The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's

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 (appro ...

league in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the league consists of 12 teams, of which six are located in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. The most successful club in the history of the league is

Al Riyadi Club Beirut Al Riyadi Club Beirut (), commonly known simply as Al Riyadi, is a Sports club, multi-sports club team based in Ras Beirut, Manara, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 1934, the multi-sports club, which is mainly known for their basketball ...

History

The initial Lebanese basketball league was formed in as early as the 1950s; however, it was stopped during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. In 1992, the league was reformed into its current fully professional format. In 1998, Sporting Club (Al Riyadi) finished third in the

FIBA Asia Champions Cup The Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), formerly the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, is an annual continental club men's basketball competition organised by FIBA Asia. It is the highest level club competition for basketball in Asia. Introduce ...

, that same year Beirut hosted the Arab Club Championship where Sagesse Club (Hekmeh) won, it was the first ever Arab basketball trophy for Lebanon. In 1999, Beirut hosted the Arab Club Championship, Hekmeh were crowned champions again, in addition to being the first Lebanese and first Arab team to win the Asian cup. The 1999 season was inaugurated by a huge event that included an exhibition game between Lebanese All-stars (represented by the top four teams Sagesse, Riyadi, Tadamon, and Rosaire) and

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

Overview

The league is the first division in Lebanese basketball. The team that finishes last each season is relegated to the Second Division, while the Second Division's top four teams compete in a play-off system. The team that wins is promoted for the next season.

Competition

There are 12 teams in the league. They play a round-robin format; each team plays all other teams once home and once away. At the end of the regular season, the top eight teams enter the playoffs and play a best of 5 series in the quarterfinals. The winners of the quarterfinals advance to the best of 5 series in the semifinals. The two teams that advance play a best of seven series in the final, and the winner is the league champion.

Teams

The following 10 teams play in the 2023–24 season.

Champions

Wins by year

:''FLB League (standings since 1993)''

Wins by team

Rivalries

The Big Rivalry * Al Riyadi vs Sagesse Club Other Rivalries * Al Riyadi vs Champville * Homenetmen Beirut vs Al Riyadi * Champville vs Sagesse Club * Tadamon Zouk vs Sagesse Club * Antranik vs Homenetmen Beirut * Tadamon Zouk vs Kahraba Zouk

Notable players

* Bassel Bawji *

Rony Fahed Rony Boulos Fahed (born November 6, 1981, in Achrafieh, Lebanon) is a Lebanese professional basketball player. He was also a member of the Lebanon national basketball team that participated in the 2002 FIBA World Championship in the United St ...

* Hayk Gyokchyan * Rodrigue Akl * Roy Samaha * Ali Haidar * Elie Stephan * Elie Rustom * Elie Mechantaf * Ali Mezher * Wael Arakji * Mohammad Ibrahim * Ahmad Ibrahim * Amir Saoud * Fadi El Khatib *

Joe Vogel Joseph Vogel can refer to: * Joseph Vogel (author), American author, scholar and popular culture critic * Joseph Vogel (executive) (1895–1969), American film studio executive * Joe Vogel (basketball) (born 1973), American / Lebanese basketball pla ...

* Ali Mahmoud * Brian Beshara *

Jean Abdelnour Jean Abdelnour (, born 29 November 1983) is a Lebanon, Lebanese former basketball player. He had a successful 2002–03 season with Ghazir which led him to be signed by the Blue Stars (Lebanon), Bluestars for the 2003–04 season. He stayed with ...

* Sabah Khoury * Omar El Turk * Ghaleb Rida * Ali Kanaan * Billy Pharis * Daniel Faris * Matt Freije */ Ekene Ibekwe * Duop Reath * Jean-Paul Afif *

Samaki Walker Samaki Ijuma Walker (born February 25, 1976) is an American retired professional basketball power forward and center (basketball), center. Walker played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, Louisville Cardinals and wa ...

* Cliff Alexander * Kerwin Roach *

Hassan Whiteside Hassan Niam Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd before being selec ...

* Shabazz Muhammad *

Rashad McCants Rashad Dion McCants (born September 25, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as overseas. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels ...

* Jeremy Pargo * Norvel Pelle * Isaiah Austin * Danny Pippen * JJ Hickson * Mike Taylor (basketball player) * Troy Williams * Diamond Stone * Zach Lofton * Kevin Murphy (basketball) * Ace Custis *

DeWayne Jackson Homenetmen beirut Dewayne Pernell Jackson (born November 30, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Al-Ahli Club (Manama), Al-Ahli Manama of the Bahraini Premier League (basketball), Bahraini Premier League. Jackson attended Mor ...

