Azerbaijan Basketball League (2025-2026)
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Azerbaijan Basketball League 2025-26
Cup Winner: Gence BK Ganja
Coach of the Year: Rimas Kurtinaitis
In 2025 the league increased number of teams from 10 to 12. League PlayOff Cup PlayOff
Azerbaijan Basketball League Final: Absheron Baku - Sabah BK Baku 95-108 Absheron Baku (Erhan Toker): Frazier JJ 25, Chidom Arinze 22, McAlpine Aubrey 16, Lamar Trevion 14, Mammadzade Rasul 8, Jackson DeOndre 6, Mammadli Nijat 2, Abdullayev Ismayil 2, Ibrahimov Azar 0, Aliyev Rustam 0, Novruzlu Tamerlan 0 Cup Final: Gence BK Ganja - Sabah BK Baku 89-82 Gence: Jarvis Garrett 19, Delano Spencer 18, Jacob Wiley 9, Xavier Rhodes 2, Cory Reeves 13, Mirmajid Ismayilov 0, Ulas Turgut 6, Jabrayil Akbarov 8, Islam Rzayev 0, Farhad Quliyev 3, Romelo Burrell 0, Erik Copes 11 Standings 2025-26
Grupa A
Grupa B
- qualified to the play-offs Stats Leaders 2025-26
PPG
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
 Sumqayit Azerbaijani teams in Euro Cups 2025-26
Player of the Week: Round 19 (RS)  Ordu  Tillman's 26 seal Sabah's fourth straight ABL crown (Photo: instagram)  Gence clinch Cup title 2025/26! (Photo: basketball.az)
Arrived: J.J. Frazier (Bordo Sportif Balikesir), De'Ondre Jackson (Belfast Star), Arinze Chidom (Al Qadsia), Tre'vion Lamar (Starwings Basket Basel)
Average Height: 195.0 cm (6'4.8'')
Average Age: 27.1
 Tillman's 26 seal Sabah's fourth straight ABL crown-May 6, 2026
Sabah completed a clean sweep of the Azerbaijan Basketball League finals on Monday, blitzing Absheron Lions 108-95 in Game 3 at Baku Sports Hall to claim their fourth consecutive championship under legendary Lithuanian coach Rimas Kurtinaitis. American center Justin Tillman (203-F-1996, college: VCU) was named Finals MVP immediately after the clincher, capping a dominant series with 26 points on 11-of-16 from the field, eight rebounds, and two blocks. The 26-year-old attacked the rim relentlessly, converting at nearly 69 percent from two-point range as Absheron's interior defense had no answer. Hassani Gravett (188-G-1996, college: S.Carolina) orchestrated the victory with 24 points (7-of-15 from two, 3-of-6 from three), nine assists, and seven rebounds in 32 minutes, while Keith Jordan (198-SF-1998, college: SHU) added 14 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from inside the arc. James Eads III (193-G-1997, college: Tuskegee, agency: 011 Sports) contributed 13 points, Kamran Mammadov (187-PG-2000) had 11, and Gerry Blakes (193-SG-1993, college: Arizona St.) who had spoken before the series about wanting to experience championship emotions in Azerbaijan finished with 10 points and six assists. Sabah set the tone with a dominant 17-6 first quarter and led 39-29 at halftime. Absheron rallied to outscore the champions 23-22 in the second period, but a 18-9 third quarter blew the game open and the Lions could not recover despite a spirited 17-19 fourth quarter. For Absheron, coached by Erkhan Toker, James Frazier (193, college: NJCU) Jr. was outstanding in defeat with 25 points, nine assists, and three rebounds in nearly 40 minutes. Arinze Chidom (206-F-1997, college: UC Riverside) added 22 points and 11 rebounds with four three-pointers, while Aubrey McAlpine (196-G-1989, college: RMU) had 16 points. But Toker conceded his side simply ran out of energy against Sabah's depth. "I'm glad we defended our championship," Kurtinaitis said afterward. Club president Magsud Adygezalov celebrated the title as part of a broader sporting ambition: "From day one, we wanted to be champions in both basketball and football." The congratulations even crossed sports Sabah's football head coach Valdas Dambrauskas, a fellow Lithuanian, publicly saluted Kurtinaitis and the basketball team on the achievement. Eurobasket.com All-Azerbaijani ABL Awards 2026-May 7, 2026
 The standout American guard Hassani Gravett earned the Player of the Year of the championship-winning champion team Sabah BK Baku.
He graduated from the University of South Carolina seven years ago.
Gravett received multiple other awards, picked up the Defensive Player of the Year, Import Player of the Year, Guard of the Year, and earned a spot in the First Team and Imports Team.
With Gravett's excellent performance, the champion team Sabah BK Baku achieved the best record of the season in the league, finishing with an impressive 19 to 1 in the regular season.
His excellent performance assisted his team in beating the Absheron 3 to 0 in the final series.
Gravett was the Player of the Week honoree twice during the 25 26 campaign.
His exceptional play earned him the second spot in assists per game, boasting an impressive average of over 8.
