Super League Basketball
| Founded | 2024 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2024–25 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Federation | British Basketball |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| International cup(s) | Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
| Current champions | London Lions (1st title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | London Lions (1 title) |
| TV partners | DAZN |
| Website | superleaguebasketballm.co.uk |
| 2024–25 Super League Basketball season | |
Super League Basketball (SLB) is a men's professional basketball league. Established in 2024, the competition replaces the former British Basketball League (BBL) as the top-level men's basketball competition in Great Britain.
History
From 1987, the British Basketball League (BBL) was the pre-eminent basketball competition in Great Britain. By 2024, Basketball League Ltd (BLL), the operating company behind the BBL, was in severe financial difficulties.[1] Due to this uncertainty, the British Basketball Federation (BBF) terminated BLL's operating license to run the men's professional league, with immediate effect.[2] On the same day a new organisation, Premier Basketball Limited, was formed by a consortium of existing basketball teams formerly of the BBL. The consortium, led by Sarah Backovic, director of Sheffield Sharks, was granted a three-year license by the BBF to operate the top-level men's basketball competition, in place of the former BBL.[3][4]
On 2 August, Super League Basketball was announced as the name for the new competition.[5][6]
Teams
Current teams
| Team | Location | Colours | Arena | Capacity | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Flyers | Bristol | SGS College Arena | 750 | 2006 | |
| Caledonia Gladiators | East Kilbride | Playsport Arena | 1,800 | 1998 | |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Ellesmere Port | Cheshire Oaks Arena | 1,400 | 1984 | |
| Leicester Riders | Leicester | Mattioli Arena | 2,400 | 1967 | |
| London Lions | London (Stratford) | Copper Box Arena | 6,000 | 1977 | |
| Manchester Basketball | Manchester | National Basketball Centre | 2,000 | 2024 | |
| Newcastle Eagles | Newcastle | Vertu Motors Arena | 2,800 | 1976 | |
| Sheffield Sharks | Sheffield | Canon Medical Arena | 2,500 | 1991 | |
| Surrey 89ers | Guildford | Surrey Sports Park | 970 | 2024 |
Corporate structure
Chairman
- Vaughn Millette (2024–present)
Regulations
Import players
Rules currently allow for each team to have a maximum of six non-British qualified players per game. This excludes players with naturalisation and leave to remain.
Salary cap
There is a salary cap set at £400,000 per season, excluding the highest paid British-qualified player, for all SLB teams. Teams are fined for exceeding this limit. The salary of an average player is £31,000 per season.
Transfer regulations
Teams must field no more than nine import players in any one season. Signings are allowed to be made throughout the pre-season and during the regular season until the league's transfer deadline on 28 February, or if during a leap year, 29 February.
Results
Championship
| Teams | Champions | Runners-up | Wins | RU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Lions | 2024–25 | — | 1 | — |
| Leicester Riders | — | 2024–25 | — | 1 |
| †Defunct club. | ||||
Playoff Finals
| Season | Winner | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Most Valuable Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Leicester Riders | 105–74 | Newcastle Eagles | The O2 Arena, London | Jaylin Hunter |
Trophy Finals
| Season | Winner | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Most Valuable Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Newcastle Eagles | 97–78 | Bristol Flyers | Arena Birmingham, Birmingham | Mike Okauru |
Cup Finals
| Season | Winner | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Most Valuable Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Sheffield Sharks | 105–97 | Surrey 89ers | Nottingham Arena, Nottingham | Donovan Clay |
Honours board
| Rank | Team | Wins | RU | Wins | RU | Wins | RU | Wins | RU | Wins | RU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLB Championship | SLB Playoffs | SLB Cup | SLB Trophy | Total | |||||||
| 1 | Leicester Riders | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | Newcastle Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | London Lions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Sheffield Sharks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Bristol Flyers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Surrey 89ers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
*Note: † Defunct club.
*Note: This is a ranking of all SLB clubs titles won both throughout SLB history.
Source: Honours board
See also
- National Basketball League (2–5 tiers)
- Scottish Basketball Championship Men (2–3 tiers)
- British Basketball League (1987–2024)
- Super League Basketball Women
References
- ^ Sam Neter (21 May 2024). "BBL engages with new investors amidst 777 controversy". Hoopsfix.com. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Company running BBL has licence terminated". BBC Sport. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Consortium of clubs awarded licence to run men's basketball league". BBC Sport. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Franchises confirmed for Super League Basketball's debut season". riders.basketball. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Super League Basketball Launched In Great Britain". riders.basketball. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Super League Basketball announces four competition formats for debut season". superleaguebasketballm.co.uk. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2025.