ASEAN Basketball League facts for kids
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| Organising body | Tune Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 October 2009 |
| First season | 2009–10 |
| Folded | 2023 |
| Country |  Brunei Chinese Taipei Hong Kong Indonesia Macau Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam |
| Confederation | FIBA Asia |
| Divisions | 1 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Last champions |  Hong Kong Eastern (2nd title)(2023 ABL season) |
| Most championships |  Hi-Tech Bangkok City, Hong Kong Eastern (2 titles) |
| TV partners | Cable TV Singtel FPTABL (YouTube) |
The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) was a professional men's basketball league in East Asia. It featured teams from different countries. These included six teams from Southeast Asia. Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam were part of it. Teams from Hong Kong and Macau also joined. In the past, teams from Taiwan and Brunei were also members. The league started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its first season began on October 1, 2009.
Contents
History
How the League Started
Basketball leaders from six countries in Southeast Asia met in Metro Manila. This meeting happened on September 1, 2009. They officially launched the new league. In its first season, six teams from different nations took part:
| Team | City | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Brunei Barracudas | Bandar Seri Begawan | Brunei |
| Kuala Lumpur Dragons | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia |
| Philippine Patriots | San Juan | Philippines |
| Satria Muda BritAma | Jakarta | Indonesia |
| Singapore Slingers | Kallang | Singapore |
| Thailand Tigers | Bangkok | Thailand |
Growing the League
Over the years, the ABL grew and changed. In 2011, the Brunei Barracudas left the league. Soon after, the Saigon Heat from Vietnam joined. They were the first professional basketball team from Vietnam in the league. Other new teams like San Miguel Beermen and Bangkok Cobras also joined. However, some teams, like the Beermen and Cobras, left after a short time.
In 2016, the league welcomed its first teams from outside Southeast Asia. These were Kaohsiung Truth from Taiwan and the Eastern Basketball Club from Hong Kong. The Philippines also got a new team, Alab Pilipinas. More teams joined in 2017, including CLS Knights Indonesia and Formosa Dreamers. In 2018, the Kung Fu team moved to Macau and became the Macau Black Bears. The Zhuhai Wolf Warriors also joined. In 2019, a third team from Taiwan, Taipei Fubon Braves, entered the league.
COVID-19 and the Future
The 2019-20 ABL season was stopped in March 2020. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This made the future of the ABL uncertain. Some teams left, and there were rumors the league might close. However, one of the ABL owners said the league would return. They planned to restart in 2021, but this was delayed several times.
In 2023, an invitational tournament was held. Hong Kong Eastern won it. But on November 20, 2023, the league's future became unclear again. FIBA, a global basketball organization, stopped supporting the ABL. The Singapore Slingers said the league was "unlikely to play for the foreseeable future."
Teams
2023 Teams
These were the teams that played in the 2023 ABL invitational tournament:
| Team | City / Region | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined ABL | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok Tigers |
Bangkok | Nimibutr Stadium | 5,600 | 2018 | 2023 | Jakkraphan Chupthaisong |
| Hong Kong Eastern |
Wan Chai | Southorn Stadium | 2,000 | 1932 | 2016 |  Željko Pavličević |
 Louvre Surabaya |
Surabaya | Hi-Test Arena | 1,200 | 2019 | 2023 |  Jomar Tierra |
 Macau Black Bears |
Macau | The Venetian Macao, Hall D | TBC | 2017 |  Charles Dubé-Brais |
|
 NS Matrix Deers |
Negeri Sembilan | MABA Stadium | 2,500 | 2015 | 2023 | Jeff Viernes |
| Saigon Heat |
Ho Chi Minh City | CIS Arena | 2,500 | 2011 | 2012 |  Matthew Van Pelt |
| Singapore Slingers |
Kallang | OCBC Arena | 3,000 | 2006 | 2009 | Neo Beng Siang |
| Zamboanga Valientes |
Zamboanga City | Zamboanga City Coliseum | 15,000 | 2006 | 2023 | Expedito De Los Santos |
Former Teams
Many teams have played in the ABL over the years. Here are some of the teams that are no longer part of the league:
| Nation | Team(s) | Year(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | ||
| Brunei |
Brunei Barracudas | 2009 | 2011 |
| Indonesia |
CLS Knights Indonesia | 2017 | 2019 |
| Indonesia Warriors | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Laskar Dreya South Sumatra | 2014 | ||
| Satria Muda | 2009 | 2011 | |
| Macau |
Macau Wolf Warriors | 2018 | 2020 |
| Malaysia |
Kuala Lumpur Dragons | 2009 | 2020 |
| Philippines |
AirAsia Philippine Patriots | 2009 | 2012 |
| Pilipinas MX3 Kings | 2015 | 2016 | |
| San Miguel Alab Pilipinas | 2016 | 2020 | |
| San Miguel Beermen | 2012 | 2013 | |
 Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) |
Formosa Dreamers | 2017 | 2020 |
| Kaohsiung Truth | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Taipei Fubon Braves | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Thailand |
Bangkok Cobras | 2012 | |
| Hi-Tech Bangkok City | 2009 | 2016 | |
| Mono Vampire | 2015 | 2020 | |
Champions
The ABL finals were usually a "best-of-5" series. This means a team had to win 3 games to become champion. Sometimes, it was a "best-of-3" series, where a team needed to win 2 games.
