British Basketball League

Last updated

British Basketball League
British Basketball League logo.svg
Founded1987;37 years ago (1987)
First season 1987–88
Country Great Britain
Federation British Basketball
Confederation FIBA Europe (Europe)
Number of teams 10
Level on pyramid 1
Domestic cup(s) BBL Trophy
BBL Cup (defunct)
International cup(s) EuroCup
Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Current champions London Lions
(3rd title)
(2023–24)
Most championships Newcastle Eagles
(7 titles)
TV partners Sky Sports
YouTube
Website BBL.org.uk
Basketball current event.svg 2023–24 British Basketball League season

The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs from Wales, or Northern Ireland. [1] The BBL runs three additional knockout competitions alongside the BBL Championship which are the BBL Cup, BBL Trophy and the end-of-season BBL Playoffs. In March 2024, there will be a BBL All-Star game which will replace the BBL Cup knockout competition.

Contents

The BBL sits above the National Basketball League and the Scottish Basketball Championship which effectively form the second tier of British basketball. There is currently no automatic promotion or relegation between the lower leagues and the BBL because of the franchise system in use in the BBL although several clubs have been successful in making the step up from the NBL in recent years.

The 10 member franchises of the BBL jointly own the league [2] and a chairman is elected by the teams to oversee league operations. The head offices are located in Leicester [3] where the country's oldest team the Leicester Riders are also based.

In partnership with Basketball England the BBL launched a women's league in 2014 branded as the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL). [4]

History

See: List of British Basketball League seasons

Establishment (1987–1992)

The British Basketball League was formed in 1987, with leading clubs from the National Basketball League of England and Scottish National Basketball League. In 1988, Portsmouth F.C. won the inaugural BBL Championship title; the following year saw Kingston win the first of three back-to-back league crowns.

Early growth (1992–2002)

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 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, 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.

Tougher times (2002–2012)

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 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 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 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.

Current setup (2012–present)

The intervening years saw the perennial success of the Newcastle Eagles, 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 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. [5] The event saw a record breaking crowd of 14,700. [6]

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. [7]

The past decade has seen sustained growth across 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 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. [8]

Rules

The BBL had a salary cap in place, named the "Team Payments Cap", which limited teams to spend no more than £250,000 on player salaries. The aim was to keep overall costs down for the teams while also ensuring competitive balance. The salary cap was dropped starting from the 2022-23 season, as it was stated to hamper the growth of BBL teams playing in European competitions. [9]

Teams

Current teams

TeamLocationArenaCapacityFoundedJoined
Bristol Flyers Flag of England.svg Bristol SGS College Arena 75020062014
Caledonia Gladiators Flag of Scotland.svg East Kilbride Playsport Arena 1,8001998*
Cheshire Phoenix Flag of England.svg Ellesmere Port Cheshire Oaks Arena 1,40019841991
Leicester Riders Flag of England.svg Leicester Mattioli Arena 2,40019671987
London Lions Flag of England.svg London (Stratford) Copper Box Arena 6,0001977*1987
Manchester Giants Flag of England.svg Manchester National Basketball Centre 2,0002012
Newcastle Eagles Flag of England.svg Newcastle upon Tyne Vertu Motors Arena 2,8001976*1987
Plymouth City Patriots Flag of England.svg Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions 1,5002021
Sheffield Sharks Flag of England.svg Sheffield Canon Medical Arena 2,50019911994
Surrey Scorchers Flag of England.svg Guildford Surrey Sports Park 1,0002005
Notes
  1. An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
  2. The Hemel & Watford Royals, Leicester City Riders and Sunderland 76ers were all participants in the previous top-flight league, the NBL, when it changed administration to the BBL in 1987.
  3. The Cheshire Jets and Sheffield Sharks were both promoted from the NBL in 1991 and 1994 respectively.
  4. Bristol Flyers (2014) have acquired a franchise licence to compete in the BBL, having previously competed in the EBL.

