The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the
highest level league of
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
club
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 ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season is split into a league stage and a
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
stage. At the end of the league stage, the top eight teams qualify for the playoff stage, and the teams positioned in the 17th and 18th places are
relegated
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
to a lower-tier league. The playoffs are played in a "
Best of five
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly k ...
" format. The winning team of the final round are crowned the
German Champions of that season.
In addition to the league competition, all BBL teams compete for the
German Basketball Cup
Basketball Bundesliga-Pokal, commonly known as the BBL-Pokal, is the annual national basketball cup competition in Germany. Since 2009, the title has been awarded to the winner of a tournament competition between top clubs of each Basketball Bunde ...
. Teams playing
in the second league (
ProA
Proas are various types of multi-hull outrigger sailboats of the Austronesian peoples. The terms were used for native Austronesian ships in European records during the Colonial era indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the ...
or
ProB
The ProB is the third-tier level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 24 teams, separated into a Northern and a Southern Division. Officially, the ProB is part of the '' 2. Basketball Bundesliga'', which con ...
), or in a lower level
Regionalliga, are also eligible to participate in the BBL-Cup. There are always 3 knock-out rounds that are played for the BBL-Cup. If more teams from the leagues below the BBL level apply for participation, then available places, and additional qualification rounds are added for them. The
final four remaining teams determine the rankings for
bronze,
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
, and
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
medals, in knock-out matches that are termed the BBL-TOP4. The gold winning team is the
German Basketball Cup
Basketball Bundesliga-Pokal, commonly known as the BBL-Pokal, is the annual national basketball cup competition in Germany. Since 2009, the title has been awarded to the winner of a tournament competition between top clubs of each Basketball Bunde ...
winner.
The Basketball Bundesliga is run by the
Basketball Bundesliga GmbH
The Basketball Bundesliga GmbH is a governing body for basketball in Germany. It directs the 18 professional German basketball sports clubs of the top-tier German Basketball League.
History
The Basketball Bundesliga BBL was founded 29 October ...
. 74% of BBL GmbH is owned by the AG BBL e.V. (which is composed of the
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 ...
), and 26% by the
German Basketball Federation
The German Basketball Federation (german: Deutscher Basketball Bund, abbreviated as DBB), is the governing body for basketball in Germany. It is headquartered in Hagen, Germany.
Competitions
The DBB also organizes several competitions:
* Men's c ...
(DBB).
History
In Germany, a national domestic
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
championship was first organised in 1939, and it was won by ''LSV Spandau''. By 1944, almost all basketball activity in the country was forced to an end, due to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. In 1947, ''MTSV Schwabing München'' became the first champion of post-war divided Germany.
The creation of a split
West German
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
federal-league, consisting of one northern division and one southern division, each comprising 10 teams, was decided on by the
German Basketball Federation
The German Basketball Federation (german: Deutscher Basketball Bund, abbreviated as DBB), is the governing body for basketball in Germany. It is headquartered in Hagen, Germany.
Competitions
The DBB also organizes several competitions:
* Men's c ...
(DBB) in 1964. On October 1, 1966, the first season of the so-called Basketball Bundesliga started. Starting with the 1971–72 season, the size of each division was reduced to 8 teams.
With the 1975–76 season, the league structure was changed into a ten team first league (1. Basketball Bundesliga), and a 20 team second league (
2. Basketball Bundesliga). Only the second league was split into a northern and a southern division, of 10 teams each. In 1985, the top league was enlarged to a size of 12 teams, and two years later, each division of the second league was also enlarged to 12 teams.
In 1988, the championship mode "
Best of five
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly k ...
" was applied for the first time. Starting with the 1995–96 season, the first league consisted of 14 teams. The Basketball Bundesliga
GmbH (BBL) was founded in October 1996.
The federal leagues received their own administration within the framework of the German Basketball Federation in 1997. Since then, the second league divisions have been administered by the "AG 2. Bundesliga", while the BBL has been responsible for the first league. Two years later, a contract was signed between the BBL and the German Basketball Federation, in which the federation transferred its marketing/events rights to the BBL, for a 10-year duration, and in return, the BBL agreed to pay an annual "amateur support fee" of
DM 600,000 (
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
306,775).
