Basketball in Spain

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Basketball in Spain
Palacio de Deportes (Madrid) 16.jpg
Barclaycard Center, Real Madrid’s Arena.
CountrySpain
Governing body FEB
National team(s) Spain
First played1923
Registered players385,110 [1]
Clubs3,619 [1]
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Basketball is the second most popular sport in Spain , directly behind association football. The top Spanish League, Liga ACB, is a member of ULEB, and the top Spanish League teams can compete in Europe, most notably in the Euroleague and Eurocup, and also under the FIBA Europe umbrella, in the FIBA Europe Cup. The Spanish teams also compete in a national domestic cup competition each year, called the Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, which is played by the top eight teams in the standings of the Liga ACB, at the end of the first half of the regular season.

Contents

Spanish basketball league system

The tier levels

For the 2018–19 season, the Spanish basketball league system is as follows:

LevelLeague
1 Liga ACB
(18 teams)
(previously Liga Nacional)
2 Primera FEB
Formerly LEB Oro
(18 teams)
3 Segunda FEB
Formerly LEB Plata
(24 teams)
4 Tercera FEB Group A
Formerly Liga EBA
Flag of Asturias.svg Flag of the Basque Country.svg Flag of Cantabria.svg Flag of Castile and Leon.svg Flag of Galicia.svg Bandera de Navarra.svg Flag of La Rioja (with coat of arms).svg
(2 sub-groups of 14 teams each)		 Tercera FEB Group B
Formerly Liga EBA
Flag of the Canary Islands.svg Bandera Castilla-La Mancha.svg Flag of the Community of Madrid.svg
(16 teams)		 Tercera FEB Group C
Formerly Liga EBA
Flag of Aragon.svg Flag of the Balearic Islands.svg Flag of Catalonia.svg
(2 sub-groups of 14 teams each)		 Tercera FEB Group D
Formerly Liga EBA
Flag of Andalucia.svg Flag Ceuta.svg Flag of Extremadura with COA.svg Flag of Melilla.svg
(2 sub-groups of 10 teams each)		 Tercera FEB Group E
Formerly Liga EBA
Flag of the Region of Murcia.svg Flag of the Valencian Community (2x3).svg
(16 teams)
5 Primera División
(15 groups, one for each autonomous community except Basque Country, La Rioja, and Navarra, who share the same group; in Catalonia, known as Copa Catalunya )
Regional and lower divisions

Evolution of the Spanish basketball league system

Tier\Years1957–781978–831983–901990–941994–961996–20002000–072007–092009–
1 1ª División ACB
22ª División1ª División B1ª División EBA LEB (since 2007, LEB Oro)
33ª División2ª División EBA LEB 2 (since 2007, LEB Plata)
4Lower3ª DivisiónLowerLowerLower2ª División EBA LEB Bronce EBA
5LowerLower 1ª División EBA 1ª División
6Lower 1ª División Lower
7Lower

Spanish women's basketball league system

LevelLeague
1 Liga Femenina
(14 teams)
2 Liga Femenina Challenge
(16 teams)
3 Liga Femenina 2 Group A
(12 teams)		 Liga Femenina 2 Group B
(12 teams)
41ª División Group A
Flag of Asturias.svg Flag of Cantabria.svg Flag of Castile and Leon.svg Flag of Galicia.svg 		1ª División Group B
Flag of Aragon.svg Flag of the Basque Country.svg Flag of La Rioja (with coat of arms).svg Bandera de Navarra.svg 		1ª División Group C
Flag of the Balearic Islands.svg Flag of Catalonia.svg 		1ª División Group D
Bandera Castilla-La Mancha.svg Flag of the Community of Madrid.svg Flag of the Region of Murcia.svg Flag of the Valencian Community (2x3).svg 		1ª División Group E
Flag of Andalucia.svg Flag of the Canary Islands.svg Flag Ceuta.svg Flag of Extremadura with COA.svg Flag of Melilla.svg

Spain national basketball team

Men's team

Women's team

Autonomous teams

Like in football, several Autonomous Communities have their own autonomous team. These teams are not recognized by FIBA Europe, and only play in friendly games.

Between 2008 and 2010, the Torneo de las Naciones was played between the teams of Basque Country, Catalonia, and Galicia, and a foreign national team was invited. The following Autonomous Communities have played at least one friendly game:

Also, Bandera de Menorca.svg  Menorca has got a basketball team which plays biennially in the Island Games.

On the other hand, Gibraltar has its own national team recognized by FIBA Europe. Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar plays biannually in the European Basketball Championship for Small Countries and, like Menorca, the Island Games.

Other competitions

References

  1. 1 2 "Anuario de estadísticas deportivas 2019" (PDF). culturaydeporte.gob.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
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