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sep 18 2026No host has ever won the Supercopa Endesa. And Joventut has never advanced past a semifinal since the tournament switched from single-game format: three attempts, three eliminations. Penya hosts the competition for the first time and kicks off this Saturday at 6:00 PM at Palau Olímpic de Badalona with that double curse working against them.
Penya, with seven new faces
The team arrives in the midst of a rebuild. Dani Miret directs from the bench and Ricky Rubio leads on court, in a roster that has incorporated seven players, with the return of Nico Laprovittola as the most notable name.
The absence is significant: Ante Tomic, whose injury left a gap in the frontcourt and partly motivated the arrival of Eli John Ndiaye, loaned by Real Madrid last week.
The club is chasing a title it hasn't won in forty years, after being finalists on three occasions between 1985 and 1987.
Baskonia, Copa del Rey champions and in the draw
Facing them is the defending Copa del Rey champion, won in Valencia with Trent Forrest as MVP, although Forrest himself is no longer on the team: he left this summer for Fenerbahce.
The other major departure is Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, the leading scorer from last season's Liga Endesa and who is now performing as Real Madrid's best player in the Abu Dhabi SuperCup.
In exchange, six signings, with Chris Duarte as the offensive reference—22 points in the last friendly against Bilbao—and AJ Lawson, a Canadian with NBA experience, as the highest-profile acquisition.
The team travels without Alex Len due to physical discomfort, which compounds a problem that has plagued the entire offseason: the unresolved frontcourt following Khalifa Diop's departure to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the EncestaRías final, they already finished a game without centers due to fouls, and in the Euskal Kopa they came up short there again.
They haven't played in the Supercopa since 2020 and are seeking a trophy they haven't won since their golden era, with four consecutive titles between 2005 and 2008.
The most recent precedent
The two already faced off in the 2026 playoff quarterfinals, with Joventut winning 2-1 in the series (85-71, 63-82, 88-96).
Tournament framework
Badalona debuts as host in the twenty-seventh edition of the Supercopa, which awards the first official title of the season in Spain. The other semifinal features Valencia Basket and Barcelona on the same Saturday at 9:00 PM, and the final is played Sunday at 7:00 PM. All games are broadcast on DAZN.
There are two striking facts at the start. Real Madrid, the most decorated club in the tournament's history, is absent for the first time in eighteen years. And all four head coaches are making their debut in this competition.
As for expectations, the Bracket ACB ranks Valencia Basket as the favorite at 40.5 percent of users, followed by Barcelona (36.4), Joventut (16.8), and Baskonia (6.4).