Expansion teams

The most recent round of expansion took place in 2014 when 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 it's financial backing. [10] 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 the season starting. [11]

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. [12] In 2022, media outlets also reported interest from a Birmingham-based consortium which included former NBA star and Hall of Famer, Hakeem Olajuwon, [13] as well as additional interest from the city of Edinburgh and NBL powerhouse Reading Rockets. [14] [15] Of these interested cities, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Liverpool have all, at some point in time, previously hosted a BBL team since 1987.

Former teams

Corporate structure

The league is 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 has an equal shareholding of 5.45%. The 8-person Management Board is made up of an independent Chairperson, non-affiliated non-executives, Investor Directors and a minority representation of BBL Club Directors. [2] Sir Rodney Walker is the current elected chairperson.

Chairs

Competitions

BBL Championship

The BBL Championship is the flagship competition of the British Basketball League and features all member teams playing a double round robin (home and away) league season, [16] from September through to April. [17] Matches are played according to FIBA rules and games consist of four-quarters of 10 minutes each. Two points are awarded for a win, [16] with overtime used if the score is tied at the final buzzer – unlimited numbers of 5-minute overtime periods are played until one team 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 the points difference in the games between said teams. [18] 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. [19]

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 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 [ citation needed ] and other North American sports.

Playoffs

The post-season Playoffs usually takes place in April, featuring 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 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. [16] [18] 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 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.

BBL Cup

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 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 the aggregate score of each match in the semi-final then goes through to the BBL Cup Final. [20] The Cup final is played at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, usually in early January. [21]

BBL Trophy

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 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. [22] The Trophy competition has historically had 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 the Trophy. [23] The Final is usually played in March at a neutral venue. [24]

European Competition

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. [25] 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 the Basketball Champions League, the Leicester Riders played in the 2018–19 FIBA Europe Cup, Europe's fourth tier. [26] [27]

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. [28] Currently the BBL member teams that meet the tournaments' requirements are Leicester, Caledonia, London, Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield. Bristol [29] have begun work on a suitable arena.

Players

All-time statistics leaders

Bold indicates active BBL players.

Last Updated on 20 September 2012

Foreign imports

British Basketball League rules currently allow for each team to have a maximum of three "import" players – from outside of 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. [30] 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 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. [31]

Transfer regulations

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 a leap year, the date is 29 February.

Notable former players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Homegrown

Naturalised British

Rest of the World

Results

League

Present clubs

ClubChampionsRunners-upLast league title
Newcastle Eagles 76 2014–15
Leicester Riders 64 2021–22
Sheffield Sharks 45 2002–03
London Lions 32 2023–24
Cheshire Phoenix [lower-roman 1] 20 2004–05
Surrey Scorchers [lower-roman 2] 11 2006–07
Caledonia Gladiators [lower-roman 3] 01—
Bristol Flyers ———
Manchester Giants ———
Plymouth City Patriots ———

