88-790: Leicester Riders are a British professional basketball team and the oldest club in the British Basketball League (BBL). Riders compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB). Established in 1967, the club have played in various locations around Leicestershire before moving to their current purpose-built home venue, the Mattioli Arena , in 2016. The Loughborough All-Stars, as the Leicester Riders were originally known, were founded by students and lecturers at Loughborough University on 26 April 1967. They were founding members of
176-581: A franchise model where each member team is located within a separate franchise area. Most recently (in 2023/24), the League featured 10 member franchises from England and Scotland who jointly own the organisation and a chairman was elected by the teams to oversee operations. The League offices were located in Leicester where the country's oldest team, the Leicester Riders , is also based. The BBL sat above
264-534: A leap year , the date is 29 February. Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. To appear in this section a player must have either: Homegrown Naturalised British Rest of the World *Note: † Defunct club. *Note: This is a ranking of all BBL clubs titles won both throughout BBL history and including pre-BBL titles. *Note: Manchester Giants refers to
352-571: A round-robin group stage format used for the first round; however, the current competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random – there are no seeds , and a draw takes place after the majority of fixtures have been played in each round. As well as including all BBL member clubs, invited teams from the English Basketball League , and occasionally the Scottish Basketball League , often take part in
440-628: A 71–68 victory over Leicester at the National Exhibition Centre as the Final returned to a Birmingham venue after its two-year stint in London. The group stage returned to the original format of two Northern and two Southern groups from 1992 due to an increase in teams competing in the Carlsberg League . Thames Valley Tigers ' 91–84 victory in the 1993 Final against Guildford Kings (who were
528-582: A Conference format similar to the NBA was introduced, with clubs split North and South. The two Conference champions met in a Championship series to decide the champions for the next three years. A single division format returned in 2002 and five different franchises won the Championship title in the five years after that. The new millennium, however, also saw a series of setbacks for the BBL. The collapse of ITV Digital cost
616-578: A GB Futures player, Jamell Anderson, two Great Britain Under 20 men's internationals and two Great Britain Under 20 women's internationals, as well as a number of boys and girls in England Under age international teams. Membership in the club is expected to reach nearly 1,500 this season. The club's community programmes reach nearly 15,000 young people in the City and County. The Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders secured
704-443: A consortium which raised enough money to keep the side running. Then local business Jelson Homes stepped forward to sponsor the club and the appointment of general manager Russell Levenston began a turning point for the club. Part of the sponsorship deal with Jelson Homes was to ensure the future of the club by investing in 'basketball in the community' schemes, providing the youth of Leicester with basketball coaching programmes, such as
792-453: A decline in members for the second edition, an even 12 teams were divided into two regionalised groups for the first round with the top four teams (from six) advancing through to a Quarter-final stage which also used the two-game aggregate scoring system. Bracknell Tigers stamped their dominance in the opening rounds, topping the Southern group before defeating Trophy holders Livingston 89–81 in
880-456: A group stage followed by a knockout stage. The group stage consists of the teams being split into north and south groups and within each playing a double round-robin system . The top 4 teams from each group are then seeded with 1st of each group playing 4th in the other and 3rd in each group playing 2nd in the other. The winner of the Aggregate score going through to the semi-final. The winner of
968-739: A neutral venue. In 2018, the Leicester Riders competed in Europe's third tier of continental basketball, the Basketball Champions League , losing in the first qualification round on aggregate to the Bakken Bears . They became the first British team to compete in European competition since the Guildford Heat featured in the ULEB Cup during the 2007–08 season . Following their elimination from
