Ibon Navarro's Farewell to Málaga

The Vitoria-born coach closes an unforgettable chapter in Málaga, having transformed a struggling team into a cohesive, recognizable, and winning unit. Seven titles, a style of basketball admired throughout Spain and Europe, with only one title left unconquered, the Liga Endesa. Club president Antonio Jesús López Nieto tried to convince him to stay on, but the coach's resolve was unwavering.

Ibon Navarro arrived in February 2022, when Unicaja was experiencing one of its darkest periods, a time when the bottom seemed in sight. He achieved seven titles in just over four years. Two Copa del Rey trophies, two Basketball Champions League titles, two FIBA Intercontinental Cups, and one Supercopa Endesa. This impressive record makes this period the most brilliant in the history of a club now approaching its 50th anniversary.

Ibon Navarro 's Unicaja Malaga has become a "competitive, courageous, physical, cohesive, recognizable, and deeply collaborative" team, in the words of journalist Nuria Mena. In total, Navarro departs with a record of 180 wins in 261 games coached, surpassing Plaza and Scariolo as the coach with the most victories in Unicaja's history. His decision comes after a particularly demanding season, in which the strain has been evident.