Pedro Martínez has been recognized with the Alexander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year award for 2025-26 after an outstanding season leading Valencia Basket. The Spanish head coach guided the orange squad to a 25-13 record, finishing the regular season in second place and securing home-court advantage in the playoffs.
In his first full season in the EuroLeague, Martínez was the most voted coach by his own peers in the competition, who are responsible for deciding the winner of this prestigious award. The recognition rewards a season in which Valencia established itself as one of the great revelations of the year and as one of the most solid teams on the continent.
The Valencia squad not only finished among the best in the standings, but was also the most productive offense in the entire league, averaging 90.9 points per game. To this were added elite numbers in numerous statistical categories, confirming the offensive and competitive identity built by Martínez.
In the final voting, Tomas Masiulis of Zalgiris Kaunas finished in second place. Behind him came Georgios Bartzokas, head coach of Olympiacos Piraeus, and last year's winner, Sarunas Jasikevicius of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. In total, 13 coaches received votes.
The award is named after Alexander Gomelskiy, one of the great historical figures in European basketball. The legendary coach led ASK Riga to the first continental title in 1958 and added three more crowns between Riga and CSKA Moscow. He also won Olympic gold with the Soviet Union in 1988 and is considered one of the most influential coaches of all time.
For Valencia Basket this is a historic milestone, as no coach from the club had ever won this award before. Additionally, Pedro Martínez becomes the fourth Spanish-born head coach to achieve this recognition, joining Chus Mateo, Pablo Laso, and Xavi Pascual.
The season did not start easily. Valencia began with significant injury problems within the roster and an initial 2-3 record, but the team reacted quickly. From there it strung together a constant upward trajectory that allowed it to remain in top positions for much of the calendar.
One of the key moments came between November and December, when the orange squad won eight of nine games, including victories of enormous value on demanding courts such as those of Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Already in April, a flawless 4-0 finish catapulted the team to second place.
The numbers further reinforce the dimension of the work accomplished. Valencia finished with 12 victories by more than ten points, tied for the second-best record in the competition, and was the team with the best winning percentage in games decided by that margin. It also finished second in three-pointers made, rebounds, and blocks; third in assists and offensive rebounds; and fourth in steals.
Pedro Martínez thus becomes the fourteenth different coach to receive this award, historically reserved for coaches of enormous impact in the competition. A well-deserved recognition for an outstanding season and for a Valencia Basket that has rightfully earned its place among Europe's elite.