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#17328521552081056-520: A new venue barely a stone's throw from Victory Hall where the club played its first game. In 2004 the Riders agreed a sponsorship deal with De Montfort University (DMU) and moved back to Leicester, where they played their games at the DMU's John Sandford Sports Centre. Following a difficult period for the club financially between 2005 and 2007, former director of the team, Mike Steptoe, and the supporters club formed
1144-577: A row. The 1991–92 season saw a third group introduced and 10 teams divided into Northern, Midlands and Southern regions as the holders Kingston received a bye to the Semi-final stage and a match-up with London Towers , whilst Manchester (winners of the North) were pitted against Leicester City Riders (winners of the Midlands area) in the other Semi-final. Kingston claimed their third Trophy win in three seasons with
1232-670: A series of four or five home games consecutively followed by a straight set of away games. As the regular season is also particularly short many games are played over weekends as ' doubleheaders ', whereby a team will play games (possibly a home and away game) on consecutive days, something that is not commonplace in British sports, although often seen in the National Basketball Association and other North American sports. The post-season Playoffs usually takes place in April, featuring
1320-755: A single South group format whilst there was also the return of the Quarter-finals round which was still played as a two-game series. Due to the uneven number of teams competing in the group stage, several teams received byes into the Quarter-final stage. This format remained consistent for the next three seasons, in a period that saw Southern domination in the Trophy from the London Towers franchise as they reach three consecutive Finals, winning in 1996 and 1997 and finishing as Runners-up in 1998. A change in sponsorship saw
1408-633: A truly national league competition in the 1960s was met with some success; at its height the competition, known as the 'Rosebowl', featured 16 teams from across England, Scotland and Wales . In 1969, Scotland established its own national league with the ABBA following shortly after, with the formation of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1972. Over the next 15 years, basketball's popularity in Great Britain grew steadily and annual revenues for
1496-466: Is ahead when a period ends. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is crowned as winners of the BBL Championship, and thus British Champions. If points are equal between two or more teams then head-to-head results between said teams are used to determine the winners. In the case of a tie between multiple teams where this does not break the tie, the winners are then determined by
1584-456: Is made up of an independent chairperson, non-affiliated non-executives, Investor Directors and a minority representation of BBL Club Directors. Sir Rodney Walker is the current elected chairperson. On 14 June 2024 British Basketball , the national governing body for basketball in the UK, terminated the league's licence citing financial concerns. The BBL Championship is the flagship competition of
1672-547: Is the grand Final, held at The O2 Arena in London, which sees the two Semi-final winners play a one-game event to determine the Playoff Champions. The BBL Cup emerged from a breakaway of the English Basketball Association -organised National Cup and was contested for the first time in the 2003–04 season , when Sheffield Sharks were the inaugural winners. Since the 2019–20 season, the competition has
1760-724: The 1995–96 season in front of a record 14,251 fans at the Nynex Arena against the London Leopards , a record crowd for a basketball game in Great Britain. It stood until 2006, when the NBA started staging games at the O2 Arena in London . London clubs dominated the league, with London Towers , Crystal Palace and the Greater London Leopards all sharing success in the mid-1990s. In 1999,
1848-547: The 2005–06 campaign , Newcastle Eagles were widely tipped to win the Trophy again in 2007, especially as their home venue – the Metro Radio Arena – was hosting the Final. However it was underdogs Plymouth Raiders who took home their first BBL silverware with a 74–65 victory in the Final, in front of a crowd of over 5,000 people. Guildford Heat won the 2008 Trophy Final at Plymouth's Pavilions arena as Newcastle again finished as Runners-up, but in an identical match-up in
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#17328521552081936-457: The 2006–07 season special invitees from the English Basketball League entered into the competition. These teams were Coventry Crusaders , London Leopards , Reading Rockets and Worthing Thunder . For the first time the BBL also welcomed the top two teams from the Scottish Basketball League , Troon Tornadoes and Edinburgh Kings into the competition which brought the total number of entrants to 16. Having won all four BBL competitions during
