![]() | |
Founded | 1960 |
---|---|
First season | 1960–61 |
Folded | 2021 |
Replaced by | BNXT League |
Country | Netherlands |
Confederation | FIBA Europe |
Number of teams | 12 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Domestic cup(s) | NBB Cup |
Supercup | Dutch Supercup |
International cup(s) | Basketball Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
Last champions | Heroes Den Bosch (17th title) (2021–22) |
Most championships | Heroes Den Bosch (17 titles) |
Website | www |
The Dutch Basketball League (DBL), formerly the Eredivisie, was the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands, run by the Federatie Eredivisie Basketball (FEB). [1] Since 2021, the league has been replaced by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. [2]
The league had a closed system: to participate, a team has to have enough money and potential. The league began in 1960 as the Eredivisie and was organized by the NBB and later the FEB. In 1977 the league introduced play-offs. As of 2019, the Dutch Basketball League consists of ten teams and plays under the FIBA rules.
Starting with the 2010–11 season, the Eredivisie changed its name to the Dutch Basketball League, shortly the DBL. The beginning of the 2010s saw Donar and ZZ Leiden emerge as top teams in the Netherlands. Donar won five titles, including three straight (2015-2018). The decade also saw clubs disappear due to financial problems, with Amsterdam in 2011, [3] West-Brabant Giants in 2011, [4] Magixx in 2014. [5] [6] The decade also saw the emergence of new clubs in Apollo Amsterdam and Den Helder Suns.
In Europe, Donar had one of the biggest successes in Dutch history after reaching the semi-finals of the 2017–18 FIBA Europe Cup. It was the first European semi-final of a team since Amsterdam in 2001.
In December 2019, it was announced that the DBL has partnered with the Belgian Pro Basketball League (PBL) to look at the potential of a future "BeNe League". [7] The 2019–20 season was cancelled prematurely in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [8] It was the first time in league history that a season was not finished and no champions were named. Due to the pandemic, entry requirements for the following season were lowered which led to the entrance of Basketball Community Gelderland, The Hague Royals and Almere Sailors.
Each team has to play all the other teams in the league four times, twice at home and twice away. This means that the league's regular season ends after all teams play 36 matches. Like many other national domestic leagues in continental Europe, the Dutch Basketball League takes a winter break once each team has played half of its scheduled games.
At the end of the league season schedule, the eight best teams in the standings play in a play-off, pitting the first place team in the standings versus the eighth place team in the standings, and so on. The quarter finals are played in a best-of-three format and the semi-finals are played in a best-of-five format, and the finals are played in a best-of-seven format.
In seasons were the number of teams dropped to 9 or lower, six teams qualified for the playoffs. In this case, the numbers one and two qualified for the semifinals and the other four teams played the quarterfinals.
The DBL has had many rules in place to restrict the number of foreign players of clubs. This way the league seek to keep developing Dutch talent in the league. For several seasons. Until 2019, teams in the DBL were not allowed to have more than four players without a Dutch passport in their on court team at the same time.
As of the end of the 2020–21 season:
Club | City | Arena | Capacity | 1st season in DBL | No. of seasons in DBL | DBL titles | Last title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Almere Sailors | Almere | Topsportcentrum Almere | 3,000 | 2020–21 | 1 | – | – |
Apollo Amsterdam | Amsterdam | Apollohal | 1,500 | 2012–13 | 8 | – | – |
Aris Leeuwarden | Leeuwarden | Kalverdijkje | 1,700 | 2004–05 | 16 | – | – |
BAL | Weert | Sporthal Boshoven | 1,000 | 2017–18 | 4 | – | – |
Heroes Den Bosch | 's-Hertogenbosch | Maaspoort | 2,800 | 1962–63 | 54 | 16 | 2015 |
Den Helder Suns | Den Helder | Sporthal Sportlaan | 1,500 | 1981–82 | 29 | 6 | 1998 |
Donar | Groningen | MartiniPlaza | 4,350 | 1970–71 | 51 | 7 | 2018 |
Feyenoord | Rotterdam | Topsportcentrum | 2,400 | 1988–89 | 32 | – | – |
Landstede Hammers | Zwolle | Landstede Sportcentrum | 1,200 | 1995–96 | 25 | 1 | 2019 |
The Hague Royals | The Hague | Sportcampus Zuiderpark | 3,500 | 2020–21 | 1 | – | – |
Yoast United | Bemmel | De Schaapskooi | 650 | 2020–21 | 1 | – | – |
ZZ Leiden | Leiden | Vijf Meihal | 2,000 | 1967–68 | 31 | 4 | 2021 |
The following is the timeline of the teams in the Dutch Basketball League era (since 2011).
