The Rise Of European Basketball Leagues

For many people, basketball is a quintessentially US sport, as American as football and baseball and with the same kinds of high profile stars.

The Magic Johnsons and Michael Jordans of the game are the names that are known the world over and the teams like the LA Lakers and the Chicago Bulls are ones that even non-fans will have heard of.

But, as with the globalisation of most things, not just sport, it’s a game that is gaining popularity almost everywhere.

In the US and Canada the sport was undoubtedly given a boost by the US Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling allowing sports betting, generating interest amongst many newcomers to the game.

In Canada this has been part of an overall trend that has seen interest in all kinds of gambling gather momentum. From casino games to online slots Canada, record numbers of people are getting involved and basketball remains another hugely popular sport to bet on.

In Europe, where there are generally more relaxed laws about gambling, there are also now an increasing number of basketball fans for these five main leagues.

Spain’s Liga ACB

While this league was originally formed in 1957 it’s only in recent years that it’s truly taken off. Much like soccer in the country, the league is dominated by two teams – FC Barcelona and Real Madrid – and it’s a rare year when one or other doesn’t come top. There’s also the lower league, or second division, with two teams being promoted to replace the two which have been relegated each season. It’s also a rich proving ground for players who go on to the NBA including Marc Gasol and Kristaps Porzingis, said to be in the LA Lakers’ sights for next season.

Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga

Although it’s yet to set the basketball world alight many believe this is one of the most up and coming leagues in Europe. It attracts big name sponsors and is very effectively marketed. Most importantly of all, it has plenty of promising talent amongst its teams. One particular prospect who may be eventually destined for NBA stardom is Fraport Skyliners’ 6 foot 8 forward Isaac Bonga. Still only seventeen he may even grow a few more inches yet.

Greece’s A1 League

This is another league that has two teams that tend to dominate, and again, they are linked to two highly successful soccer teams. Each season Olympiakos and Panathinaikos indulge in an Athens-based rivalry that’s as fierce as in any sport. It’s one that goes back to the 1940s but has reached a peak over the last couple of decades with almost 80 meetings across all competitions. NBA fans will also know that the two times NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo started his career with Filathlitikos in the second division of the league before moving up to the big time and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A

This is probably the oldest league in Europe with origins going as far back as 1920. It has fairly strict rules about the make-up of a team which can consist either five non-EU players plus five Italians or three no-EU players, four from the EU and five Italians. Olimpia Milano are arguably the leading team in the league and one of their most notable ex-players is the NBA coach Mike D’Antoni who has had stints with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Houston Rockets and the LA Lakers.

Euroleague

Just as soccer has competitions that bring all the best teams in Europe together, the same is true of basketball. The Euroleague consists of 18 of the top teams in Europe. Each team plays all the others twice in a season, making 34 games in total with the top eight teams going into the playoffs. These consist of five match encounters leading up to the championship game.

The current champions are Panathanikos but he most successful team ever is Real Madrid with 11 titles and 10 runner-up places to their name.

Interest in the Euroleague has enjoyed spectacular growth over recent years with a total of over 1 billion people watching games in the 2023-24 season, a 27% increase over the previous season’s figures.

It’s thought that the league is attracting a whole new generation of young fans and teams are boosting their social media profiles to promote this further.

Last season it also introduced an influencer-driven tournament called Hoop District that proved to be a great success thanks to not just the action itself, but also the high volume of content that it generated on social platforms.

So there’s no question about it. Basketball in Europe is on the up and up – and the NBA should be bracing itself for a real influx of new talent from across the Atlantic in the coming years.