2024-510: The 2011–12 season , the competition had received another major change to its format with the Trophy Final organised as a two-game series and the winner decided by an aggregate scoring system, making it the first time that the Final was not played as a single-game event. Newcastle and Plymouth competed for the Trophy over two games, with Plymouth winning their home fixture 97–88, but Newcastle's 96–80 victory at their Sport Central venue meant that
2112-470: The 2012–13 season allow teams to field a maximum of five non-British players per game (including up to three work permitted players), further demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players. Prior to the 2022–23 season , a "Team Payments Cap" limited teams to spend no more than £250,000 on player salaries per season with the aim of keeping overall costs down for the teams whilst also ensuring competitive balance. The Team Payments Cap
2200-694: The Amateur Basket Ball Association (ABBA) founded the ABBA National Championship , a knockout competition featuring the regional champions from across England and Wales . An equivalent competition for Scotland was formed by the Amateur Basketball Association of Scotland in 1947. As fully amateur championships, the competitions were largely dominated by victorious teams from universities, YMCAs and Royal Air Force stations. A short-lived attempt at establishing
2288-686: The Anglo-Scottish Cup which was founded in 1984. The Anglo-Scottish Cup featured teams from the English National Basketball League and the National League of Scotland, and was first won by Scottish team Livingston in 1985. The competition was renamed as the British Masters Cup for the following season and though the initial group stage was played early in the regular season, the knock-out stages were now played during
2376-477: The BBL Cup ) Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. To appear in this section a player must have either: British Basketball League The British Basketball League ( BBL )
2464-591: The BBL Trophy after its sponsorship contract for the naming rights was not renewed with uni-ball, whilst the venue for the Final had moved to Sheffield and the Hallam FM Arena . The competition had reverted its First round format back to regionalised groups from 2002, as the BBL merged the North and South Conferences in its regular season back to one Championship. The regionalised groups remained unchanged until 2007. For
2552-454: The British Basketball League . The initiative was led by John Deacon, owner of Portsmouth , who had rallied support for the new league from fellow teams Bracknell Pirates , Crystal Palace , Edinburgh , Hemel Hempstead & Watford Royals , Kingston and Sunderland, with each team contributing a £5,000 entry fee. Not all teams were initially onboard with the new proposals however, as established names like Birmingham Bullets first rejected
2640-467: The European Union (EU) and require a work permit to play – whilst the remaining players on the roster must have citizenship of an EU country, either by birth or by naturalisation . The current ruling was integrated at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, reverting from the previous law which allowed for up to four non-EU players on a roster, along with naturalised players. New rules introduced for
2728-481: The National Basketball League in 1972, and the British Basketball League (BBL) in 1987. They are the oldest club in the British Basketball League. The club moved from Loughborough to Leicester in 1981, backed by Leicester City Council and Leicester City Bus (hence the change in nickname to "Riders"), before moving back to play at Loughborough University in 2000, following the closure of Granby Halls, at
Leicester Riders - Misplaced Pages Continue
2816-566: The "Shoot to the Future" programme, run with the support of the Police. Riders also now have an extensive youth programme for boys and girls, a Women's team near the top of England Basketball's Division One, one of the country's largest Basketball Apprentice schemes at Charnwood College, and a partnership with Loughborough University, led by the Great Britain men's captain Drew Sullivan, and which includes
2904-508: The 13 existing teams of the NBL Division 1 along with two promoted teams from Division 2, plus Scottish champions Livingston and a possibility of future expansion into Scotland and Ireland . Some reports also suggested Wales -based Rhondda were approached as a potential addition. Additional proposals for the new league included prize money being awarded to competition winners, a new supplementary League Cup competition for member teams, and