The following clubs are not competing in the DBL during the 2020–21 season, but have previously competed in the DBL for at least one season. Teams in italics were folded and do not exist anymore.
Club | City | Current league | First season in DBL | Most recent season in DBL | Seasons in DBL | DBL titles | Last DBL title |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agon Amsterdam / Racing Agona | Amsterdam | 1961–62 | 1972–73 | 12 | – | – | |
Almere Pioneers | Promotiedivisie | 1998–99 | 2006–07 | 9 | – | – | |
Amsterdam Basketball | – | 1995–96 | 2010–11 | 15 | 7 | 2009 | |
AMVJ | Amsterdam | Regional | 1966–67 | 1 | – | – | |
ASVU | Amstelveen | – | 1963–64 | 1974–75 | 5 | – | – |
GOBA | Regional levels | 1990–91 | 1995–96 | 4 | – | – | |
Blue Stars a | Diemen | Regional | 1960–61 | 1975–76 | 13 | 1 | 1970 |
BSW | – | 1982–83 | 2016–17 | 24 | 1 | 1994 | |
BVG | Promotiedivisie | 1979–80 | 1 | – | – | ||
Landlust / Canadians Amsterdam a | Amsterdam | – | 1960–61 | 1992–93 | 32 | 2 | 1963 |
C3 Cobra's | – | 2000–01 | 1 | – | – | ||
DAS Delft | Regional levels | 1986–87 | 1988–89 | 3 | – | – | |
DED a | Amsterdam | Regional | 1960–61 | 1973–74 | 14 | ||
Dutch Windmills | – | 2018–19 | 1 | – | – | ||
Dunckers | Hilversum | Regional levels | 1995–96 | 1 | – | – | |
EiffelTowers Nijmegen | – | 2000–01 | 2004–05 | 5 | 1 | 2003 | |
Herly Amsterdam a | Amsterdam | Regional | 1960–61 | 1968–69 | 9 | 1 | 1969 |
NAC | – | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2 | – | – | |
Magixx | – | 2005–06 | 2013–14 | 9 | – | – | |
Monark Amsterdama | Amsterdam | – | 1960–61 | 1963–64 | 4 | – | – |
Orca's Urk | Eerste Divisie | 1983–84 | 1990–91 | 8 | – | – | |
Punch a | Promotiedivisie | 1960–61 | 1982–83 | 22 | 2 | 1975 | |
Red Giants | Eerste Divisie | 1987–88 | 1994–95 | 8 | – | – | |
SVE Utrecht | Utrecht | – | 1965–66 | 1970–71 | 6 | 1 | 1967 |
Suvrikri | The Hague | – | 1966–67 | 1971–72 | 6 | – | – |
The Arrowsa | Rotterdam | – | 1960–61 | 1963–64 | 4 | – | – |
The Wolves Amsterdam a | – | 1960–61 | 1968–69 | 9 | 5 | 1965 | |
Tonego | Regional levels | 1980–81 | 1986–87 | 8 | – | – | |
Typhoons Haarlem | Haarlem | – | 1961–62 | 1 | – | – | |
USa | Amstelveen | Regional | 1960–61 | 1966–67 | 6 | – | – |
Virtus | Eerste Divisie | 1983–84 | 2000–01 | 8 | – | – | |
West-Brabant Giants | – | 2003–04 | 2010–11 | 8 | – | – | |
Wilskracht Amsterdam | Amsterdam | – | 1964–65 | 1969–70 | 6 | – | – |
ZBVS Santpoort | – | 1960–61 | 1 | – | – |
a: Founding member of the DBL.
