It was officially announced this Thursday that Sergio Scariolo would no longer be the head coach of Real Madrid after just one season on the bench.
Despite reaching the EuroLeague Final, the club’s management felt that a season without any trophies warranted a change of direction.
As a result, they decided to part ways with the Italian coach, who still had two years remaining on his contract, and appoint Pedro Martinez, who had just led Valencia to the Liga Endesa title.
Following the announcement of his departure, Sergio Scariolo took to social media to send a farewell message. While thanking the fans for their support, he emphasized that his tenure had fulfilled the objectives set by the club before he took over.
Sergio Scariolo: The time has come to say goodbye
— Sergio Scariolo (@sergioscariolo) July 2, 2026
“The time has come to say goodbye to the fans and thank them for all their support. We have already analyzed our shortcomings many times. I also want to thank the club for the trust they placed in me. From my very first day, I was told that the main objective was to restore Real Madrid to its rightful place among Europe’s elite.
Twelve months later, with both humility and pride, I can say that we achieved that goal. We reached the Final Four with a team devastated by injuries and under extremely difficult circumstances, and I will leave it at that. We came within a hair’s breadth of becoming European champions,” said Sergio Scariolo.
“Until the injury problems began, we were all convinced we were on the right path to winning the Liga Endesa title, based on the way we dominated the regular season for eight months.
I believe only once in more than thirty years of Liga Endesa history has a team secured first place in the regular season so early. That speaks for itself. My hope is that next season the team will have the bit of luck we lacked this year and finally win the EuroLeague title we came so close to claiming. A big hug to all Real Madrid fans.”
Sergio Scariolo is out at Real Madrid after a trophyless season 👋
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) July 2, 2026
Pedro Martinez expected to take over after a huge year with Valencia 🔥
Big reset in Madrid coming.https://t.co/Cw0wSrebEK
Now all that remains is for Pedro Martinez‘s departure from Valencia to become official, followed by the announcement of his appointment as the new head coach of Real Madrid. It is a move that has undoubtedly shaken Spanish basketball like few others in recent memory.
What’s next for Sergio Scariolo?
Following his departure from Real Madrid, one of the biggest questions of the summer is: Where will Sergio Scariolo continue his coaching career?
The Italian coach was dismissed despite leading Real Madrid to the EuroLeague Final, even though he still had two years remaining on his contract. According to reports from Spain, Real Madrid will have to pay him approximately €4 million in compensation, meaning Scariolo is under no immediate pressure to find a new job.
However, the EuroLeague coaching market is not completely settled yet.
During the 2025-26 season, half of the EuroLeague clubs changed their head coach, making another coaching change later in the year far from unlikely.
Why waiting might be Sergio Scariolo’s smartest decision?
During the 2025-26 season, 10 of the 20 EuroLeague clubs changed their head coach, highlighting just how active the coaching carousel has become in Europe’s premier basketball competition.
Since the season ended, most of the league’s biggest clubs have already filled their vacancies. Zeljko Obradovic has taken over Panathinaikos, Ibon Navarro has become the new head coach of Crvena Zvezda, Xavi Pascual left Barcelona to coach Dubai, Georgios Bartzokas has signed a new three-year contract with Olympiacos, while Pablo Laso is expected to remain in charge of Anadolu Efes.
As a result, the number of realistic destinations for Scariolo has become much smaller.
At the moment, the most intriguing opportunities are with clubs that have yet to finalize their coaching situation. Valencia will soon be looking for a new head coach after Pedro Martinez leaves to take over Real Madrid, while Barcelona has yet to announce a successor to Xavi Pascual, and no clear favorite has emerged publicly.
Meanwhile, Virtus has already appointed Alex Mumbru, removing another potential destination from the list.
That leaves an open question: will Sergio Scariolo find a new coaching job this summer, or will he wait for the right opportunity later in the season, when coaching changes have become almost routine across the EuroLeague?
It is also entirely possible that Scariolo decides to take a break.
Considering the financial compensation he is set to receive from Real Madrid, along with the fact that several EuroLeague clubs typically change coaches during every season, the Italian may choose to wait for the ideal opportunity rather than rush into his next job.