2992-545: The 16 confirmed teams to feature in the new league were announced as: The new league faced challenges from the off-set when Rhondda – the league's only Wales-based team – folded in August 1987, just weeks before the start of the new season. The sudden loss of a major sponsor meant the team were unable to finance the upcoming campaign, where they would compete against teams with budgets of up to £250,000. London-based Brunel Crystal Palace also faced similar financial challenges during
3080-660: The 2009 Final, Eagles beat Guildford 83–71 at their own home venue, the Spectrum . This season also saw the return of the two-game series for the Semi-finals stage whilst the 2009–10 edition saw the removal of the group stage for the First round in favour of a straight knock-out tournament with 16 teams entered, including London Leopards , Manchester Magic and Reading Rockets from the English Basketball League. The Trophy Final
3168-596: The ABBA – renamed as the English Basket Ball Association (EBBA) in 1975 – increased from £23,440 in 1972 to £303,500 in 1981. With the increased commercial potential of basketball and the NBL evident, teams started to attract entrepreneurial owners and benefactors along with football clubs, such as Manchester United and Portsmouth , looking to replicate the multi-modal sporting club patented by European powerhouses such as Real Madrid and Barcelona . In 1982,
3256-750: The BBL Cup in thrilling fashion as they defeated the Newcastle Eagles 80–85 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on 13 January 2012, in front of a bumper 7,500 crowd, and live on Sky TV, their first piece of silverware since they won the Cup and the Playoff finals in 2001. After winning the treble in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 season, Leicester applied for the following Basketball Champions League season. This marked
3344-479: The BBL Cup, often includes invited clubs from the English Basketball League and the Scottish Basketball League , and representatives from Basketball Wales , a novelty in BBL events which gives the competition much of its character. The most recent champions are the Cheshire Phoenix who defeated London Lions at Arena Birmingham . The BBL Trophy can trace its origins back to a previous competition known as
3432-593: The BBL also staged two knockout competitions; the BBL Trophy and the end-of-season BBL Playoffs . Previously the organisation also ran the BBL Cup and BBL Cup Winners' Cup competitions, though these were last contested in 2023 and 2009 respectively. In partnership with Basketball England the organisation launched a women's league in 2014, branded as the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL). Competitive national basketball in Great Britain has existed since 1936 when
3520-532: The Basketball Champions League, the Leicester Riders played in the 2018–19 FIBA Europe Cup , Europe's fourth tier. To be eligible for entry into the Basketball Champions League or the FIBA Europe Cup , teams must play in arenas with a capacity of at least 2,000 people. British Basketball League rules currently allow for each team to have a maximum of three "import" players – from outside of
3608-428: The British Basketball League and features all member teams playing a double round robin (home and away) league season, from September through to April. Matches are played according to FIBA rules and games consist of four-quarters of 10 minutes each. Two points are awarded for a win, with overtime used if the score is tied at the final buzzer – unlimited numbers of 5-minute overtime periods are played until one team
Leicester Riders - Misplaced Pages Continue
3696-523: The Championship crown – the previous season saw the Eagles win 31 matches but lose out to Chester Jets in the final week, by just two points. That title was one of four pieces of silverware won during the dubbed "clean-sweep" season of 2005–06 , the Eagles marching on to claim the BBL Cup, BBL Trophy and Playoff's – the complete set. The intervening years saw the perennial success of the Newcastle Eagles ,
3784-577: The EBBA would retain disciplinary powers, appointment of match officials and remain completely in control of other competitions, such as the National Cup . Following the conclusion of the 1986–87 season , the EBBA signed a formal agreement with the Basketball League Limited, handing over full control and administration of the top national basketball competition to the new organisation. The agreement
3872-756: The EBL to bring the number of entrants to 16. Thunder made history and became the first ever non-BBL team to progress past the 1st Round of the competition after an 84–64 win at home to Mersey Tigers on 6 January 2013. Sheffield Sharks claimed their second Trophy title with a 2-point win over Leicester in the Final at Glasgow's Emirates Arena . Glasgow's Emirates Arena hosted a second successive final in 2014, but Glasgow Rocks who were appearing in their first Trophy Final were not able to use their home court to their advantage as Worcester Wolves ' convincing 83–76 victory in front of 5,000 people earned them their first ever BBL silverware. The Trophy competition has historically had