Gravett also averaged over 18 points per game in the league.
He has totalled 10 games of 20 or more points on the year and recorded 30 or more points in 2 games.
Gravett registered double-doubles in 13 games at the event.
His 33 points against the Absheron were the most he scored in the 25 26 season.
The standout American forward Justin Tillman was named the Finals MVP of the championship-winning Sabah BK Baku.
He Is the Virginia Commonwealth alumni from 2018.
Tillman collected multiple other honors, was voted the Forward of the Year, and was selected to the First Team and Imports Team.
His excellent performance assisted his team in beating the Absheron 3 to 0 in the final series.
Tillman had almost 19 points and over 7 rebounds per game that season in the league.
He has totalled 8 games of 20 or more points and recorded double-doubles in 3 games on the year.
Tillman's 30 points against NTD BH Baku were the most he scored in the 25 26 season.
The standout French power forward Jean-Marc Pansa was selected as the Bosman Player of the Year of the championship-winning Sabah BK Baku.
He received multiple other awards, was honored as the Center of the Year and was chosen to the First Team.
Pansa's excellent performance assisted his team in beating the Absheron 3 to 0 in the final series.
He logged almost 13 points and 9 rebounds per game over the season in the league.
Pansa has totalled 3 games of 20 or more points and registered double-doubles in 11 games on the year.
His 27 points against NTD BH Baku were the most he scored in the 25 26 season.
J.J Frazier, 30-year old American point guard from the runner-up team finalist team Absheron Baku, was named to the First Team at the FIBA Europe Cup.
He Is ex Georgia from 2017.
Frazier also earned a spot in the Imports Team.
With Frazier's excellent performance, the runner-up team finalist team Absheron Baku achieved the best record of the season in the league, finishing with an impressive 17 to 3 in the regular season.
His best performance made his team reach the finals but they unfortunately lost against the Sabah 0 to 3.
Frazier orchestrated his way to the fifth spot in points per game, showcasing a dazzling average of over 22.
He led the FIBA Europe Cup in assists per game with 9.
Frazier has totalled 19 games of 20 or more points on the year and notched 30 or more points in 8 games.
He recorded double-doubles in 11 games at the event.
Frazier's 48 points against the Neftci were the most he scored in the 25 26 season.
As evident, the league is predominantly led by former college players, with all top 10 scorers having graduated from US schools.
Among many awards he was selected to the Eurobasket All-Turkish TBL Third Team in 2025.
He was also selected as the Eurobasket All-Turkish TBL Honorable Mention back in 2022.
Jamaal Brantley, 32-year old American forward from the Nakhchivan, was voted to the First Team of Azerbaijan Basketball League.
He Is alumni of the Cameron from 2016.
Brantley was also selected to the Imports Team.
With Brantley's excellent performance, the Nakhchivan achieved the best record of the season in the league, finishing with an impressive 16 to 4 in the regular season.
He averaged almost 16 points and over 8 rebounds per game in the league.
Brantley has totalled 5 games of 20 or more points and registered double-doubles in 5 games on the year.
His 24 points against the Serhedci were the most he scored in the 25 26 season.
Among many awards he was selected to the Eurobasket All-Portuguese Proliga Second Team in 2024.
Player of the Year:  Finals MVP: Defensive Player of the Year: Domestic Player of the Year:  Import Player of the Year: Bosman Player of the Year:  Guard of the Year: Forward of the Year: Center of the Year: Coach of the Year:  Eurobasket.com Azerbaijani ABL First Team 2026  Gravett  Frazier  Tillman  Brantley  Pansa First Team Eurobasket.com Azerbaijani ABL Second Team 2026  Head  Wright Iyiola  Polite Jr.  Keyes Second Team  Eurobasket.com Azerbaijani ABL Third Team 2026  Blakes  Green  Jordan  Orelik  Hutchins-Everett Third Team  Eurobasket.com Azerbaijani ABL Honorable Mention 2026  Jackson  Bey Clergeot  Holland II  Williams  Chidom  Shaw  Wiley Honorable Mention Eurobasket.com Azerbaijani ABL All-Domestic Players Team 2026  Donat  Pashayev  Shirzadov  Turgut  Hamzayev All-Domestic Players Team Eurobasket.com Azerbaijani ABL All-Imports Team 2026 Gravett Frazier Tillman Brantley Iyiola All-Imports Team *The awards were created by Eurobasket.com staff based on the stats (if available), teams' performance and players' performance.
It very often required deeper research and collecting various data about the players and their teams. Gence clinch Cup title 2025/26!-Feb 22, 2026
Gence won the Azerbaijan Basketball Cup after defeating Sabah 89–82 in the final held in Baku. The game took place at the Sports Palace and was closely contested throughout. Ganja finished strongly in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Jarvis Garrett (182-PG-1995, college: URI) led the winners with 19 points. The triumph earned Gance 25,000 manats in prize money and marked their second national cup title after previously winning it in 2023, while Sabah were playing in their first-ever final. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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