Pedro Martínez named EuroLeague Coach of the Year after leading Valencia to 2nd place
The Valencia Basket head coach was rewarded after a brilliant regular season, finishing in 2nd place (25 wins, 13 losses) with the best offense in the competition.
Photo credit: EuroLeague
Pedro Martínez has earned the most prestigious individual reward of his season. The Valencia coach received the Alexander Gomelskiy trophy for EuroLeague Coach of the Year, after guiding the Spanish club through an exceptional 2025-2026 campaign. The coach led Valencia to 2nd place in the regular season, securing home-court advantage in the playoffs.
This marks a historic first for the Valencia club: never before had a Valencia coach won this distinction. Pedro Martínez also becomes the fourth Spanish coach to be honored, following Xavi Pascual, Pablo Laso, and Chus Mateo.
A remarkable transformation after early struggles
His achievement is all the more impressive given that Valencia was returning to EuroLeague after a season’s absence. Despite limited experience as a head coach in the competition, with only 41 games before this season, Pedro Martínez successfully established his team among Europe’s elite.
After a mixed start with 2 wins and 3 losses, Valencia quickly transformed. The club notably went on an eight-win streak in nine games starting from late November, with impressive victories on the road against Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and Red Star Belgrade.
Pedro Martínez is the 2025–26 Alexander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year 🏆
The @valenciabasket head coach guided his team to an impressive 25–13 record in their first season back in the EuroLeague 👏
The first coach to claim both EuroLeague & EuroCup Coach of the Year honors!… pic.twitter.com/cTdRsJRGnG
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) April 21, 2026
The Alexander Gomelskiy trophy holds particular significance as the voting is conducted by EuroLeague coaches themselves. Pedro Martínez was chosen by his peers, finishing ahead of Tomas Masiulis from Zalgiris Kaunas. Georgios Bartzokas from Olympiacos took third place, just ahead of defending champion Sarunas Jasikevicius, who won in 2024-2025 with Fenerbahçe.
In total, 13 coaches received votes, demonstrating both the competitive depth of the season and the widespread respect for Valencia‘s performances under Martínez’s guidance.
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