Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez has spent more than three decades on Spanish benches, at Joventut, Manresa, Valencia, Gran Canaria and more. Over 1,100 games.

He won the 2017 Spanish league with Valencia and had another outstanding Valencia season in 2025-26. Then, at 65, Real Madrid came calling for 2026.

For most of his career he did his best work at smaller clubs, dragging modest rosters past richer ones. Real Madrid, at 65, is both reward and anomaly: for once he has more talent than the bench across from him.

For decades he was the best coach without a superstar roster, the man who made Manresa and Valencia punch far above their budget. Madrid is the late-career twist, the one time the talent finally matches the mind.

One of the least theatrical coaches at this level. Intelligent, observant, patient, and completely comfortable with himself. He does not need to prove he is the smartest man in the room.

His reputation is getting more out of players than their names suggest. It is built on trust and pragmatism.

He speaks with total honesty, to players and press alike, and holds everyone to the same standard regardless of name or salary. It is not always comfortable, but it is consistent, and players come to trust it.

His core belief is team basketball over star dependency. He has argued plainly that even a great scorer cannot win consistently unless he lifts his teammates.

His teams move the ball, share the load, and space the floor smartly rather than forcing everything through one player. On defense he is pragmatic, changing schemes to fit the personnel. His gift is squeezing efficiency out of imperfect pieces, which will be fascinating at Madrid, where the talent is much higher.

His teams sprint after makes and misses alike, hunt early threes, and keep defenses backpedaling. On the other end he leans on ball-screen traps and quick rotations to knock opponents off rhythm. Few benches in Europe play this fast under a coach this experienced.