3960-469: The Eagles had won with an aggregate score of 184–177. By winning their fifth BBL Trophy, Newcastle Eagles are currently the most successful club in the competition, overshadowing Chester Jets' total of four Trophy's, won from 2001 to 2004. The 2012–13 season saw the competition operate as a straight knock-out contest as it did for the 2009–10 season. Four invitees – Edinburgh Kings, Essex Leopards , Reading Rockets and Worthing Thunder – were brought in from
4048-637: The English National Basketball League and the Scottish Basketball Championship , which effectively formed the second tier of basketball competition in Great Britain. Due to the franchise model there was no promotion or relegation between the lower leagues and the BBL, although several BBL member teams had previously competed in the National Basketball League. In addition to the regular season Championship,
4136-527: The English and Scottish leagues. Following the launch of the new British Basketball League administration in 1987 – who assumed control over the National Basketball League from the English Basketball Association – the British Master's Cup was scrapped and replaced with the newly formed League Trophy . The Trophy competition has historically had a round-robin group stage format used for the first round, however
4224-428: The Final. From the 1989–90 season the Trophy continued with a North and South group format for the opening round, although due to a lack of members in the League the Quarter-finals were axed and the top two teams advanced to the two-game Semi-final series. The Final had switched venues to the larger Royal Albert Hall in London, and both the 1990 and 1991 editions saw Kingston defeat the Manchester Giants two years in
4312-406: The League admitted two teams, Bristol Flyers and Leeds Carnegie , into the organisation; an ill-fated application from a third team, Edinburgh-based East Scotland Warriors , was rejected at the final stages to concerns over its financial backing. Plymouth City Patriots were admitted into the League for the 2021–22 season as a direct replacement for the Plymouth Raiders , who withdrew prior to
4400-587: The Morningside Arena). The £4.8 million arena, which is owned by the Leicester Riders Foundation, was officially opened in January 2016. It hosted its first game on 30 January 2016, in a quarter-final match between Leicester Riders and Surrey Scorchers in the British Basketball League Trophy , won by the Riders 77–60. A list of all home arenas the club has had: British Basketball League BBL Play-offs Women's British Basketball League WBBL Play-offs BBL Cup WBBL Cup BBL Trophy WBBL Trophy National Cup (predecessor of
4488-461: The NBL reached a broadcasting deal with newly launched television channel Channel 4 , further increasing the visibility of the league to a national audience. The NBL's upward commercial trajectory continued with the EBBA signing sponsorship agreements with major national companies such as Prudential Insurance , Bell's whisky and the Carlsberg Group , generating an estimated income of £1,196,000. A joint venture company, Basketball Marketing Limited,
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#17328521552084576-415: The Semi-final stage. Calderdale Explorers and Livingston progressed from the two Northern groups, whilst Kingston and Portsmouth advanced in the Southern groups. In the Semi-finals the two Northern area teams competed against each other, as did the two Southern teams, to ensure the Final would feature a North versus South match-up. The Semi-finals were played as a two-game series, with the winner decided by
4664-433: The addition of new franchises such as Guildford Heat (formed by supporters of the defunct Thames Valley Tigers), and elected teams from the lower-tier English Basketball League , including the Plymouth Raiders . Both teams made a refreshing impact on the old boys, with the Heat qualifying for the Play-offs in their rookie season. During the same season Newcastle won 30 of their 40 regular season league fixtures to clinch
4752-413: The aggregate score of each match in the semi-final then goes through to the BBL Cup Final. The Cup final is played at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, usually in early January. The BBL Trophy traces its origins back to a previous competition known as the Anglo-Scottish Cup – and subsequently the British Master's Cup – which was founded in 1984 and was initially a competition between teams from both
4840-418: The biggest aggregate score . Portsmouth advanced in the Southern encounter with Kingston, winning 168–167 on aggregate, whilst Livingston beat Calderdale 158–142 on aggregate from the North. The first Final was played at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre , where Livingston continued their success from the British Masters Cup by beating Portsmouth 96–91 to become the first and so far only Scottish winners. Due to