Historical

SeasonChampionsRunners UpThird Place
1987–88 Portsmouth (1)Kingston KingsMurray Livingston
1988–89 Glasgow Rangers (1)Murray LivingstonBracknell Tigers
1989–90 Kingston Kings (1)Manchester GiantsSunderland 76ers
1990–91 Kingston Kings (2)Sunderland SaintsThames Valley Tigers
1991–92 Kingston Kings (3)Thames Valley TigersWorthing Bears
1992–93 Worthing Bears (1)Thames Valley TigersLondon Towers
1993–94 Thames Valley Tigers (1)Worthing BearsManchester Giants
1994–95 Sheffield Sharks (1)Thames Valley TigersLondon Towers
1995–96 London Towers (1)Sheffield SharksBirmingham Bullets
1996–97 Leopards (1)London TowersSheffield Sharks
1997–98 Leopards (2)Birmingham BulletsNewcastle Eagles
1998–99 Sheffield Sharks (2)Manchester GiantsLondon Towers
SeasonNorth ChampionsNorth Runners UpSouth ChampionsSouth Runners Up
1999–00 Manchester Giants Sheffield Sharks London Towers Thames Valley Tigers
2000–01 Sheffield Sharks Chester Jets London Towers Greater London Leopards
2001–02 Chester Jets Sheffield Sharks London Towers Brighton Bears
SeasonChampionsRunners UpThird Place
2002–03 Sheffield Sharks (3)Brighton BearsChester Jets
2003–04 Brighton Bears (2)Sheffield SharksLondon Towers
2004–05 Chester Jets (1)Newcastle EaglesLondon Towers
2005–06 Newcastle Eagles (1)Scottish RocksSheffield Sharks
2006–07 Guildford Heat (1)Sheffield SharksNewcastle Eagles
2007–08 Newcastle Eagles (2)Guildford HeatPlymouth Raiders
2008–09 Newcastle Eagles (3)Mersey TigersLeicester Riders
2009–10 Newcastle Eagles (4)Sheffield SharksGlasgow Rocks
2010–11 Mersey Tigers (1)Newcastle EaglesSheffield Sharks
2011–12 Newcastle Eagles (5)Leicester RidersWorcester Wolves
2012–13 Leicester Riders (1)Newcastle EaglesGlasgow Rocks
2013–14 Newcastle Eagles (6)Sheffield SharksWorcester Wolves
2014–15 Newcastle Eagles (7)Leicester RidersWorcester Wolves
2015–16 Leicester Riders (2)Newcastle EaglesSheffield Sharks
2016–17 Leicester Riders (3)Newcastle EaglesGlasgow Rocks
2017–18 Leicester Riders (4)London LionsNewcastle Eagles
2018–19 London Lions (1)Leicester RidersNewcastle Eagles
2019–20 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Leicester Riders (5)London LionsPlymouth Raiders
2021–22 Leicester Riders (6)Sheffield SharksLondon Lions
2022–23 London Lions (2)Leicester RidersBristol Flyers
2023–24 London Lions (3)

Playoffs

SeasonChampionsResultRunners UpVenue
1987–88Murray Livingston (1)81–72Portsmouth Wembley Arena, London
1988–89Glasgow Rangers (1)89–86Murray Livingston NEC, Birmingham
1989–90Kingston Kings (2)87–82Sunderland 76ers NEC, Birmingham
1990–91Kingston Kings (3)94–72Sunderland Saints NEC, Birmingham
1991–92Kingston Kings (4)84–67Thames Valley Tigers Wembley Arena, London
1992–93Worthing Bears (1)75–74Thames Valley Tigers Wembley Arena, London
1993–94Worthing Bears (2)71–65Guildford Kings Wembley Arena, London
1994–95Worthing Bears (3)77–73Manchester Giants Wembley Arena, London
1995–96Birmingham Bullets (1)78–72London Towers Wembley Arena, London
1996–97London Towers (1)89–88London Leopards Wembley Arena, London
1997–98Birmingham Bullets (2)78–75Thames Valley Tigers Wembley Arena, London
1998–99London Towers (2)82–71Thames Valley Tigers Wembley Arena, London
1999–00Manchester Giants (1)74–65Birmingham Bullets Wembley Arena, London
2000–01Leicester Riders (1)84–75Sheffield Sharks Wembley Arena, London
2001–02Chester Jets (1)93–82Sheffield Sharks Wembley Arena, London
2002–03Scottish Rocks (1)83–76Brighton Bears National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2003–04Sheffield Sharks (1)86–74Chester Jets National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2004–05Newcastle Eagles (1)78–75Chester Jets National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2005–06Newcastle Eagles (2)83–68Scottish Rocks National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2006–07Newcastle Eagles (3)95–82Scottish Rocks Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne
2007–08Guildford Heat (1)100–88Milton Keynes Lions National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2008–09Newcastle Eagles (4)87–84Mersey Tigers National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2009–10Mersey Tigers (1)80–72Glasgow Rocks National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2010–11Mersey Tigers (2)79–74Sheffield Sharks National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2011–12Newcastle Eagles (5)71–62Leicester Riders National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
2012–13Leicester Riders (2)68–57Newcastle Eagles Wembley Arena, London
2013–14Worcester Wolves (1)90–78Newcastle Eagles Wembley Arena, London
2014–15Newcastle Eagles (6)96–84London Lions The O2 Arena, London
2015–16Sheffield Sharks (2)85–78Leicester Riders The O2 Arena, London
2016–17Leicester Riders (3)84–63Newcastle Eagles The O2 Arena, London
2017–18Leicester Riders (4)81–66London Lions The O2 Arena, London
2018–19Leicester Riders (5)93–61London City Royals The O2 Arena, London
2020–21Newcastle Eagles (7)68–66London Lions Morningside Arena, Leicester
2021–22Leicester Riders (6)78–75London Lions The O2 Arena, London
2022–23London Lions (1)88–80Leicester Riders The O2 Arena, London

