Sagesse Sports Club (French: Club Sportif de la Sagesse), known as Hekmeh in Arabic, is a Lebanese sports club founded in 1943 and is based in Beirut. The basketball team was established in 1992, as part of the Club Sagesse which was known mainly for its football (soccer) team, quickly becoming the leading branch of the club due to its fast rise and unprecedented success on national and international levels.
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History
Al-Hikma in classical Arabic, El-Hekmeh in Lebanese dialect stands for "wisdom", thus also the French alternative name of the club, Sagesse (meaning wisdom in French).
The Hekmeh club was founded in Beirut in 1943 under the patronage of late father Boulos Kik, supported by Mgr. Jean Maroun, with affiliation to the Collège de la Sagesse of the Maronite Catholic Church, a leading educational institution in Lebanon and the East.
The basketball program was founded in 1992, when the club was headed and financed by media tycoon also widely dubbed as the Godfather of Lebanese basketball, president Antoine Choueiri, he was elected president following the passing of president Henri El Asmar.
Choueiri wanted a team that will achieve success and popularity in a bid to change Lebanese sports history and unite Lebanese behind a successful team that will represent Lebanon and Lebanese basketball on a national and international level.
In 1992, Hekmeh/Sagesse added top Lebanese national basketball team players to its roster, such as Elie Mechantaf and Fadi El Khatib, who formed one of the greatest duos in Asian basketball history, African stars Assane N'diaye and Mohammed Acha, and other notable foreigners, being top ex-NBA players, FIBA Continental and World Cup participants, a calibre that was rarely seen in Lebanon and the region; They were managed by then national basketball team coach Ghassan Sarkis.
Sagesse won 8 Lebanese Basketball League Championships, 7 Lebanese Basketball Cups, 3 Arab Club Basketball Championships, and 3 FIBA Asia Champions Cup titles, building the foundation of success for Lebanese basketball in particular, and Lebanese sports in general.
Hekmeh became the first Lebanese club to win the Arab Club Basketball Championship and the first Lebanese and first Arab club to win the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.
In addition Sagesse were the first Asian club to win the Basketball Champions League Asia a record three times.
Sagesse are the only Arab and only Asian club to ever participate in the basketball club world championship, the McDonald's Championship organized by FIBA and the NBA, it was at the 1999 edition when Sagesse went as the Asian champions. The 1999 McDonald's Championship was the first and only time FIBA Asia was represented in the tournament.
This participation and the way Sagesse represented Asia at the Mcdonald's Championship in Milano was praised by then Commissioner of the NBA David Stern and by former Secretary General of the FIBA Borislav Stanković among other officials.
In 2012, Sagesse won a friendly game against Turkish & Euro Cup winners Galatasaray S.K. during a training camp that the club was holding in Turkey, where Sagesse played a series of games against Turkish first division teams, this was the most significant win for a Lebanese team against a European team in recent times.
Hekmeh are often present in international tournaments and camps, playing against a selection of the best clubs and national teams from different countries.
In the post Choueiri era, from 2005 onwards, which was the last year the team won an official championship, until 2026, the club struggled to find consistency at the administrative level despite the involvement of many businessmen and political figures, these involvements were seen as well as a possible reason for the club's struggles rather than being helpful gestures; and despite having the finances to build a good team the club was still struggling with debt; compared to the Choueiri era the club has achieved mediocre success with inconsistent overall form through the seasons in spite of reaching finals in different competitions.
In the 2019 election of the club's general assembly "Choueiry Group" top official Elie Yahchouchi was elected club president; he was Antoine Choueiri's vice president during the late tycoon's tenure at the club.
Also Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon H.E. Ghassan Hasbani was elected head of the board of trustees.
Many reforms, overhauls and investments have been made since
in addition to future plans that were announced in the club's team presentation ceremony ahead of the 2019/20 season.
In October 2023, a new administration has been elected led by the club's honorary president M.P. Jihad Pakradouni with Lawyer and Beirut City council member Ragheb Haddad as club president.
In September 2024, Sagesse Sports Club unveiled a new logo to mark a new era in the club's history. The announcement was made through a video shared on the team's Facebook and Instagram accounts.
In 2025, the club won the inaugural Lebanese Challenge Cup, and at the start of the 2026 season, Sagesse won the Arab Club Basketball Championship, their first major championship in over 20 years.
Rivalries
Beirut Derby
There is often a fierce rivalry between Club Sagesse and Riyadi is known as Beirut Derby. From the start of the national league the clubs were seen as successful representatives of two different sides in Lebanon and the two most successful and popular teams in the country.
Honours
Source:
Lebanese Basketball league
Champions (8): 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–1999, 1999–2000, 2000–2001, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04
Lebanese Basketball Cup
Champions (7): 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Lebanese Basketball Challenge Cup
Champions (1): 2025
FIBA Asia Champions Cup
Champions (3): 1999, 2000, 2004. (Record)
WABA Champions Cup
Champions (3): 2002, 2004, 2005
Finalists : 2006 (Shared second place with Saba Battery with no champion crowned that year)
Arab Club Basketball Championship
Champions (3) : 1998, 1999, 2026
International tournaments
1999 McDonald's Championship (Participant)
2001 Damascus International Championship (champions)
2002 Dubai International Tournament (champions)
2010: Damascus International Tournament (champions)
2012: Dubai International Tournament (champions)
Medals and decorations
National Order of the Cedar
Knight in 1999
Officer in 2000
Awarded to the club for its unprecedented success in the Lebanese, Arab and Asian basketball championships that highly contributed into the development and rise of the Lebanese basketball and sports in Lebanon on many levels.