The FIBA Americas League ( Portuguese: ''FIBA Liga das Américas'', Spanish: ''FIBA Liga de las Américas''), officially abbreviated as the LDA, was the premier intercontinental

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

club competition played annually by

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

of the entire

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. Organized by FIBA Americas, the competition was replaced by the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) in September 2019. The inaugural season started on 4 December 2007. The FIBA Americas League was a recreation of the now defunct Pan American Club Championship, that existed from 1993 to 2000.Equipo de baloncesto salvadoreño jugará Liga de las Américas .
/ref> The winner of the Final Four, the culminating tournament of each season's FIBA Americas League, is crowned as the champion of all of the FIBA Americas zone region. The tournament's final is called the Grand Final. It is the first-tier and most important professional international club basketball competition in the regions of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. From 2013 to 2015, the winner of each season's FIBA Americas tournament, played against the winner of each season's European top-tier level EuroLeague competition, at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, in order to determine an official club world cup champion. Since 2016, the champions of the FIBA Americas League contest the FIBA Intercontinental Cup against the champions of one of the two European second-tier level competitions, the European Champions League.

History

In 1993, the Campeonato Panamericano de Clubes de Básquetbol (''Pan American Basketball Club Championship'') was created as the top tier Pan American tournament, running from 1993 until 2000. In December 2007, the FIBA Americas League was introduced to occupy this level of competition. The FIBA Americas League was formed in 2007, as a professional intercontinental men's basketball club competition, under the organization of FIBA Americas, with the goal of creating a world-class top level multinational basketball league in the

region. The league was modeled after the EuroLeague, Europe's top-tier level multinational club basketball league. The main reason for creating the league was the promotion and growth of the sport, and the increased level of competition that would come from the creation of a multinational super league in the FIBA Americas region. Another one of the main goals in the creation of the league was to eventually revive the dormant FIBA Intercontinental Cup, so that clubs from the FIBA Americas region could once again directly compete against top EuroLeague teams in official games, and so that an official world cup championship could once again be contested. FIBA World decided to revive the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 2013, deciding that the champions of the FIBA Americas League would play against the champions of the EuroLeague, to decide on the world club champion. It was then decided by FIBA World that the tournament would be played every year from then on for the foreseeable future. Since 2016, the FIBA Americas League champions play against the champions of one of the two European second-tier level competitions, the FIBA Champions League. Another goal in creating the league was to form a league system of teams that could form a partnership with the EuroLeague and NBA on playing friendly games during the preseason, in the same way that the EuroLeague and NBA teams were already playing against each other during the preseason. This was finally realized in the 2014–15 preseason, when teams from the FIBA Americas League played against teams from both the EuroLeague and the NBA.

Names of the top-tier level Pan American competition

** Campeonato Panamericano de Clubes de Básquetbol (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

: Pan American Basketball Club Championship): (1993–2000) * FIBA Americas era: (2007–present) ** FIBA Americas League: (2007 – present)

Format

Under the original format, 16 participating clubs were divided in four groups, of four teams each. The top two clubs of each group qualified for the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals winners then played a four-team group stage, in a yet to be determined host city. Under the current format, the 16 participating clubs are divided in four groups, of four teams each. The top two clubs of each group qualify for the semifinals. The semifinals winners qualify to play at the FIBA Americas League Final 4, in a yet to be determined host city. The final four format was held for the first time in 2014. The last game of the tournament is called the Grand Final.

Final Fours and Grand Finals (2007–present)

Performances

By club

By country

FIBA Americas League awards

References

External links

Official website

FIBA Liga Americas Twitter

LatinBasket.com FIBA Americas League

Liga de las Américas YouTube Channel
{{FIBA Americas League MVPs International club basketball competitions Basketball competitions in the Americas Recurring sporting events established in 2007 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2019