Basketball Bundesliga facts for kids

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Basketball Bundesliga

Founded	1966; 59 years ago (1966)
First season	1966–67
Country	Germany
Confederation	FIBA Europe
Number of teams	18
Relegation to	ProA
Domestic cup(s)	BBL-Pokal
Supercup	BBL Champions Cup
International cup(s)	EuroLeague EuroCup Champions League Europe Cup
Current champions	Bayern Munich (7th title) (2024–25)
Most championships	Bayer Giants Leverkusen (14 titles)
Most appearances	Alex King (638)
All-time top scorer	Mike Jackel (10,783)
TV partners	Dyn Sport Fanseat (select foreign markets)
Website	easycredit-bbl.de
2025–26 Basketball Bundesliga

The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), also known as easyCredit BBL for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball league in Germany. It's where the best basketball teams in the country compete!

The league has 18 teams. A BBL season is split into two main parts: a regular season and a playoff stage. After the regular season, the top eight teams get to play in the playoffs. The teams that finish in 17th and 18th place move down to a lower league, called ProA.

The playoffs are played in a "Best of five" format. This means a team needs to win three games to move on to the next round. The team that wins the final round is crowned the German Champions for that season!

Besides the main league, all BBL teams also compete for the German Basketball Cup. Teams from lower leagues can also join this cup. There are usually three knock-out rounds. The last four teams compete in the "BBL-TOP4" to decide who wins the gold, silver, and bronze medals. The team that wins the gold medal is the German Basketball Cup winner.

The Basketball Bundesliga is managed by a company called Basketball Bundesliga GmbH.

History of the BBL
Sponsorships and Arena Rules
League Names Over Time
Teams and Locations
- Arenas and Cities
German Basketball Champions
Teams with Most Titles
Finals Results
Awards and MVPs
- Finals MVPs
Images for kids
See also

History of the BBL

The Basketball Bundesliga trophy

Basketball has been played in Germany for a long time. The first national basketball championship was held in 1939. LSV Spandau won that first title. However, basketball activities mostly stopped during World War II. After the war, in 1947, MTSV Schwabing München became the first champion of a reunited Germany.

In 1964, the German Basketball Federation decided to create a new federal league. This league started on October 1, 1966. It had two divisions, North and South, each with 10 teams.

Over the years, the league changed its size. In the 1971–72 season, each division was reduced to 8 teams. By the 1975–76 season, there was one top league with 10 teams and a second league with 20 teams, split into North and South.

The top league grew to 12 teams in 1985. Two years later, the second league divisions also grew to 12 teams each. In 1988, the "Best of five" playoff system was used for the first time. The top league expanded to 14 teams for the 1995–96 season.

The Basketball Bundesliga GmbH, the company that runs the league, was officially started in October 1996. Since 1997, the BBL has been in charge of the top league.

The top league grew again to 16 teams in the 2003–04 season. Then, in 2006–07, it reached its current size of 18 teams. The second league also changed its structure in 2007–08, becoming the ProA and ProB divisions.

The league has had different names because of sponsors. From 1994 to 2001, it was called "Veltins Basketball Bundesliga." From 2001 to 2003, it was "s.Oliver Basketball Bundesliga."

Bayer Giants Leverkusen holds the record for the most league titles, with 14 championships. Since 1997, Alba Berlin has been very successful, winning many titles. Overall, 21 different teams have won the championship since the league began.

Between 2009 and 2013, Brose Bamberg was very strong, winning the title four times in a row.

Sponsorships and Arena Rules

The BBL has worked with different sponsors over the years. For example, in 2016, they partnered with Tipbet, a betting company. This partnership helped with advertising in arenas and online.

All clubs in the Bundesliga must play in arenas that can hold at least 3,000 people. This rule helps ensure a good experience for fans.

League Names Over Time

The league's name has changed due to different sponsors:

1966–2009: Basketball Bundesliga
2009–2016: Beko BBL
2016–2021: easyCredit BBL

Logo of 2010–2016

Teams and Locations

Here are the teams that are part of the 2025–26 Basketball Bundesliga season.

