Russian Basketball League (BEKO Professional Basketball League) History

League status

The USSR Regional League is the first-tier professional basketball league in Russia. USSR Regional League was established in 1924.
The PBL sits above the Superleague which effectively forms the second-tier of Russian basketball.
At the end of regular season, top 8 teams qualify to the play-offs.
The bottom 1 teams are relegated to Superleague.
Limits of non-Russian players per team: 6 import players (non-Europeans), 6 Bosman players (with European passport) . Total number of allowed imports and Bosmans is 6.

League name history

1924-1936: USSR Regional League  1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936
1937-1971: USSR National League  1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
1991-1992: Commonwealth of Independent States National League  1991-1992
2010[+]-2012[+]: Professional Basketball League  2010-2011 2011-2012
2012-2013: BEKO Professional Basketball League 
Until 1991
1991-2010
2010-2012
Since 2012

Title holders

Championships by club

TitlesClubYears
66CSKA 1960-61, 1962-63, 1968-69, 1970-71, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 1944-45, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1987-88, 1989-90, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2008-09, 2022-23, 2023-24, 1999-00, 2024-25, 2024-25
7Dinamo 1961-62, 1949-50, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1967-68, 2023-24, 2024-25
44Zalgiris 1998-99, 1997-98, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 1950-51, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1992-93, 1991-92, 1990-91, 1944-45, 1945-46, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1954-55, 1957-58, 1957-58, 2022-23, 1998-99, 2024-25
4Moscow 1923-24, 1927-28, 1934-35, 1958-59
6ASK Riga 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1957-58
4Spartak SP 1972-73, 1974-75, 1974-75, 1991-92
3Dynamo MO 2005-06, 1936-37, 1947-48
4Ural Great 2005-06, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2000-01
2Leningrad 1933-34, 1935-36
2Burevestnik L 1937-38, 1939-40
2SKA Tbilisi 1943-44, 1945-46
2Budivelnyk 1988-89, 2022-23
17Kalev Tallinn 1990-91, 1926-27, 1929-30, 1930-31, 1942-43, 1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46, 1946-47, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1970-71, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1997-98
2Lokomotiv 2012-13, 2011-12
5KKI Kaunas 1946-47, 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51
1Lokomotiv M. 1938-39
1VVS Moscow 1951-52
1Latvian SSR 1955-56
1Russian SFSR 1962-63
1Ukrainian SSR 1966-67
8Kaunas 1955-56, 1962-63, 1966-67, 1973-74, 1970-71, 1970-71, 1958-59, 1982-83
10Tartu USK 1948-49, 1933-34, 1935-36, 1936-37, 1937-38, 1938-39, 1939-40, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50

Finals year-by-year

SeasonWinnerResultFinalistRegular Season Champion
1982-83CSKA Moscow80-83,89-76,79-77Zalgiris KaunasCSKA Moscow
1983-84CSKA Moscow77-65,73-78,73-67Zalgiris KaunasCSKA Moscow
1984-85Zalgiris Kaunas86-71,77-75CSKA MoscowZalgiris Kaunas
1985-86Zalgiris Kaunas69-62,64-71,67-59CSKA MoscowZalgiris Kaunas
1986-87Zalgiris KaunasCSKA MoscowZalgiris Kaunas
1987-88CSKA MoscowZalgiris KaunasCSKA Moscow
1988-89Budivelnyk Kyiv97-94,90-87Zalgiris KaunasBudivelnyk Kyiv
1989-90CSKA MoscowDynamo MoscowCSKA Moscow
1990-91Kalev Tallinn93-82,85-77BC Spartak LeningradKalev Tallinn
1991-92BC Spartak Saint PetersburgSKA Alma-AtaBC Spartak Saint Petersburg
1992-93CSKA MoscowBC Spartak Saint PetersburgCSKA Moscow
1993-94CSKA MoscowAvtodorozhnik SaratovCSKA Moscow
1994-95CSKA Moscow115-109,109-93,99-85Dynamo MoscowCSKA Moscow
1995-96CSKA Moscow96-79,76-78,86-74,72-85,104-79Dynamo MoscowCSKA Moscow
1996-97CSKA Moscow107-109,112-88,90-76,93-95,103-93Avtodor SaratovAvtodor Saratov
1997-98CSKA Moscow95-88,84-88,91-76,84-76Avtodor SaratovAvtodor Saratov
1998-99CSKA Moscow2-0Avtodor SaratovCSKA Moscow
1999-00CSKA Moscow92-65,83-74,76-72Ural Great PermCSKA Moscow
2000-01Ural Great Perm94-86,81-63,82-72UNICS KazanUral Great Perm
2001-02Ural Great Perm85-77,90-88,84-92,93-89UNICS KazanUral Great Perm
2002-03CSKA Moscow95-68,96-87,78-85,77-73,91-64Ural Great PermCSKA Moscow
2003-04CSKA Moscow88-80,91-85,76-92,86-81UNICS KazanCSKA Moscow
2004-05CSKA Moscow88-94,95-83,91-85,99-84Dynamo MoscowCSKA Moscow
2005-06CSKA Moscow82-59,81-68,81-75Khimki Moscow RegionCSKA Moscow
2006-07CSKA Moscow72-64,70-58,78-71UNICS KazanCSKA Moscow
2007-08CSKA Moscow97-76,74-66,88-78Khimki Moscow RegionCSKA Moscow
2008-09CSKA Moscow80-74,76-64,66-67,78-45Khimki Moscow RegionCSKA Moscow
2009-10CSKA Moscow89-58,69-54,76-60Khimki Moscow RegionCSKA Moscow
2010-11CSKA Moscow72-77,65-57,70-58,74-63Khimki Moscow RegionUNICS Kazan
2011-12Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar81-62,79-61,90-75Triumph LyubertsyCSKA Moscow
2012-13CSKA MoscowKhimki Moscow RegionCSKA Moscow
2013-26Not held

Finals participants

ClubWLTotal
CSKA22325
Zalgiris347
Khimki066
Avtodor044
Dynamo MO044
Ural Great224
UNICS044
Spartak SP123
Budivelnyk101
Kalev Tallinn101
Almaty L.011
Lokomotiv101
Zenit011

Final Four participants

Club1st2nd3rd4th
CSKA22313
Zalgiris3400
Ural Great2203
Spartak SP1241
Budivelnyk1042
Lokomotiv1033
Kalev Tallinn1000
Khimki0612
UNICS0461
Dynamo MO0434
Avtodor0413
Almaty L.0102
Zenit0101
Krasnye Krylia0040
Arsenal0021
VEF Riga0010
Dynamo SP0010
Dinamo0003
Dinamo-Autodor0001
Spartak M.0001

Players with the most appearances in the Russian Finals

PlayerFinals AppearancesYears
Andrei Lopatov131977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Valeriy Tikhonenko131985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Sergei Panov131992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Alexander Meleshkin121977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Aleksandr Gusev121978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Sergei Belov111969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Zakhar Pashutin111991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Stanislav Eremin101976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Sergei Tarakanov101980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Evgeny Pashutin101991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003

Players with the most Russian titles

PlayerCountYears Won
Theodoros Papaloukas162003, 2003, 2004, 2004, 2005, 2005, 2006, 2006, 2007, 2007, 2008, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
Sergei Panov121992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Viktor Khryapa122003, 2003, 2004, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
Sergei Belov111969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Alexander Meleshkin101977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990
Andrei Lopatov101977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990
Valeriy Tikhonenko101988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Anton Yudin101993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004
Stanislav Eremin91976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984
Aleksandr Gusev91978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990