Patrick Rembert Patrick Ronald Rembert (born April 9, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for United Generation Basketball (UGB) of the Rwanda Basketball League. He played college basketball at UC Irvine from 2007 to 2011. College career After ...

* Dion Dixon * Corey Williams * Brian Cook * Tony Madison * Alvin Sims *

C.J. Giles Chester Jarell Giles (born September 23, 1985) is an American-Bahraini professional basketball player for Ezzahra Sports of the Championnat National A, as well as national player for Bahrain. He previously played for Pelita Jaya Basketball of t ...

* Darryl Watkins *

Lee Nailon Lee Nailon (born February 22, 1975) is an American professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 2007 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. In 2011, he was the top scorer in the ...

* Herbert Hill * Jumaine Jones *

Loren Woods Loren Gerard Woods (born June 21, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He previously played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school and college career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Woods atte ...

* Priest Lauderdale * Dewarick Spencer * Flip Murray * Desmond Penigar * Rasheim Wright * Marcus Haislip * Harold Jamison *

Andre Emmett Andre Emmett (August 27, 1982 – September 23, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was named a consensus All-American as a senior in 2004. He had brief stints in ...

* Nate Johnson * Marc Salyers *

Earl Barron Earl Daniel Barron Jr. (born August 14, 1981) is an American professional basketball former player and coach. He played college basketball for the University of Memphis and had stints in the NBA with multiple teams. College career Barron played ...

Scotty Thurman Scotty Thurman (born November 10, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach, perhaps best known as the Arkansas Razorbacks' shooting guard who hit the high-arcing go-ahead three-pointer with 50.7 secon ...

* Rick Hughes * DeShawn Sims * Aaron Harper * LeRoy Hurd * Tre Kelley * Sam Hoskin *

Quincy Douby Quincy Douby (born May 16, 1984) is an American-born, naturalized Montenegrin former professional basketball player. At , , Douby played shooting guard for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Sacramento Kings made him the 19th selection of the 2006 ...

Ronnie Fields Ronnie Fields (born February 28, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. High school Born and raised in Chicago, Fields played at Farragut Academy in Chicago from 1992–1996 and was a teammate of Kevin Garnett during the 1 ...

Willie Burton Willie Ricardo Burton (born May 26, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (ninth overall pick) in the 1990 NBA draft from the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Burton played fo ...

Marlon Parmer Marlon Palmer (born September 28, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. Career *2008-09: Colorado 14ers (NBA D-League) 15.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.0 spg *2007: BC Kalev/Cramo (Est-KML) (9 games): 12.6ppg, 2.7apg, 4.2rpg 0.8spg *200 ...

* Booker Woodfox * Reyshawn Terry *

DerMarr Johnson DerMarr Miles Johnson (born May 5, 1980) is a retired American basketball player and current assistant coach who played seven seasons in the NBA. College career Johnson was a consensus McDonald's, Parade Magazine and USA Today high school All-A ...

Rashad Anderson Rashad Shaheed Anderson (born November 9, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Connecticut. Early life Rashad's first interest was baseball. His cousin introduced him ...

Jerald Honeycutt Jerald DeWayne Honeycutt (born October 20, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Honeycutt played high school basketball at Grambling Lab in Grambling, Louisiana. He played collegiately at Tulane University, where he fini ...

* Terrell Stoglin * Dickey Simpkins * Cedric Henderson *

Jeremiah Massey Jeremiah Massey (; born July 22, 1982) is an American-born naturalized Macedonian former professional basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.02 m), he played at the power forward and center positions during his professional club care ...

Ruben Patterson Ruben Nathaniel Patterson (born July 31, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. During his career, he played as a small forward and shooting guard. During his college career at the University of Cincinnati, Patterson earned ...

* Sherell Ford * Jamal Robinson *

Nate Robinson Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson (born May 31, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. ...

* Jonathan Gibson * Cleanthony Early * Nick Rakocevic *

Dar Tucker Darquavis Lamar "Dar" Tucker (born April 11, 1988) is an American-Jordanian professional basketball player who last played for the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball at DePau ...

* Ater Majok *

Aleksandar Radojević Aleksandar Radojević ( sr-cyr, Александар Радојевић, ; born August 8, 1976) is a Bosnian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played the center position. Radojević represented the Bosnia and Herzegovina n ...

