2012-13

Valencia Basket started the season with the same players and coaches that had won the Eurocup runner-up spot and the Endesa League semifinals the previous season. However, with two important departures, those of Víctor Claver and Nando de Colo, who would make the jump to the best league in the world, the NBA. As compared to the previous year, Stefan Markovic and Rodrigo San Miguel at point guard, Rafa Martínez at shooting guard, Flo Pietrus at power forward and Serhiy Lishchuk and Vitor Faverani at the center position will continue.

The team would be joined by Catalan shooting guard Pau Ribas from Caja Laboral, American/Polish forward Thomas Kelati from Khimki in his second stint with the Taronja club, American outside Clay Tucker (who would not make his debut), American power forward Justin Doellman from Manresa and Montenegrin inside Bojan Dubljevic from KK Buducnost. Just before the start of the season, Serbian Marko Keselj would fill the vacancy left by Tucker. All under the orders of Velimir Perasovic in his second season at the club.

The first official date of the season would take place in Zaragoza with the Supercopa Endesa, in the second participation taronja in this competition in its history. Valencia Basket could not overcome Barça Regal in the semifinals, and in addition to the defeat, they would bring back Kelati's knee injury. This setback, which lasted two months, allowed the arrival of Lithuanian Mindaugas Lukauskis and then American Chris Quinn for a month.

Valencia Basket had a magnificent first half of the Endesa League, and was among the seeded teams for the Copa del Rey in Vitoria. On the way, the arrival of Frenchman Joffrey Lauvergne in the face of injuries in the inside game, and who in one month helped win, for example, in Manresa with a last-second three-pointer. Or the French Mickaël Gelabale at small forward, in a brief stay before heading to the NBA.

The Copa del Rey was a high point. Victories over Asefa Estudiantes in the quarterfinals and Herbalife Gran Canaria in the semifinals allowed Valencia Basket to reach its fourth final. However, Barça Regal was better in the deciding game, leaving the taronja just one game away from reediting the Copa del Rey title won in 1998. More than 500 Taronja enjoyed themselves in the stands.

In Europe, a solid participation in the first phase of the Eurocup led to a very tough Last16 with VEF Riga, CEZ Nymburk and Uxue Bilbao Basket. The Bilbao team took the first place in the group, and the Taronja team got the second place after a heroic victory in Riga in the 5th game, only 40 hours after playing the Cup final in Vitoria, playing 4 games in less than 5 days.

The quarterfinals would cross the Taronja with the Russian Unics Kazan with home court factor against them. A millionaire team that had in its ranks players like Chuck Eidson or Terrell Lyday. The Taronja team achieved a +10 in the first leg that they were able to defend in Russia. In the semifinals, again a Russian team and again without home court factor. This time, Lokomotiv Kuban was superior, winning by 10 points in the Fonteta. In the second leg, to the sound of #NoEnsRendim, the Taronja team was very close to turn the tie around, winning in the end by only 5 points in a game where Justin Doellman, Flo Pietrus and Serhiy Lishchuk were injured, joining Vitor Faverani.

The concatenation of interior injuries forced the club to return to the market. Polish center Adam Hrycaniuk and American/Irish power forward Will Hanley were added. Their quick adaptation to the group contributed to maintaining the good line, with meritorious victories such as against Real Madrid. Shortly after, Jason Robinson arrived to fill the hole at small forward left by Keselj. Valencia Basket continued with the good line in the Endesa League as they recovered the injured players, achieving another historic fourth place in the Regular League, fourth consecutive year in the top 4.

Once in the Playoff, the taronja took on the newcomers, CAI Zaragoza, winning comfortably in the first game at the Fonteta. A spectacular game of 3 overtimes in the second one tipped the balance towards CAI by a scandalous 122-120. In the third game at the Fonteta, the visitors played with a bad day for Valencia Basket, which ended the season with a bitter and unexpected aftertaste.