4928-504: The city of Edinburgh and NBL powerhouse Reading Rockets . Of these interested cities, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Liverpool have all, at some point in time, previously hosted a BBL team since 1987. The league was an independent company owned by its member clubs and Miami -based investment firm 777 Partners, who bought 45.5% of the shares of the league, investing £7million, in December 2021. Each club, or franchise, now had an equal shareholding of 5.45%. The 8-person management board
5016-419: The competition rebranded as the uni-ball Trophy in 1997 after a naming rights agreement was made with the Mitsubishi Pencil Company . Further changes were introduced in 1998, as for the first time the Trophy's first round group stage was not based on geographical region and instead were drawn at random whilst the Quarter-final stage became a single-game round. The 1999–2000 season saw 16 teams participate in
5104-419: The current competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random – there are no seeds , and a draw takes place after the majority of fixtures have been played in each round. As well as including all BBL member clubs, invited teams from the English Basketball League , and occasionally the Scottish Basketball League , often take part in the Trophy. The Final is usually played in March at
5192-450: The financial relationship between them and the EBBA. Kevin Routledge, a director at Leicester Riders , claimed at the time that "there was a feeling about men's clubs that insufficient emphasis was being given to them, particularly recognising that in terms of spectator, sponsorship and media appeal they were very much top of the heap." The sentiment was echoed by Dave Elderkin, Manager of Sunderland 76ers , who noted that sponsorship revenue
5280-411: The first European participation of a British team since Guildford Heat featured in the ULEB Cup in 2007. In the first qualifying round, Leicester was eliminated by Danish side Bakken Bears , thus being demoted to the season's FIBA Europe Cup , where they lost all six group stage games. The team has been based at the purpose-built Mattioli Arena since 2016 (from 2018 to 2024, the arena was known as
5368-461: The first franchise with this name rather than the current franchise of the same name. Soruce: Honours board BBL Trophy The British Basketball League Trophy , often shortened to the BBL Trophy , is an annual cup competition for the British Basketball League (BBL). It is the unique of peripheral competitions operated by the League during the regular season, The competition's structure and format vary from season to season and, unlike
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#17328521552085456-412: The first round making it the largest edition of the Trophy competition to date. All 13 BBL teams entered the First round along with three invitees from the National Basketball League – Plymouth Raiders , Solent Stars and Sutton Pumas . This edition also saw the abolition of the two-game series as the Semi-finals also reverted to a single match event. After eight seasons, the venue for the Trophy Final
5544-435: The first time in 11 years, British participation in European competition when Leicester competed in the Basketball Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup . On 2 December 2021 the Miami -based investment firm 777 Partners bought 45.5% of the shares of the league. The company invested £7 million in the league, that also saw an organisational reform which included the appointment of a CEO. On 14 June 2024 British Basketball ,
5632-410: The former Kingston team in new guise) brought an end to the successful Kingston dynasty and started a new period of dominance as the Tigers went on to win two more Trophy finals in succession. The 1995–96 season brought about another format changed to the competition that was now known as the 7 Up Trophy through sponsorship from the 7 Up beverage brand. The first round reverted to a single North and
5720-407: The higher seed getting two home games either side of the lower seeds home game. The team that wins two of the three games advances to the next round. As with the Quarterfinals, teams in the Semifinals are also seeded, with the highest-ranking team drawn against the lowest-ranking team in one Semifinal and the two remaining teams drawn together in the other Semifinal. The culmination of the post-season
5808-412: The league financially, with many franchises struggling to recover from the lost revenue that the £21 million contract was providing. Long established franchises such as the Manchester Giants , Essex Leopards , Derby Storm , Thames Valley Tigers and Birmingham Bullets withdrew from the league, though new teams have been formed under the Giants and Leopards names. The membership crisis brought about