Starting with the 2003–04 season, the top league was increased to 16 teams, and in 2006–07, it was further increased to its present size of 18 teams. For the following 2007–08 season, the structure of the second league was reshaped from its northern/southern divisions, into a
ProA
Proas are various types of multi-hull outrigger sailboats of the Austronesian peoples. The terms were used for native Austronesian ships in European records during the Colonial era indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the ...
division, and a
ProB
The ProB is the third-tier level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 24 teams, separated into a Northern and a Southern Division. Officially, the ProB is part of the '' 2. Basketball Bundesliga'', which con ...
division. These divisions remained under the administration by "AG 2. Bundesliga".
Between 1994 and 2001, the highest level German basketball league was called "
Veltins
Brauerei C & A Veltins () is a brewery in the west German city of Meschede-Grevenstein. In 2015, Veltins ranked fourth among Germany's best selling beers.
The small guesthouse brewery of Franz Kramer opened its simple wooden gates i ...
Basketball Bundesliga", and from 2001, until 2003, the league was known as "
s.Oliver
s.Oliver, legally ''s.Oliver Bernd Freier GmbH & Co. KG'', is a German fashion company headquartered in Rottendorf that sells apparel, shoes, accessories, jewellery, fragrances and eyewear worldwide.
History
The company was founded in 1969 ...
Basketball Bundesliga".
Bayer Giants Leverkusen
Bayer Giants Leverkusen is a professional basketball club, part of the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen sports club based in Leverkusen, Germany. It currently plays in ProA, the second division of German basketball.
Based on the number of titles, Leverku ...
hold the league titles won record, being the winner of 14
German Basketball Championships. However, since 1997,
Alba Berlin has dominated the league, winning their 8th title in 2008. Twenty-one teams have won the championship, since its inception.
Since 2009,
Brose Bamberg
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketbal ...
dominated the competition and won the title in four straight seasons (2009-2013). In 2012,
Bayern Munich, the basketball team of the
same-named football club, entered the league. Bayern became one of the wealthiest team in German basketball and won the championship in 2014.
Sponsorship
In 2016, the BBL joined forces with
Tipbet
Tipbet is a Malta-based gambling company. Its headquarters are in Gzira and the company has grown significantly since its inception in 1995. With a business heavily focused on the online market, there are also fully branded physical betting shops ...
, a Malta-based betting company. This made Tipbet the Official Betting and Premium Sponsor of the league; the sponsorship agreement results in advertising activities throughout the arenas and online, and runs until 2018.
Arena rules
Currently, all Bundesliga clubs must play in arenas that seat at least 3,000 people.
Logos, names, and sponsorship names
*1966–2009Basketball Bundesliga
*2009–2016
Beko
Beko ( ; stylized as beko) is a Turkish major appliance and consumer electronics brand of Arçelik A.Ş. controlled by Koç Holding.
History
Beko Elektronik A.Ş. was founded by Vehbi Koç, the founder of Koç Holding (who also founded Arà ...
BBL
*2016–2021easyCredit BBL
Fünf Jahre Vertrauen: easyCredit neuer Namensgeber und strategischer Partner der Basketball Bundesliga
/ref>
File:BEKO BBL logo 2015.png, Logo of 2010–2016
File:EasyCredit BBL Logo.png, Logo since 2016
Clubs
Members of the 2021–22 Basketball Bundesliga.
Title holders
* 1938–39: LSV Spandau
* 1939-46: Not held due to World War II
* 1946–47: MTSV Schwabing
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1947–48: Turnerbund Heidelberg
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1948–49: MTSV Schwabing
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1949–50: Stuttgart-Degerloch
* 1950–51: Turnerbund Heidelberg
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1951–52: Turnerbund Heidelberg
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1952–53: Turnerbund Heidelberg
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1953–54: Bayern Munich
* 1954–55: Bayern Munich
* 1955–56: ATV Düsseldorf
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...
* 1956–57: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1957–58: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1958–59: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1959–60: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1960–61: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1961–62: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1962–63: Alemannia Aachen
* 1963–64: Alemannia Aachen
* 1964–65: Gießen 46ers
The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people.
History
The ...
* 1965–66: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1966–67: Gießen 46ers
The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people.