| Season | Finalists | Semi-finalists | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Result | Runners-up | |||
| 2009–10 | Philippine Patriots^ |
3–0 | Satria Muda |
Kuala Lumpur Dragons |
Singapore Slingers |
| 2010–11 | Chang Thailand Slammers^ |
2–0 | Philippine Patriots |
Singapore Slingers |
Westports KL Dragons |
| 2012 | Indonesia Warriors |
2–1 | San Miguel Beermen^ |
Philippine Patriots |
Westports Malaysia Dragons |
| 2013 | San Miguel Beermen^ |
3–0 | Indonesia Warriors |
Thailand Slammers |
Westports Malaysia Dragons |
| 2014 | Hi-Tech Bangkok City |
2–0 | Westports Malaysia Dragons^ |
Saigon Heat |
Singapore Slingers |
| 2015–16 | Westports Malaysia Dragons^ |
3–2 | Singapore Slingers |
Hi-Tech Bangkok City |
Saigon Heat |
| 2016–17 | Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions^ |
3–1 | Singapore Slingers |
Alab Pilipinas |
Saigon Heat |
| 2017–18 | San Miguel Alab Pilipinas |
3–2 | Mono Vampire |
 Chong Son Kung Fu^ |
Hong Kong Eastern |
| 2018–19 | CLS Knights Indonesia |
3–2 | Singapore Slingers |
Hong Kong Eastern |
Mono Vampire |
| 2019–20 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia. | ||||
| 2020–21 | Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia. | ||||
| 2021–22 | |||||
| 2023 | Hong Kong Eastern |
2–1 | Saigon Heat^ |
NS Matrix Deers |
Singapore Slingers |
- ^ finished regular season with the best win–loss record.
Championship Table by Club
This table shows which teams won the most championships:
| Team |  Gold |
 Silver |
 Bronze |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi-Tech Bangkok City |
2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Hong Kong Eastern |
2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Kuala Lumpur Dragons |
1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| AirAsia Philippine Patriots |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Indonesia Warriors |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| San Miguel Beermen |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Alab Pilipinas |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| CLS Knights Indonesia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Singapore Slingers |
0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Saigon Heat |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Mono Vampire |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Satria Muda BritAma |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Macau Black Bears |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| NS Matrix Deers |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 10 | 10 | 20 | 40 |
- Bold: teams that are still active
- Italic: teams from outside Southeast Asia
Individual Awards
The ABL gave out several awards to players and coaches. These included the Local MVP, World Import MVP, ASEAN Heritage MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year. The Coach of the Year award went to the best head coach.
Before the 2015–16 ABL season, there was only one MVP award for international players. It was called the Best Import award. Later, it was split into two: World Imports (for players from outside Southeast Asia) and ASEAN Heritage Imports (for players from Southeast Asia or with a parent from there). The Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards started in the 2012 season.
Most Valuable Players
Locals
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World Imports
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Heritage Imports
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Finals MVPs
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Special Awards
Defensive Player of the Year
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Coach of the Year
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See Also
In Spanish: Liga de Baloncesto de la ASEAN para niños
- ABL 3x3 International Champions Cup
- East Asia Super League
- West Asia Super League
- FIBA Asia Champions Cup
- AsiaBasket
