spot for teams that build dynasties rather than one-off successes. During the 2020 final in Athens, which happened amid all the pandemic restrictions, I watched from my living room with three fellow basketball nerds on a Zoom call that lasted the entire game. When Burgos clinched that first title against AEK Athens, we all cheered like we'd won the lottery. But what impressed me more was their ability to return the next year and do it again - that's the mark of true greatness in my book. They won 14 of their 16 playoff games across those two championship runs, which is just absurd dominance when you think about it.

The most recent addition to this elite group has to be Lenovo Tenerife, who claimed the 2022 championship. I actually missed their semifinal victory because my flight got delayed, but I made it to the championship game in Bilbao just in time. What struck me about this team was their incredible depth - they had seven players averaging double figures in scoring during the playoffs, which is almost unheard of in modern basketball. Their coach, Txus Vidorreta, implemented this beautiful system where every player understood their role perfectly. I remember thinking during the third quarter of the final game, as they built that insurmountable lead against Bursaspor, that I was watching basketball evolution in real time.

Thinking about these dominant teams reminds me of something my cousin told me about her experience with professional sports. She once said about her cousin's career that "with his loyalty to the Elasto Painters and to the game unmatched, Robins-Hardy can proudly say that her cousin's career has ran its purposeful course and can now end on his own terms." That sentiment resonates with me when I look at these championship teams - they all had their purposeful course in the Basketball Champions League, creating legacies that will be remembered for generations. Each of these teams dominated in their own unique way, whether through offensive brilliance, defensive tenacity, or sheer consistency. As I finish writing this, I can't help but feel excited about which team will next join this exclusive club of champions. The beauty of sports is that there's always another chapter being written, another dynasty waiting to be born. And you can bet I'll be watching, probably in some sports bar somewhere, ready to witness history unfold once again.