5896-404: The league, with the biggest advances in facilities. Some clubs have now built their own venues, including Newcastle , Leicester , Sheffield and Caledonia , and Manchester , Cheshire and Surrey and have moved into much improved facilities, while Plymouth , and the most recent election from the EBL, the Bristol Flyers , have announced plans for their own arenas. The 2018–19 season saw, for
5984-432: The move and opted to stay within the existing EBBA structure. The EBBA established a Committee of Inquiry to conduct a review and establish the terms of the handover, and a new organisation – the Basketball League Limited – was formed by the team owners to oversee the operations of the new competition. The new organisation proposed commencing with a new 16-team league competition for the 1987–88 season , that would include
6072-451: The national governing body for basketball in the UK, terminated the league's licence, meaning that the UK men's professional league would no longer be run by the current operating company behind the BBL. British Basketball cited financial concerns as a principal driver of the decision, and promised that interim measures would be put in place to ensure that a 2024/25 season takes place. The most recent round of expansion took place in 2014 when
6160-439: The new Carlsberg Basketball League and the 1987–88 season took place on 13 September 1987, when Scotland -based Livingston defeated Oldham Celtics, 98–81, at the Forum Arena in Livingston . The former Scottish National League team went on to have a very successful season overall. Whilst Portsmouth were successful in retaining their national champions title in the inaugural league championship – continuing their success from
6248-511: The off-season, searching for additional sponsors to cover their £100,000 outgoings. Despite these setbacks, the fledging organisation did achieve some immediate commercial success; a new 3-year sponsorship agreement with the Carlsberg Group saw the new competition branded as the Carlsberg Basketball League , along with additional naming-rights deals for the postseason playoffs and the Tournament of Champions, both of which were also sponsored by Carlsberg. The newly-established League Cup competition
6336-411: The points difference in the games between said teams. Following the completion of the Championship regular season, the top eight ranked teams advance into the post-season Playoffs which usually take place during April. In the regular season, team schedules are not identical and neither are matchdays, with games scheduled mainly around venue availability. Because of this teams may find themselves playing
6424-534: The post-season, almost simultaneously with the Play-offs. Birmingham Bullets emerged as the competition's second winners, and the first from England, whilst emerging powerhouse Kingston won the 1987 edition. Following the launch of the new British Basketball League administration in 1987 – taking over control of the National Basketball League from the English Basketball Association – the British Masters Cup
6512-480: The previous National Basketball League – they were soundly defeated by Livingston in both the Playoff Final (81–72) and NatWest Bank Trophy Final (96–91). The 1990s also saw a growth in popularity and commercialism within the league. Games were televised and the league picked up sponsors such as Peugeot , Lego , Playboy and Budweiser , while attendances at games also increased. The Manchester Giants opened
6600-464: The reemergence of the Leicester Riders as a dominant force in the domestic game, and the rise and fall of teams based in London , Birmingham , Liverpool , Essex , Durham and Worthing . Long term franchise Milton Keynes relocated to London, to become a 2012 Olympics legacy tenant at the Copper Box Arena , and a new incarnation of the famous Manchester Giants name re-entered the league in
6688-502: The removal of relegation between the new league and NBL Division 2 for the first two seasons, to encourage financial stability for its member teams; promotion would still be offered to the top two teams within Division 2, subject to financial and facility guarantees. Furthermore, all member teams within the Basketball League Limited would be equal shareholders of the new organisation and be eligible to compete in European competitions, whilst
6776-434: The same year. The 2015 Playoffs Final took place at The O2 Arena , London, following a string of sell-out attendances at Wembley Arena between 2012 and 2014. The event saw a record breaking crowd of 14,700. As of the 2016–17 BBL season Italian sportswear manufacturer Kappa have been the exclusive kit supplier for all teams, replacing a previous deal with Spalding . The past decade has seen sustained growth across