History
The ...
* 1967–68: Gießen 46ers
The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people.
History
The ...
* 1968–69: VfL Osnabrück
VfL Osnabrück is a German multi-sport club in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. It currently fields teams in basketball, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, and tennis but is by far best known for its football section.
History Foundation to WW2
The c ...
* 1969–70: TuS 04 Leverkusen
* 1970–71: TuS 04 Leverkusen
* 1971–72: TuS 04 Leverkusen
* 1972–73: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1973–74: SSV Hagen
* 1974–75: Gießen 46ers
The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people.
History
The ...
* 1975–76: TuS 04 Leverkusen
* 1976–77: USC Heidelberg
USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundeslig ...
* 1977–78: Gießen 46ers
The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people.
History
The ...
* 1978–79: TuS 04 Leverkusen
* 1979–80: ASC 1846 Göttingen
The ASC 1846 Göttingen is a German basketball club based in Göttingen. ASC and its predecessor societies ''SSV Hellas Göttingen'' and ''SSC Göttingen'' played 16 times in the Federal basketball league (1966–67, 1970–71, 1973–75 and 1976 ...
* 1980–81: Saturn 77 Köln
* 1981–82: Saturn 77 Köln
* 1982–83: ASC 1846 Göttingen
The ASC 1846 Göttingen is a German basketball club based in Göttingen. ASC and its predecessor societies ''SSV Hellas Göttingen'' and ''SSC Göttingen'' played 16 times in the Federal basketball league (1966–67, 1970–71, 1973–75 and 1976 ...
* 1983–84: ASC 1846 Göttingen
The ASC 1846 Göttingen is a German basketball club based in Göttingen. ASC and its predecessor societies ''SSV Hellas Göttingen'' and ''SSC Göttingen'' played 16 times in the Federal basketball league (1966–67, 1970–71, 1973–75 and 1976 ...
* 1984–85: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1985–86: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1986–87: Saturn 77 Köln
* 1987–88: Saturn 77 Köln
* 1988–89: Steiner Bayreuth
* 1989–90: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1990–91: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1991–92: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1992–93: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1993–94: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1994–95: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1995–96: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
* 1996–97: Alba Berlin
* 1997–98: Alba Berlin
* 1998–99: Alba Berlin
* 1999–00: Alba Berlin
* 2000–01: Alba Berlin
* 2001–02: Alba Berlin
* 2002–03: Alba Berlin
* 2003–04: Opel Skyliners
* 2004–05: GHP Bamberg
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketb ...
* 2005–06: RheinEnergie Köln RheinEnergie can refer to:
* RheinEnergie AG, energy company based in Cologne
* RheinEnergieStadion, sports stadium in Cologne
*Köln 99ers
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rh ...
* 2006–07: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2007–08: Alba Berlin
* 2008–09: EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Baskets Oldenburg, for sponsorship reasons EWE Baskets Oldenburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Oldenburg, Germany. The club plays in the Bundesliga. The club's name is derived from the team's main sponsor EWE AG ...
* 2009–10: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2010–11: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2011–12: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2012–13: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2013–14: Bayern Munich
* 2014–15: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2015–16: Brose Baskets
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketball ...
* 2016–17: Brose Bamberg
Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketbal ...
* 2017–18: Bayern Munich
* 2018–19: Bayern Munich
* 2019–20: Alba Berlin
* 2020–21: Alba Berlin
* 2021–22: Alba Berlin
Titles by club
Finals
Awards
Finals MVPs
*Player nationality by national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
.
See also
* Basketball in Germany
* German Basketball League Champions
* German Basketball League Awards
*German Basketball Cup
Basketball Bundesliga-Pokal, commonly known as the BBL-Pokal, is the annual national basketball cup competition in Germany. Since 2009, the title has been awarded to the winner of a tournament competition between top clubs of each Basketball Bunde ...
*German Basketball Supercup
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) Champions Cup is an inactive men's professional basketball game in Germany, which is comparable to other super cup games. The Basketball Bundesliga champion plays the game against the BBL-Pokal winner. Usually, the ...
* German League All-Star Game
References
External links
Official website
{{Men's professional basketball leagues
Basketball leagues in Germany
Professional sports leagues in Germany