The two teams that advance to the Finals of the play-offs play against each other in a best-of-seven playoff format.
Season | Winner(s) | Score | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|
Donar [lower-alpha 1] | 4–1 | West-Brabant Giants | |
ZZ Leiden | 4–3 | Donar [lower-alpha 1] | |
Den Bosch | 4–1 | ZZ Leiden | |
ZZ Leiden | 4–0 | Aris Leeuwarden | |
Donar [lower-alpha 1] | 4–3 | Den Bosch | |
Den Bosch | 4–1 | Donar | |
Donar | 4–1 | Landstede Zwolle | |
Donar | 4–1 | Landstede Zwolle | |
Donar | 4–0 | ZZ Leiden | |
Landstede Zwolle | 4–2 | Donar | |
Not awarded | |||
ZZ Leiden | 3–0 | Heroes Den Bosch | |
Heroes Den Bosch | 3–2 | ZZ Leiden |
Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence. Teams in bold are currently playing in the DBL.
Club | Wins | Seasons won |
---|---|---|
Heroes Den Bosch | 17 | 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2021–22 |
DED | 8 | 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58 |
Amsterdam | 7 | 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09 |
Donar | 7 | 1981–82, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
Den Helder | 6 | 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1997–98 |
The Wolves Amsterdam | 4 | 1959–60, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65 |
Flamingo's Haarlem | 4 | 1985–86, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 |
ZZ Leiden | 4 | 1977–78, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2020–21 |
AMVJ | 3 | 1948–49, 1950–51, 1954–55 |
Blue Stars | 2 | 1958–59, 1969–70 |
Landlust | 2 | 1961–62, 1962–63 |
Punch Delft | 2 | 1968–69, 1974–75 |
Amstelveen | 2 | 1975–76, 1976–77 |
APGS | 1 | 1947–48 |
Herly Amsterdam | 1 | 1965–66 |
SVE Utrecht | 1 | 1966–67 |
RZ | 1 | 1973–74 |
Landstede Hammers | 1 | 2018–19 |
BSW Weert | 1 | 1993–94 |
Matrixx Magixx | 1 | 2002–03 |
The following are the ten players with the most points in the Eredivisie or DBL: [9]
Rank | Player | Points | Played | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kees Akerboom Sr. | 9,878 | 491 | 20.1 |
2 | Emil Hagens | 7,810 | 583 | 13.4 |
3 | Toon van Helfteren | 7,385 | 605 | 12.2 |
4 | Kees Akerboom Jr. | 7,262 | 656 | 11.0 |
5 | Hank Smith | 7,119 | 297 | 24.0 |
6 | Marcel Huijbens | 6,842 | 481 | 14.2 |
7 | Cees van Rootselaar | 6,338 | 538 | 11.8 |
8 | Jimmy Moore | 6,099 | 277 | 22.0 |
9 | Dan Cramer | 6,000 | 329 | 18.2 |
10 | Martin de Vries | 5,943 | 357 | 16.7 |
Donar, also known as Donar Groningen, is a professional basketball club based in Groningen, Netherlands. The club competes in the BNXT League and its home arena is MartiniPlaza, which has a seating capacity of 4,350 people.
Landstede Hammers is a Dutch basketball club based in Zwolle. The club plays in the BNXT League, the Dutch top tier division. The club was founded as Cees Lubbers The Hammers in 1995. In 1999, the club’s name was changed into Landstede Hammers. In 2001, the club received its current name Landstede Basketbal as the team became part of the same-named educational institution in Zwolle. The home games of the club are played in the Landstede Sportcentrum.
The 2011–12 Dutch Basketball League (DBL) was the 52nd season of the highest Dutch professional basketball league. The regular season started on 8 October 2011. EiffelTowers Den Bosch won its 15th national championship, after beating ZZ Leiden 4–1 in the Finals. Seamus Boxley received the Most Valuable Player award this season.