Honours board

RankTeamWinsRUWinsRUWinsRUWinsRUWinsRU
BBL Championship BBL Playoffs BBL Cup BBL Trophy Total
1 Newcastle Eagles 767574742819
2 Leicester Riders 646345341916
3 Guildford Kings †41414031153
4 Sheffield Sharks 462362221413
5 Cheshire Phoenix 21122263118
6 London Towers †41211132105
7 London Lions 32153114812
8 Brighton Bears †2331310388
9 Thames Valley Tigers †14042340711
10 Mersey Tigers †1121111053
11 Surrey Scorchers 1110101243
12 Manchester Giants †1211021439
13 Essex Leopards †2101200034
14 Worcester Wolves †0010111031
15 Caledonia Gladiators 0113041129
16 Livingston †0110001123
17 Birmingham Bullets †0121010023
18 Plymouth Raiders †0000021315
19 Portsmouth †1001010013
20 London City Royals †0001001011
21 Derby Storm †0000000101
22 Solent Kestrels 0000000101
23 Bristol Flyers 0000010001
24 Manchester Giants 0000010001

*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 the first franchise with this name rather than the current franchise of the same name.

Soruce: Honours board

Media coverage

Basketball receives little national press coverage in the United Kingdom, although coverage is more extensive from the local newspapers in cities where BBL clubs are based, with publications such as The Plymouth Herald , Manchester Evening News , Leicester Mercury and the Newcastle Chronicle all having dedicated basketball reporters who cover the respective local team. Some national newspapers list results and occasionally provide short summaries of the League's news, but more extensive coverage remains minimal.

The history of television coverage of the BBL has been sporadic. Previously the League enjoyed coverage from Channel 4 in the 1980s and Sky Sports from 1995 to 2001, where audiences peaked at around 150,000 viewers. [32] The League signed a three-year broadcast deal with the ill-fated digital TV company ITV Digital in 2001, and coverage suffered a sharp decline as the broadcaster struggled and eventually went out of business, resulting in a significant loss of income to member clubs. [33] Television coverage was then infrequent until the 2007–08 season, when international broadcaster Setanta Sports signed a deal to screen one live game a week. [34] In 2010, the League agreed a broadcast rights deal with BSkyB network Sky Sports marking the return of BBL action on Sky Sports after a 9-year gap. [35] The League's own subscription-based online TV station, BBL TV, took over the broadcast of live games from 2013 to 2015, and during the 2013–14 season match highlights were also televised and featured on British Eurosport each week. [36]

In July 2016, the league signed a two-year broadcast deal with the BBC, featuring both British Basketball League and Women's British Basketball League games. The games would be broadcast on the BBC Sport website with the showpiece finals also being broadcast on the BBC Red Button. [37] Alongside the BBC deal, a six-year deal with Perform was signed [38] which saw every BBL game broadcast via LiveBasketball.TV, [39] and a deal followed a year later with UNILAD to broadcast one game a week live via Facebook. [40] FreeSports signed a deal with the league in January 2018 to broadcast games for the remainder of the season, starting with the BBL Cup Final between Worcester Wolves and Cheshire Phoenix.

In November 2020, coverage of the league returned to Sky Sports in a new two-year deal which sees Sky broadcasting 30 games per season, including BBL Trophy Final, BBL Cup Final and BBL Playoffs. [41] This has been extended to cover the 2022/23 season.

