Professional men's basketball clubs in Europe can compete in a number of different competitions, including national leagues, regional (multi-national) leagues, and continental competitions. It is therefore possible for clubs from some countries to take part in several levels of competition in the same season. Clubs usually qualify for European competitions through performance in their national or regional leagues, with the exception of wild cards.
There are currently four competitions which are branded as Europe-wide, two controlled by Euroleague Basketball, and two by FIBA Europe. Clubs which compete in these competitions also play in their national and/or regional leagues. Clubs usually qualify for these competitions based on their performance in the national or regional leagues in the previous season.
The EuroLeague is a competition with currently 18 teams. It has historically been the most prestigious competition in European basketball and is widely recognised as the top-tier league in Europe.
The EuroCup is Euroleague Basketball's secondary competition, and currently made up of 20 teams from around Europe. The two finalists of the EuroCup qualify for the next season's EuroLeague.
The Basketball Champions League , which began in 2016, is FIBA Europe's highest competition. Initially, FIBA established EuroLeague in 1958 but never trademarketed the name which was later taken over by Euroleague Basketball. The Basketball Champions League involves 52 teams.
The Europe Cup is FIBA Europe's secondary competition. 47 teams compete, and the teams which did not enter in the Basketball Champions League regular season have the option to drop down into the regular season of the Europe Cup.
In addition to national leagues in individual countries, there are leagues which include clubs from several countries.
The ABA League, commonly called the Adriatic League, began in 2001, and consists of clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia). At different times, the league has also included clubs from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Israel. Clubs generally also compete in their own national leagues in the same season, after the conclusion of the ABA League season. The winner of the league qualifies for the next season's EuroLeague.
Balkan International Basketball League began in 2008 and European North Basketball League started in 2021.
The VTB United League is made up of mostly Russian clubs, as well as a smaller number of clubs from nearby countries - currently Belarus and Kazakhstan. It serves as the top division of the Russian national league system.
Other multi-national leagues in Europe have included the North European Basketball League (1999–2003), the Baltic Basketball League (2004–2018), the Central European Basketball League (2008–2010), the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, the BNXT League, and the Alpe Adria Cup.
Each country generally has its own league system, with various divisions which involve promotion and relegation, as well as playoffs following the regular season.
The Spanish Liga ACB contributes the most, three to four clubs to the EuroLeague each season. Other leagues among the strongest include Turkey's BSL, Russia's VTB United League, Italy's LBA, the LNB Pro A in France, the Greek Basket League, the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany, and the ABA League. [1]
The EuroLeague, officially the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier men's league in Europe. The league consists of 18 teams, of which 16 are given long-term licences and wild cards, making the league a semi-closed league. The league was first organized by FIBA in 1958, subsequently by ULEB in 2000 and then solely the Euroleague Basketball.
The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league was also known as the Goodyear League from 2001 to 2006, the NLB League from 2006 to 2011, and as the AdmiralBet ABA League from 2021.
The 2000–01 FIBA SuproLeague was FIBA Europe's professional club basketball tournament for the 2000–01 season. Up until that season, there was one cup, the FIBA European Champions' Cup, though in this season of 2000–01, the leading European teams split into two competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and Euroleague Basketball Company's Euroleague 2000–01.
PBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team based in Moscow, Russia. The club is a member of the VTB United League, and was a member of the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended all Russian teams because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Košarkaški klub Partizan, commonly known as Partizan Belgrade, or as Partizan Mozzart Bet for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes in the ABA League and the EuroLeague.
EuroCup Basketball, commonly known as the EuroCup and currently called BKT EuroCup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual professional basketball club competition organized by Euroleague Basketball. The league is regarded as Euroleague Basketball's second-tier professional basketball club tournament.
The Prva A liga, for sponsorships reasons named the Erste Liga, is the top-tier professional basketball league in Montenegro. It is the highest basketball division organized by the Basketball Association of Montenegro (KSCG). It was established in 2006. shortly after Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia and Montenegro.
FIBA EuroChallenge was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confused with the FIBA EuroCup Challenge – the defunct 4th-tier competition, which was also organized and run by FIBA Europe, played between 2002–03 and 2006–07. In 2015, FIBA dissolved the EuroChallenge, in order to start the Basketball Champions League (BCL) and FIBA Europe Cup (FEC), in order to extend opportunities outside the competitions organized by the Euroleague Basketball.
BC Khimki is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Khimki, Moscow Oblast. The club's senior men's first team participates in the Russian Basketball Super League 1. The club's full official name is BC Khimki Moscow Region. Khimki has a Moscow-based rivalry with the Russian club CSKA Moscow.
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban is a Russian professional basketball team based in Krasnodar. It participates in the VTB United League.
Košarkaški klub Igokea, commonly referred to as KK Igokea or as Igokea m:tel due to sponsorship reasons, is a Bosnian professional basketball club based in Aleksandrovac, near Laktaši, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club plays in the Adriatic League, the Bosnian League and the Champions League. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association.
The 2000–01 Euroleague was the inaugural basketball season of the EuroLeague, under ULEB and its newly formed Euroleague Basketball Company authority. Overall it was the 44th season of the premier competition for European men's professional basketball clubs overall. Initially it was not recognised or sanctioned by FIBA and considered a breakaway competition. It started on October 16, 2000, with a regular season game between hosts Real Madrid Teka and Olympiacos, which was held at the Raimundo Saporta Pavilion, in Madrid, Spain, and it ended with the last championship finals game on May 10, 2001, which was held at the PalaMalaguti arena, in Bologna, Italy.
Georgios Bartzokas is a Greek former professional basketball player, and the current head basketball coach for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. During his career as a head coach, Bartzokas has won numerous titles. With the Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus, he won the World Club Championship title, as he won the 2013 edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. He also won the championship of Europe's premiere club competition, the EuroLeague, at the 2013 EuroLeague Final Four, with Olympiacos. Bartzokas has been named the EuroLeague Coach of the Year three times, as he won the award in the years 2013, 2022, and 2023.
Andre Keith Langford is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 6' 4", he primarily played at the shooting guard position. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Evgeniy Yuryevich Pashutin is a Russian professional basketball coach and former player. He is the current head coach of Parma Basket of the VTB United League.
The 2013–14 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was the 14th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the fourth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, this was the 57th season of the premier competition for European men's clubs.
The historical European national basketball league rankings are the rankings for each of the different European regional and domestic basketball leagues that are or were eligible to participate in Europe's international continental professional club basketball competitions.
The 2016–17 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the 17th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the seventh under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, this was the 60th season of the premier level competition for European men's professional basketball clubs.
The FIBA–EuroLeague Basketball controversy is a historical dispute between FIBA Europe and EuroLeague Basketball over control of the European-wide club basketball competitions.
The European professional basketball club rankings are determined by the results of the professional basketball clubs in the EuroLeague and the EuroCup over the previous three seasons, excluding the competition's qualifying rounds. This ranking is exhaustive and does not include all the European club as it is based on closed ligue participation. The FIBA proposes its own alternative rankings.