2024 VBA season
| Vietnam Basketball Association | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2024 | |||||||||
| Duration | 19 June – 11 September (Regular season) 15 – 28 September (Playoffs) | |||||||||
| Games played | 20 | |||||||||
| Teams | 6 | |||||||||
| TV partner(s) | Vietnam:
| |||||||||
| Regular season | ||||||||||
| Top seed | Saigon Heat | |||||||||
| Finals | ||||||||||
| Champions | Saigon Heat | |||||||||
| Runners-up | Cantho Catfish | |||||||||
| Finals MVP | Elijah Weaver (Saigon) | |||||||||
| Statistical leaders | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
← 2023 2025 → | ||||||||||
The 2024 VBA season (Vietnamese: VBA mùa giải 2024) was the ninth season of the Vietnam Basketball Association. The regular season began on 19 June and ended on 11 September.[1] The playoffs then began on 15 September, and ended on 28 September with the Saigon Heat clinching their 5th straight title after sweeping the Cantho Catfish in the Finals.[2]
The league lost a team after the Thang Long Warriors announced that they would sit out the season due to financial issues. In a move to help other teams dealing with financial woes, the league moved the operations for the Cantho Catfish, Danang Dragons and Nha Trang Dolphins to Ho Xuan Huong Arena in Ho Chi Minh City.
Teams
The league consists of 6 teams, after the Thang Long Warriors announced that they would sit out the season due to financial issues.
Locations, venues and personnel
| Team | Home city | Arena | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Hanoi | Tay Ho Sports Complex | Erik Rashad |
| Cantho Catfish | Ho Chi Minh City | Ho Xuan Huong Arena | Le Tran Minh Nghia |
| Danang Dragons | Todd Purves | ||
| Hochiminh City Wings | Lee Tao Dana | ||
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Chris Daleo | ||
| Saigon Heat | CIS Arena | David Grice |
Coaching Transactions
| Team | 2023 season | 2024 season |
|---|---|---|
| Off-season | ||
| Saigon Heat | Matt Van Pelt | David Grice |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Predrag Lukic | Chris Daleo |
| Hochiminh City Wings | Erik Olson | Lee Tao Dana |
| Cantho Catfish | Jordan Collins | Le Tran Minh Nghia |
Foreign players
Teams are allowed to register two foreign players and one heritage player. Heritage players are designated players who have Vietnamese heritage or have been naturalized. They do not count against the teams allotted foreign player slots.
| Team | Player 1 | Player 1 | Heritage Player | Replaced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantho Catfish | Yevgen Sakhniuk | Dakota Zinser | Tam Dinh | Joshua Keyes |
| Danang Dragons | Max Allen | Marquis Davison | Bryan Nguyen | |
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Ruot Monyyong | Devin Peterson | Hassan Thomas | Eric Frederick |
| Hochiminh City Wings | Chrishon Briggs | Maurice Gordon | Khoa Tran | |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Mykal Jenkins | Joe Mvuezolo | Dominique Tham | |
| Saigon Heat | Jevonnie Scott | Elijah Weaver |
Regular season
The regular season began on 11 June 2024. The regular season came to an end on 11 September 2024 with the Saigon Heat finishing top of the league, claiming their 4th straight Supporters' Cup.
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saigon Heat | 20 | 15 | 5 | 1680 | 1536 | +144 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Hanoi Buffaloes | 20 | 13 | 7 | 1678 | 1679 | −1 | |
| 3 | Cantho Catfish | 20 | 11 | 9 | 1555 | 1563 | −8 | |
| 4 | Nha Trang Dolphins | 20 | 11 | 9 | 1687 | 1599 | +88 | |
| 5 | Danang Dragons | 20 | 7 | 13 | 1636 | 1692 | −56 | |
| 6 | Ho Chi Minh City Wings | 20 | 3 | 17 | 1672 | 1839 | −167 |
Results
Games 1–30
Games 31–60
Playoffs
The playoffs began on 15 September.
Bracket
| Semifinals | Finals | |||||
| 1 Saigon Heat | 2 | |||||
| 4 Nha Trang Dolphins | 0 | |||||
| 1 Saigon Heat | 3 | |||||
| 3 Cantho Catfish | 0 | |||||
| 2 Hanoi Buffaloes | 0 | |||||
| 3 Cantho Catfish | 2 | |||||
Semifinals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Saigon Heat | 2–0 | (4) Nha Trang Dolphins | 84–82 | 86–81 | – |
| (2) Hanoi Buffaloes | 0–2 | (3) Cantho Catfish | 59–75 | 74–81 | – |
Finals
| Team 1 | Series | Team 2 | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Saigon Heat | 3–0 | (3) Cantho Catfish | 98–89 | 97–86 | 95–83 | – | – |
Statistics
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Chrishon Briggs | Hochiminh City Wings | 26.2 |
| Assists per game | Devin Peterson | Hanoi Buffaloes | 8.3 |
| Rebounds per game | Ruot Monyyong | Hanoi Buffaloes | 14.3 |
| Steals per game | Bryan Nguyen | Danang Dragons | 3.1 |
| Blocks per game | Ruot Monyyong | Hanoi Buffaloes | 2.3 |
| Field goal percentage | Mykal Jenkins | Nha Trang Dolphins | 61.4% |
| Three point FG percentage | Max Allen | Danang Dragons | 35.2% |
Awards
Yearly awards
| Award | Recipient | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Yevgen Sakhniuk | Cantho Catfish |
| Most Valuable Local Player | Nguyễn Huỳnh Phú Vinh | Saigon Heat |
| Most Valuable Heritage Player | Hassan Thomas | Hanoi Buffaloes |
| Most Popular Player of the Year | Đặng Thái Hưng | Cantho Catfish |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Yevgen Sakhniuk | Cantho Catfish |
| Rookie of the Year | Tim De Kok | Ho Chi Minh City Wings |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Đặng Thái Hưng | Cantho Catfish |
| Most Improved Player | Huỳnh Trực Nhân | Danang Dragons |
| Coach of the Year | Lê Trần Minh Nghĩa | Cantho Catfish |
Notable occurrences
- On 20 August 2024, Tam Dinh became the first player to register 2,500 career points in league history.
References
- ^ "VBA to start amid significant league changes". vietnamnews.vn. 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Fifth consecutive championship for Saigon Heat at VBA Finals 2024". vietnamnews.vn. 29 September 2024.