The Government grants Sergio Scariolo the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit

• The Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday the granting of the highest distinction of the Government of Spain in sports matters to Sergio Scariolo, former national basketball coach.

• With him at the head of the Spanish team, ‘La Familia’ has starred in one of the brightest stages in its history, with four victories and a bronze in the Eurobasket, a world gold and an Olympic silver and bronze.

• This recognition also highlights his role in the renewal of the Spanish basketball model, characterized by a team mentality, the promotion of young talent and the generational transition.

Madrid, September 9, 2025.- The Council of Ministers, on the proposal of the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, awarded this Tuesday the Great Cross of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit to Sergio Scariolo.

With the highest distinction granted by the Government of Spain in sports matters, the work of the Italian coach during the fifteen years in which he has led the Spanish basketball team, in one of the most brilliant stages of its history, as well as his role in the construction of a model of success from the base to the elite.

Sergio Scariolo (Brescia, 1961) debuted at the head of the Spanish national team in 2009. That same year he won the first Eurobasket together with the ‘Golden Generation’, led by Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro. The continental victories were repeated three times: in 2011, in 2015 and in 2022.

These four European golds are joined under his leadership by bronze at the 2017 Eurobasket, gold at the 2019 World Championship and Olympic silver and bronze at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games.

This list makes him the most successful basketball coach in our history, with eight of the team’s twenty total podiums in the World Cup, European and Olympic Games, and five of the six golds harvested.

His legacy as one of the most important and influential figures in world basketball is not limited to the medals achieved, but also the philosophy of work and the structuring of a sustainable success model that has transformed the identity of Spanish basketball, from the base to the elite.

Under his leadership, group cohesion, mental resilience and talent development have been prioritized over individual brilliance. Scariolo has been able to manage the progressive withdrawal of legends and lead a deep and successful generational transition, betting on young players and generating quarry. During their career at the head of the national team, which ended after fifteen years, 64 new players have debuted in official or friendly matches. 28 of them came to play at least one big tournament.

Beyond the court, Sergio Scariolo has also materialized his social commitment through the Césare Scariolo Foundation (FCS), created in memory of his father and dedicated to the support of minors and families facing cancer.

With the award of the Gran Cruz de la Real Orden del Mérito Deportivo to Scariolo, the Government of Spain intends to highlight its work of excellence at the head of the Spanish basketball team, which has led it to achieve its greatest successes; its commitment to Spanish sport being Italian, which clearly reflects its commitment to our country; and its trajectory of exemplification, international recognition and transcendence.

For Minister Pilar Alegría, this recognition is “the golden brooch to an impeccable trajectory, both on and off the court, that has led our basketball to the top of universal sport, maintaining above all humanity, humility and team feeling”.

“‘La Familia’ is not just a way to call the team; it is a declaration of intentions, a unique way to understand the link between the coach and the players, a formula of success that has given us and will continue to give us great joys in the future”, says the minister, who highlights “the incalculable legacy that Scariolo leaves in our basketball and in the international projection of Spain”.

Sergio Scariolo, the first non-nationalized foreigner to receive the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit, joins his name to a list that includes personalities such as Pau Gasol, Rafael Nadal, Blanca Fernández-Ochoa, Andrés Iniesta, Teresa Perales, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Carlos Sáinz or Miguel Induráin, among others.