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 League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

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 sk ...

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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

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 betwee ...

. 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" format. The winning team of the final round are crowned the

German Champions The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of ...

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 ...

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 cons ...

), or in a lower level

Regionalliga The Regionalliga () is the fourth tier in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier in Germany. In 1994, it was introduced as the third tier. Upon the creation of the new nationwide 3. Liga in 2008, it became the four ...

, 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 Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

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 ...

medals, in knock-out matches that are termed the BBL-TOP4. The gold winning team is the

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 ...

(DBB).

History

In Germany, a national domestic

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 federal-league, consisting of one northern division and one southern division, each comprising 10 teams, was decided on by the

(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 The 2. Basketball Bundesliga is the second tier level league of professional club basketball in Germany. Before the 2007–08 season, the ''2. Basketball Bundesliga'' consisted of two geographical divisions (North and South). Since 2007 the 2. B ...

). 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" 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 o ...

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

division, and a

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 Alba Berlin is a German professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Mercedes ...

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 Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

, 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 Ar� ...

BBL *2016–2021easyCredit BBLFünf 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 The 2021–22 Basketball Bundesliga, known as the easyCredit BBL for sponsorship reasons, will be the 55th season of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the top-tier level of professional club basketball in Germany. It started on 23 September 2021 a ...

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:

* 1949–50: Stuttgart-Degerloch * 1950–51:

* 1951–52:

* 1952–53:

* 1953–54:

* 1954–55:

* 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:

* 1958–59:

* 1959–60:

* 1960–61:

* 1961–62:

* 1962–63:

Alemannia Aachen Alemannia Aachen () or ATSV Alemannia 1900 is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, ''Alemannia'' enjoyed a three-year turn in the Bundesliga in the ...

* 1963–64:

* 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:

* 1966–67:

* 1967–68:

* 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 ...

* 1969–70: TuS 04 Leverkusen * 1970–71: TuS 04 Leverkusen * 1971–72: TuS 04 Leverkusen * 1972–73:

* 1973–74:

SSV Hagen Brandt Hagen Hagen is a professional basketball club from Hagen in Germany. History It is the successor of Brandt Hagen, a professional club that had considerable success in the German Basketball Bundesliga in the 90s. In April 1990, the club wa ...

* 1974–75:

* 1975–76: TuS 04 Leverkusen * 1976–77:

* 1977–78:

* 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:

* 1983–84:

* 1984–85:

Bayer 04 Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, ...

* 1985–86:

* 1986–87: Saturn 77 Köln * 1987–88: Saturn 77 Köln * 1988–89: Steiner Bayreuth * 1989–90:

* 1990–91:

* 1991–92:

* 1992–93:

* 1993–94:

* 1994–95:

* 1995–96:

* 1996–97:

* 1997–98:

* 1998–99:

* 1999–00:

* 2000–01:

* 2001–02:

* 2002–03:

* 2003–04: Opel Skyliners * 2004–05: GHP Bamberg * 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:

* 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:

* 2010–11:

* 2011–12:

* 2012–13:

* 2013–14:

* 2014–15:

* 2015–16:

* 2016–17:

* 2017–18:

* 2018–19:

* 2019–20:

* 2020–21:

* 2021–22:

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 ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Men's professional basketball leagues Basketball leagues in Germany Professional sports leagues in Germany