Sergerio Montez "Teddy" Gipson is an American professional basketball player who last played for Donar of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL).
Apollo Amsterdam is a professional basketball team based in Amsterdam. The club plays its games in the BNXT League, the Dutch top league. The club was founded in 2011 and has been playing in the highest national level for 10 years. The amateur section of the club is known as BC Apollo. Apollo Amsterdam is known for their focus on developing the Dutch basketball players and giving them growth perspective in a foreign player dominated league. Apollo debuted 25 Dutch players in the last 5,5 seasons.
Matrixx Magixx was a professional basketball team based in Nijmegen and later Wijchen. The club played in the Dutch Basketball League (DBL), the Dutch top-tier league. Home games of the Magixx were played in Sporthal De Arcus since 2012, therefore De Horstacker was used. The long time main sponsor of the team was The Matrixx. In 2014, Magixx departed from the DBL after the club could not find funding.
Aris Leeuwarden is a Dutch professional basketball club based in Leeuwarden. The club competes in the BNXT League, and has competed at the highest national level since 2004. Aris plays its home games at the Kalverdijkje. Its most notable successes are reaching the DBL finals in 2013 and the NBB Cup final in 2020.
The Basketball Cup, formerly the NBB Cup, is an annual cup competition for Dutch basketball teams organised by the Basketball Nederland. Every team in the Netherlands can participate by signing up for the preliminary rounds. Professional basketball teams from the Dutch Basketball League (DBL) enter the tournament in the fourth round. From 1977 until 1990 professional teams were not allowed to participate in the competition.
Dimeo van der Horst is a Dutch 3x3 basketball player who plays for the Netherlands men's national 3x3 team. Standing at 1.95 m, Van der Horst primarily plays as point guard.
The 2014–15 Dutch Basketball League season will be the 55th season of the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. The defending champion was Donar from Groningen.
The 2014–15 NBB Cup was the 47th season of the annual cup tournament in the Netherlands. Donar was the defending champion.
Heroes Den Bosch is a Dutch professional basketball club based in 's-Hertogenbosch. The club plays in the BNXT League since 2021 and in the top basketball division in the Netherlands since 1972. Founded as EBBC in 1951, the club had several sponsored names the following decades.
ZZ Leiden Basketball, also known as Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden, is a basketball club based in Leiden, Netherlands. The club plays in the BNXT League, the domestic first tier league. Their home games are played at Vijf Meihal, which has 2,000 seats.
The 2017–18 Dutch Basketball League (DBL) was the 58th season of the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. The regular season started on 7 October 2017 and ended 21 April 2018. Donar is the defending champion. The playoffs started on 1 May and ended 29 May 2018. Donar captured its seventh championship, its third in a row and fourth in fifth years, after defeating ZZ Leiden in the finals.
The 2018–19 Dutch Basketball League (DBL) was the 59th season of the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. The regular season started on 6 October 2018 and ended 30 April 2019. The best eight teams qualify for the playoffs which start on 2 May 2019. Donar was the defending champion.
Rienk Johannes Mast is a Dutch college basketball player for the Bradley Braves. Standing at 205 cm, Mast usually plays the power forward or center position. He is a current member of the Dutch national basketball team.
The 2020–21 Dutch Basketball League (DBL) was the 61st season of the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. The season started on 3 October 2020 and ended on 27 May 2021.
Yoast United is a Dutch basketball club based in Bemmel, Gelderland. Established in 2020, the team plays in the BNXT League, the highest level of basketball in the Netherlands. Home games are played at De Kooi, which has a capacity of 650 people.
Almere Sailors was a Dutch basketball club based in Almere. Established in 2020, the team played one season in the Dutch Basketball League (DBL), the highest level of basketball in the Netherlands. Home games are played in the Topsportcentrum Almere, which has a capacity of 3,000 people. A year later, the team left the league due to financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy a few months later.