The British Basketball League, often abbreviated to the BBL, is the premier men's professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. The BBL runs two knockout competitions alongside the league Championship; the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy, as well as the post-season Play-offs.
The BBL is not to be confused with the English Basketball League (EBL) or the Scottish Basketball League (SBL), which effectively form the second tier of British basketball. There is currently no promotion or relegation between the EBL, SBL and BBL because of the franchise system in use in the BBL, although Plymouth Raiders, Worcester Wolves and Durham Wildcats amongst others have all been elected from the EBL in recent years.
Currentyly the League consists of 12 teams with representation from both England and Scotland. Newcastle Eagles were crowned BBL Champions for 2012, winning their 5th Championship and becoming the most successful team in the League's history. Member franchises of the BBL jointly own the league, and a chairman is elected by the teams to oversee league operations. The current Chairman is Paul Blake, the Managing Director of Newcastle Eagles. The head offices are located in Leicester, where the country's oldest team, the Leicester Riders is also based.
In 2012 the BBL, along with several other basketball governing bodies including England Basketball and basketballscotland, united to form the British Basketball Union, an organisation created to promote the commercial development of basketball within Great Britain.
Read more about British Basketball League: History, Teams, Arenas and Venues, Media Coverage, Awards
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