Arenas and Cities

Team	City	Arena	Capacity
Bamberg Baskets	Bamberg	Brose Arena	6,150
Alba Berlin	Berlin	Uber Arena	14,500
Telekom Baskets Bonn	Bonn	Telekom Dome	6,000
Löwen Braunschweig	Braunschweig	Volkswagen Halle	6,600
Niners Chemnitz	Chemnitz	Chemnitz Arena	5,200
Skyliners Frankfurt	Frankfurt	Süwag Energie ARENA	5,002
Veolia Towers Hamburg	Hamburg	Inselpark Arena	3,400
MLP Academics Heidelberg	Heidelberg	SNP Dome	5,000
Science City Jena	Jena	Sparkassen-Arena	3,000
MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg	Ludwigsburg	MHP-Arena	5,300
Syntainics MBC	Weißenfels	Stadthalle Weißenfels	3,000
Bayern Munich	Munich	BMW Park	6,700
EWE Baskets Oldenburg	Oldenburg	Große EWE Arena	6,069
Rostock Seawolves	Rostock	Stadthalle Rostock	4,550
Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier	Trier	SWT-Arena	5,495
ratiopharm Ulm	Neu-Ulm	ratiopharm arena	6,000
Rasta Vechta	Vechta	Rasta Dome	3,140
FIT/One Würzburg Baskets	Würzburg	Tectake Arena	3,140

German Basketball Champions

Many teams have won the German basketball championship over the years. Here's a list of the winners:

1938–39: LSV Spandau
1939-46: Not held due to World War II
1946–47: MTSV Schwabing
1947–48: Turnerbund Heidelberg
1948–49: MTSV Schwabing
1949–50: Stuttgart-Degerloch
1950–51: Turnerbund Heidelberg
1951–52: Turnerbund Heidelberg
1952–53: Turnerbund Heidelberg
1953–54: Bayern Munich
1954–55: Bayern Munich
1955–56: ATV Düsseldorf
1956–57: USC Heidelberg
1957–58: USC Heidelberg
1958–59: USC Heidelberg
1959–60: USC Heidelberg
1960–61: USC Heidelberg
1961–62: USC Heidelberg
1962–63: Alemannia Aachen
1963–64: Alemannia Aachen
1964–65: Gießen 46ers
1965–66: USC Heidelberg
1966–67: Gießen 46ers
1967–68: Gießen 46ers
1968–69: VfL Osnabrück
1969–70: TuS 04 Leverkusen
1970–71: TuS 04 Leverkusen
1971–72: TuS 04 Leverkusen
1972–73: USC Heidelberg
1973–74: SSV Hagen
1974–75: Gießen 46ers
1975–76: TuS 04 Leverkusen
1976–77: USC Heidelberg
1977–78: Gießen 46ers
1978–79: TuS 04 Leverkusen
1979–80: ASC 1846 Göttingen
1980–81: Saturn 77 Köln
1981–82: Saturn 77 Köln
1982–83: ASC 1846 Göttingen
1983–84: ASC 1846 Göttingen
1984–85: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1985–86: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1986–87: Saturn 77 Köln
1987–88: Saturn 77 Köln
1988–89: Steiner Bayreuth
1989–90: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1990–91: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1991–92: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1992–93: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1993–94: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1994–95: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1995–96: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
1996–97: Alba Berlin
1997–98: Alba Berlin
1998–99: Alba Berlin
1999–00: Alba Berlin
2000–01: Alba Berlin
2001–02: Alba Berlin
2002–03: Alba Berlin
2003–04: Opel Skyliners
2004–05: GHP Bamberg
2005–06: RheinEnergie Köln
2006–07: Brose Baskets
2007–08: Alba Berlin
2008–09: EWE Baskets Oldenburg
2009–10: Brose Baskets
2010–11: Brose Baskets
2011–12: Brose Baskets
2012–13: Brose Baskets
2013–14: Bayern Munich
2014–15: Brose Baskets
2015–16: Brose Baskets
2016–17: Brose Bamberg
2017–18: Bayern Munich
2018–19: Bayern Munich
2019–20: Alba Berlin
2020–21: Alba Berlin
2021–22: Alba Berlin
2022–23: Ratiopharm Ulm
2023–24: Bayern Munich
2024–25: Bayern Munich

Teams with Most Titles

This table shows which teams have won the most German basketball championships:

Champion	Titles	Winning years
Bayer 04 Leverkusen	14	1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
Alba Berlin	11	1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
USC Heidelberg	9	1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1976–77
Bamberg Baskets	9	2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
Bayern Munich	7	1953–54, 1954–55, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2023–24, 2024–25
Gießen 46ers	5	1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1974–75, 1977–78
Turnerbund Heidelberg	4	1947–48, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53
Saturn Köln	4	1980–81, 1981–82, 1986–87, 1987–88
ASC 1846 Göttingen	3	1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84
MTSV Schwabing	2	1946–47, 1948–49
Alemannia Aachen	2	1962–63, 1963–64
LSV Spandau	1	1938–39
Stuttgart-Degerloch	1	1949–50
ATV Düsseldorf	1	1955–56
Osnabrück	1	1968–69
SSV Hagen	1	1973–74
Steiner Bayreuth	1	1988–89
Skyliners Frankfurt	1	2003–04
RheinStars Köln	1	2005–06
EWE Baskets Oldenburg	1	2008–09
Ratiopharm Ulm	1	2022–23