Alpha Bangura Alpha Mohamed Bangura (born February 4, 1980) is a Libyan-Sierra Leonean former professional basketball player who competed as a member of the Libya national basketball team at the FIBA Africa Championship 2009. Amateur career Bangura is a gradua ...

* Ismail Ahmad *

Salah Mejri Salah Mejri (; born June 15, 1986) is a Tunisian former professional basketball player who represented the senior Tunisian national basketball team internationally. Standing at , he played at the center position. After a successful career in E ...

* Ali Traore *

Ndudi Ebi Ndudi Hamani Ebi (born 18 June 1984) is an English-born Nigerian former professional basketball player who most notably played for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 2003 and 2005. He initially comm ...

* Nikoloz Tskitishvili *

Jeleel Akindele Akindele Jeleel Ayodeji (born April 2, 1983) is a Nigerian professional basketball player. Collegiate career Akindele chose Chicago State University, Chicago State over Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Rutgers, Saint Peter's College (New Jersey), St. Pet ...

* Dalibor Bagarić *

Asghar Kardoust Asghar Kardoust Poustinsaraei (, born March 21, 1986) is an Iranian professional basketball player. He currently plays for Palayesh Naft Abadan BC, Naft Abadan in the Iranian Super League (Basketball), Iranian Super League as well as for the Iran ...

Hamed Haddadi Hamed Ehdadi Haddadi (, , born May 19, 1985) is an Iranian professional basketball player for Palayesh Naft Abadan of the Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL). He played at the center position and is tall and weighs . Haddadi was the first ...

Ratko Varda Ratko Varda ( sr-cyr, Ратко Варда; born 6 May 1979) is a Serbian-Bosnian former basketball player who played professionally for 22 years. Standing at , he played the center position. He first represented FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Monten ...

* Vladan Vukosavljević *

Sani Sakakini Sani Sakakini (; born August 19, 1988) is a Palestinian professional basketball player for the New Taipei Kings of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). In 2017, he ranked second all-time highest in the FIBA Asia Championship in scorin ...

Michael Madanly Micheal Madanly (born 10 March 1981 in Aleppo), better known as Michel Madanly or just Micho, is a Syrian professional basketball player. Most known in his prime playing for Jalaa SC's basketball programme from 2004 to 2011, he also played in a ...

Marcus Banks Arthur Lemarcus Banks III (born November 19, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, where he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a ...

Walter Hodge Walter Wallace Hodge Muñoz (born September 21, 1986) is a Puerto Rican- U.S. Virgin Islander professional basketball player for the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Internationally, Hodge plays with the senio ...

* Makrem Ben Romdhane *

Sam Young (basketball) Samuel David Young (born June 1, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player for Homenetmen Beirut of the Lebanese Basketball League and the Lebanese National Basketball Team. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Pan ...

Rony Seikaly Ronald Fred Seikaly (born May 10, 1965) is a Lebanese-American former professional basketball player. He was one of the first internationally born players to make an impact on American basketball. Considered one of the top college players from ...

* Justin Brownlee *

Thon Maker Thon Marial Maker (born 25 February 1997) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Al Riyadi Club Beirut of the Lebanese Basketball Federation. He attended high school at Orangeville District Secondary School (Onta ...

Notable coaches

* Ghassan Sarkis * Ahmad Farran *

Slobodan Subotić Slobodan "Piksi" Subotić ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Суботић, ; born 15 August 1956) is a Greek-Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player. He last served as the head coach for Budućnost of the ABA League, Montenegrin Lea ...

* Ilias Zouros *

Nenad Vucinic Nenad (; Cyrillic script: Ненад) is a masculine given name of Slavic names, Slavic origin. It is common in countries that speak South Slavic languages, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. The name is deri ...

* Veselin Matic *

Dragan Raca Dragan Raca ( sr-cyr, Драган Раца; born 3 March 1961) is a Cypriot–Serbian basketball coach and former player. He used to be the coach of the national basketball teams of Lebanon, Cyprus and North Macedonia national basketball team. He ...

Tab Baldwin Thomas Anthony "Tab" Baldwin (born 16 May 1958) is an American-New Zealand basketball coach who currently serves as the head of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth national basketball programme and head coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University ...

References

External links

Brief Breakdown

Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB) website

Lebanese Basketball League Facebook

Lebanese Basketball League Twitter

Lebanese Basketball League Twitter
{{Women's professional basketball leagues Lea Basketball leagues in Asia Women's basketball leagues in Asia Sports leagues established in 1992 1992 establishments in Lebanon

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 (appro ...