6864-493: The season starting. As of 2023, the League does not have any confirmed plans to introduce more teams in new cities or locations, however there are interested parties from Belfast , Birmingham , Cardiff , Dublin , Leeds and Liverpool looking at establishing a potential expansion franchise. In 2022, media outlets also reported interest from a Birmingham-based consortium which included former NBA star and Hall of Famer , Hakeem Olajuwon , as well as additional interest from
6952-473: The top eight ranked teams from the Championship regular season compete in a knockout tournament . Teams are seeded depending on their final positioning in the Championship standings, so first-place faces eighth-place, second versus seventh-place, third against sixth-place and finally fourth plays the fifth-placed team. Both the Quarterfinals and the succeeding Semifinals are played over a three-game series, with
7040-653: Was a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain . Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom . The organisation that operated the competition, Basketball League Limited, folded in July 2024 after the British Basketball Federation terminated its operating license. It was succeeded as the top-level men's basketball competition with Super League Basketball . The BBL operated as
7128-566: Was again played at the Spectrum for the 2010 Final where Newcastle were again victorious over the Cheshire Jets. For the first time since 2001, the Trophy received corporate sponsorship through a naming rights agreement with clothing brand Franklin & Marshall for the 2010–11 season . The Franklin & Marshall Trophy Final was held at the O2 Arena in London as part of the NBA 's "Basketball Week" and saw Mersey Tigers pick-up their first Trophy with an 84–66 victory over Guildford. For
7216-593: Was branded as the NatWest Bank Trophy following a deal with National Westminster Bank . The EBBA's player import rules – where teams were restricted to having two foreign "import" players plus one "naturalised" British player – were carried over to the new competition. A small complication arose as the league also featured Scotland-based Livingston, and the ruling meant that English players would count as foreign players for teams based in Scotland. The first game of
7304-408: Was divided between the EBBA's 650 member clubs, and though the Division 1 teams generated the most sponsorship they were only receiving a small fraction of the return; Sunderland were reportedly paid just £2,000 from central sponsorship earnings in 1986. By April 1986, still unsatisfied by the relationship with the EBBA, a contingent of team owners set forth to organise a breakaway competition, dubbed
7392-445: Was dropped in August 2022 as it was stated to hamper the growth of BBL teams playing in European competitions. According to BBL rules, teams must field no more than six import (non-EU) players in any one season, though only three are allowed to be registered to a roster at any one time. Signings are allowed to be made throughout the pre-season and during the regular season until the league's transfer deadline on 28 February, or if during
7480-492: Was established in 1982 by the EBBA and team owners to market the league collectively to potential sponsors and share revenue from TV contracts; with the agreement that 40% of revenue was held by the EBBA and the remaining 60% shared between all member teams. In 1983, the Basketball Owners' Association (BOA) was established by owners of 9 different NBL teams to represent their interests as internal conflict arose regarding
7568-609: Was moved across town from its usual home at the National Exhibition Centre to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham's city centre. Chester Jets ' 92–81 win over Newcastle Eagles in the 2001 Final saw a third dynastic era of dominance in the Trophy's history as the Cheshire-based team went on to claim three more Trophy crowns in the following three seasons. During this period, the competition had now become
7656-460: Was scrapped and replaced with the newly formed League Trophy. The new competition, sponsored by NatWest and christened as the NatWest Trophy , featured only the 15 member teams of Carlsberg League , including new Scottish entrant and former Anglo-Scottish Cup winner, Livingston. The first round of the new tournament divided the 15 teams into regional groups, with each group winner progressing to
7744-420: Was signed at Old Trafford football stadium, home of Manchester United, whose basketball team would feature in the newly formed league. Signing the agreement to establish the new league was Keith Mitchell OBE and Mel Welch, President and Secretary of the EBBA respectively, along with John Deacon, Chairman of the Basketball League Limited, and John Barr, Treasurer of the new organisation. At official launch,
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