Finals Results

The BBL Finals are exciting games where the top teams battle for the championship. Here are some of the past final results:

Season	Home team	Result	Away team	Regular season champion	Record
1986–87	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	0–2	Saturn Köln	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	18–2
1987–88	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	1–3	Saturn Köln	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	19–3
1988–89	Steiner Bayreuth	3–2	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Steiner Bayreuth	20–2
1989–90	Steiner Bayreuth	1–3	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Steiner Bayreuth	21–1
1990–91	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	3–2	BG Charlottenburg	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	30–2
1991–92	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	3–0	Alba Berlin	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	28–4
1992–93	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	3–1	TTL Bamberg	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	26–6
1993–94	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	3–0	Brandt Hagen	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	28–4
1994–95	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	3–0	Alba Berlin	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	28–4
1995–96	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	3–1	Alba Berlin	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	24–2
1996–97	Alba Berlin	3–1	Telekom Baskets Bonn	Alba Berlin	24–2
1997–98	Alba Berlin	3–0	Ratiopharm Ulm	Alba Berlin	21–3
1998–99	Alba Berlin	3–2	Telekom Baskets Bonn	Alba Berlin	22–4
1999–00	Alba Berlin	3–0	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Alba Berlin	24–2
2000–01	Alba Berlin	3–0	Telekom Baskets Bonn	Alba Berlin	25–1
2001–02	RheinEnergie Köln	0–3	Alba Berlin	Opel Skyliners	20–6
2002–03	Alba Berlin	3–0	TSK Bamberg	Telekom Baskets Bonn	19–7
2003–04	Opel Skyliners	3–2	GHP Bamberg	Alba Berlin	20–8
2004–05	GHP Bamberg	3–2	Opel Skyliners	Alba Berlin	22–8
2005–06	Alba Berlin	1–3	RheinEnergie Köln	Alba Berlin	26–4
2006–07	Brose Baskets	3–1	Artland Dragons	Alba Berlin	28–6
2007–08	Alba Berlin	3–1	Telekom Baskets Bonn	Alba Berlin	27–7
2008–09	EWE Baskets Oldenburg	3–2	Telekom Baskets Bonn	Alba Berlin	26–8
2009–10	Brose Baskets	3–2	Deutsche Bank Skyliners	EWE Baskets Oldenburg	25–9
2010–11	Brose Baskets	3–2	Alba Berlin	Brose Baskets	32–2
2011–12	Brose Baskets	3–0	Ratiopharm Ulm	Brose Baskets	30–4
2012–13	Brose Baskets	3–0	EWE Baskets Oldenburg	Brose Baskets	26–8
2013–14	Bayern Munich	3–1	Alba Berlin	Bayern Munich	29–5
2014–15	Brose Baskets	3–2	Bayern Munich	Brose Baskets	29–5
2015–16	Brose Baskets	3–0	Ratiopharm Ulm	Brose Baskets	31–3
2016–17	Brose Bamberg	3–0	EWE Baskets Oldenburg	Ratiopharm Ulm	30–2
2017–18	Bayern Munich	3–2	Alba Berlin	Bayern Munich	31–3
2018–19	Bayern Munich	3–0	Alba Berlin	Bayern Munich	31–3
2019–20	Alba Berlin	163–139	Riesen Ludwigsburg	Bayern Munich	19–2
2020–21	Alba Berlin	3–1	Bayern Munich	Riesen Ludwigsburg	30–4
2021–22	Alba Berlin	3–1	Bayern Munich	Alba Berlin	27–6
2022–23	Telekom Baskets Bonn	1–3	Ratiopharm Ulm	Telekom Baskets Bonn	32–2
2023–24	Bayern Munich	3–1	Alba Berlin	Bayern Munich	28–6
2024–25	Bayern Munich	3–2	Ratiopharm Ulm	Bayern Munich	24–8

Awards and MVPs

The BBL also gives out awards to top players. One of the most important awards is the Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player). This award goes to the player who performs best in the championship finals.

Finals MVPs

Here are some of the players who have won the Finals MVP award:

Season	Finals MVP
2004–05	Chris Williams
2005–06	Immanuel McElroy
2006–07	Casey Jacobsen
2007–08	Julius Jenkins
2008–09	Rickey Paulding
2009–10	Casey Jacobsen
2010–11	Kyle Hines
2011–12	P. J. Tucker
2012–13	Anton Gavel
2013–14	Malcolm Delaney
2014–15	Brad Wanamaker
2015–16	Darius Miller
2016–17	Fabien Causeur
2017–18	Danilo Barthel
2018–19	Nihad Đedović
2019–20	Marcos Knight
2020–21	Jayson Granger
2021–22	Johannes Thiemann
2022–23	Yago dos Santos
2023–24	Carsen Edwards
2024–25	Shabazz Napier