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jun 12 2026Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade has officially announced the arrival of Ibon Navarro as new head coach. The 50-year-old Spanish coach lands in Belgrade after closing a historic chapter at Unicaja Málaga, where he transformed the Andalusian club into one of the most solid and successful projects in recent European basketball.
Navarro arrived at Unicaja in February 2022 and, since then, has won seven titles in three complete seasons. His first major success was the 2023 Copa del Rey, before delivering a historic 2024 with the Basketball Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup. In 2025, he lifted the Copa del Rey again, along with repeating titles in the BCL and the Intercontinental Cup.
The Vitoria-born coach will now face his first experience as head coach outside the Liga Endesa. In Belgrade, he will reunite with Tyson Carter, a player he coached for three seasons in Málaga, and will return to the EuroLeague as head coach for the first time since his stint at Baskonia during the 2014-15 season.
Before his brilliant cycle at Unicaja, Navarro also coached BAXI Manresa, UCAM Murcia, and MoraBanc Andorra, a club with which he reached the EuroCup semifinals in 2019. Additionally, he spent much of his career as an assistant coach at Baskonia, Valencia Basket, Menorca, and Tenerife, as well as with the Puerto Rico national team.
With his arrival, Crvena Zvezda brings in a coach with extensive experience, accustomed to building competitive teams and with a recent track record marked by titles. His challenge will be to transfer that winning momentum to a project that will seek to take a step forward in the upcoming EuroLeague.