During the 2023-24 season of the BBL, NESN will air BBL matches in the US. [42]

Awards

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ as Cheshire Jets
  2. ↑ as Guildford Heat
  3. ↑ as Scottish Rocks

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The 2019–20 BBL season was the 33rd campaign of the British Basketball League, the top British professional basketball league, since its in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland. On 17 March 2020, the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. On 1 June 2020, the season was cancelled, with no League or Playoffs champions declared.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caledonia Gladiators</span> Scottish professional basketball team

The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional basketball club based in East Kilbride, Scotland. The Gladiators compete as the sole-Scottish based team in the British Basketball League, the top tier of domestic basketball in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ Two clubs from Northern Ireland, Belfast Star and Ulster University, play in the Irish Super League, the highest level competition in Ireland, and basketball in Ireland operates on a broadly all-island basis.
  2. 1 2 "British Basketball League". BBL. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "ULEB Union des Ligues Européenes de Basket-ball". Uleb.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Women's British Basketball League launched". EnglandBasketball.co.uk. 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "2015 British Basketball League Play-Off Final to take place at the O2 - BBL - British Basketball League". Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Record BBL crowd at the O2 attracts global interest - BBL - British Basketball League". Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Kappa poised to dominate basketball apparel in UK from 2016-17 - BBL - British Basketball League". Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "BBL and 777 Partners agree £7 million investment deal". British Basketball League. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "British Basketball League removes Team Payments Cap". Eurohoops. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Surrey to strengthen; Warriors out". MVP24-7. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Plymouth confirmed to compete in 2021-22 season". 30 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "British Basketball League wants to 'set right foundation' for new teams to succeed". SportsProMedia. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "Investment group looking to establish BBL franchise in Birmingham". HoopsFix. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Sheffield Sharks left flying the Yorkshire flag in BBL expansion plans". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  15. ↑ "BBL Application Update". ReadingRockets.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 "British Basketball League". BBL. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "British Basketball League". BBL. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  18. 1 2 "British Basketball League". BBL. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  19. ↑ "British Basketball League". BBL. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "BBL Cup". BBL.org.uk. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  21. ↑ "BBL Cup". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  22. ↑ Page 29 British Basketball League 1996/97 Handbook
  23. ↑ "BBL Cup, Trophy draws made". MVP24-7.com. 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  24. ↑ "BBL Trophy". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  25. ↑ "Leicester Riders Fall to Bakken Bears". Leicester Riders. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  26. ↑ "FIBA Europe Cup Games Confirmed & Tickets On Sale". Leicester Riders. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  27. ↑ "Eight Teams Join FIBA Europe Cup from Basketball Champions League". FIBA. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Powered by Google Docs". Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  29. ↑ "Bristol Flyers Reveal Plans for New Arena". Bristol Flyers. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  30. ↑ Richard Spiller (2008). "Heat off to winning start". getSurrey.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  31. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". BBL.org.uk. 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  32. ↑ Richard Taylor (8 September 1998). "How Murdoch has changed the face of British sport". The Independent. London. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  33. ↑ "Jets count cost of digital crash". Chester Chronicle. 23 January 2004.
  34. ↑ Mark Woods (2008). "Basketball back on the box". Sunday Mail. Retrieved 17 February 2008.
  35. ↑ "British Basketball League". BBL. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  36. ↑ "Sky falls in for BBL TV coverage". MVP247.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  37. ↑ "Thirty-two BBL and WBBL games to be broadcast live on BBC Sport | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  38. ↑ "BBL and Perform sign major media deal | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  39. ↑ "All BBL games now available via LiveBasketball.TV. | BBL". bbl.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  40. ↑ "BBL Announce Deal with UniLad for Weekly Facebook Stream". hoopsfix.com. 28 September 2017.
  41. ↑ "British Basketball League returns to Sky Sports". bbl.org.uk. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  42. ↑ Williams, Callum (20 October 2023). "NESN to broadcast British Basketball League in the US". Insider Sports. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
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