 | |
| Founded | 1987 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1987–88 |
| Folded | 2023–24 |
| Replaced by | Super League Basketball (SLB) |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Federation | British Basketball |
| Confederation |  FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | See more |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Promotion to | none |
| Relegation to | none |
| Domestic cup(s) | BBL Cup BBL Trophy |
| Supercup | BBL Cup Winners' Cup |
| International cup(s) | EuroCup Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
| Last champions | London Lions (3rd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Newcastle Eagles (7 titles) |
| TV partners | Sky Sports YouTube |
| Website | BBL.org.uk |
The British Basketball League (BBL) was a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain. Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom. The organisation that operated the competition, Basketball League Limited, folded in July 2024 after the British Basketball Federation terminated its operating license. It was succeeded as the top-level men's basketball competition with Super League Basketball.
The BBL operated as a franchise model where each member team is located within a separate franchise area. Most recently (in 2023/24), the League featured 10 member franchises from England and Scotland who jointly own the organisation[1] and a chairman was elected by the teams to oversee operations. The League offices were located in Leicester[2] where the country's oldest team, the Leicester Riders, is also based.
The BBL sat above the English National Basketball League and the Scottish Basketball Championship, which effectively formed the second tier of basketball competition in Great Britain. Due to the franchise model there was no promotion or relegation between the lower leagues and the BBL, although several BBL member teams had previously competed in the National Basketball League.
In addition to the regular season Championship, the BBL also staged two knockout competitions; the BBL Trophy and the end-of-season BBL Playoffs. Previously the organisation also ran the BBL Cup and BBL Cup Winners' Cup competitions, though these were last contested in 2023 and 2009 respectively. In partnership with Basketball England the organisation launched a women's league in 2014, branded as the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL).[3]
- ^ "British Basketball League". BBL. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "ULEB Union des Ligues Européenes de Basket-ball". Uleb.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "Women's British Basketball League launched". EnglandBasketball.co.uk. 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.