Russian Basketball League (BEKO Professional Basketball League) History

League status

The BEKO Professional Basketball League is the first-tier professional basketball league in Russia. PBL 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 team is 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

1971-1991: Visshaya Liga 1971-1972 1972-1973 1973-1974 1974-1975 1975-1976 1976-1977 1977-1978 1978-1979 1979-1980 1980-1981 1981-1982 1982-1983 1983-1984 1984-1985 1985-1986 1986-1987 1987-1988 1988-1989 1989-1990 1990-1991

1991-1992: Commonwealth of Independent States National League 1991-1992

1992-2010: Superleague A 1992-1993 1993-1994 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010

2010[+]-2012[+]: Professional Basketball League 2010-2011 2011-2012

2012-2013: BEKO Professional Basketball League

League logos

Until 1991

1991-2010

2010-2012

Since 2012

Title holders

1923-24: Team Moscow
1924-25: -
1925-26: -
1926-27: -
1927-28: Team Moscow
1928-29: -
1929-30: -
1930-31: -
1931-32: -
1932-33: -
1933-34: Team Leningrad
1934-35: Team Moscow
1935-36: Team Leningrad
1936-37: Dynamo Moscow
1937-38: Burevestnik Leningrad
1938-39: Lokomotiv Moscow
1939-40: Burevestnik Leningrad
1940-41: Not held [+] Not held due to WWII
1941-42: Not held [+] Not held due to WWII
1942-43: Not held [+] Not held due to WWII
1943-44: DKA Tbilisi
1944-45: CDKA Moscow
1945-46: Dom Ofitsera Tbilisi
1946-47: SKIF Kaunas
1947-48: Dynamo Moscow
1948-49: Tartu USK
1949-50: Dinamo Tbilisi
1950-51: Zalgiris Kaunas
1951-52: VVS MVO Moscow
1952-53: Dinamo Tbilisi
1953-54: Dinamo Tbilisi
1954-55: Dom Ofitsera Riga
1955-56: Latvian SSR Team
1956-57: SKVO Riga
1957-58: SKVO Riga

1923-24: Team Moscow
1924-25: -
1925-26: -
1926-27: -
1927-28: Team Moscow
1928-29: -
1929-30: -
1930-31: -
1931-32: -
1932-33: -
1933-34: Team Leningrad
1934-35: Team Moscow
1935-36: Team Leningrad
1936-37: Dynamo Moscow
1937-38: Burevestnik Leningrad
1938-39: Lokomotiv Moscow
1939-40: Burevestnik Leningrad
1940-41: Not held [+] Not held due to WWII
1941-42: Not held [+] Not held due to WWII
1942-43: Not held [+] Not held due to WWII
1943-44: DKA Tbilisi
1944-45: CDKA Moscow
1945-46: Dom Ofitsera Tbilisi
1946-47: SKIF Kaunas
1947-48: Dynamo Moscow
1948-49: Tartu USK
1949-50: Dinamo Tbilisi
1950-51: Zalgiris Kaunas
1951-52: VVS MVO Moscow
1952-53: Dinamo Tbilisi
1953-54: Dinamo Tbilisi
1954-55: Dom Ofitsera Riga
1955-56: Latvian SSR Team
1956-57: SKVO Riga
1957-58: SKVO Riga
1958-59: Team Moscow
1959-60: CSKA Moscow
1960-61: CSKA Moscow
1961-62: CSKA Moscow
1962-63: Russian SFSR Team
1963-64: CSKA Moscow
1964-65: CSKA Moscow
1965-66: CSKA Moscow
1966-67: Ukrainian SSR Team
1967-68: Dinamo Tbilisi
1968-69: CSKA Moscow
1969-70: CSKA Moscow
1970-71: CSKA Moscow
1970-71: Kaunas team
1971-72: CSKA Moscow
1972-73: CSKA Moscow
1973-74: CSKA Moscow

Championships by club

Titles	Club	Years
42	CSKA	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
4	Dinamo	1949-50, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1967-68
4	Zalgiris	1950-51, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87
4	Moscow	1923-24, 1927-28, 1934-35, 1958-59
3	ASK Riga	1954-55, 1956-57, 1957-58
2	Spartak SP	1974-75, 1991-92
2	Dynamo MO	1936-37, 1947-48
2	Ural Great	2000-01, 2001-02
2	Leningrad	1933-34, 1935-36
2	Burevestnik L	1937-38, 1939-40
2	SKA Tbilisi	1943-44, 1945-46
1	Budivelnyk	1988-89
1	Kalev Tallinn	1990-91
1	Lokomotiv	2011-12
1	KKI Kaunas	1946-47
1	Lokomotiv M.	1938-39
1	VVS Moscow	1951-52
1	Latvian SSR	1955-56
1	Russian SFSR	1962-63
1	Ukrainian SSR	1966-67
1	Kaunas	1970-71
1	Tartu USK	1948-49

Finals year-by-year

Season	Winner	Result	Finalist	Regular Season Champ
1982-83	CSKA Moscow	2-1	Zalgiris Kaunas	CSKA Moscow
1983-84	CSKA Moscow	2-1	Zalgiris Kaunas	CSKA Moscow
1984-85	Zalgiris Kaunas	2-0	CSKA Moscow	Zalgiris Kaunas
1985-86	Zalgiris Kaunas	2-1	CSKA Moscow	Zalgiris Kaunas
1986-87	Zalgiris Kaunas		CSKA Moscow	Zalgiris Kaunas
1987-88	CSKA Moscow		Zalgiris Kaunas	CSKA Moscow
1988-89	Budivelnyk Kyiv	2-0	Zalgiris Kaunas	Budivelnyk Kyiv
1989-90	CSKA Moscow		Dynamo Moscow	CSKA Moscow
1990-91	Kalev Tallinn	2-0	BC Spartak Leningrad	Kalev Tallinn
1991-92	BC Spartak Saint Petersburg		SKA Alma-Ata	BC Spartak Saint Petersburg
1992-93	CSKA Moscow		BC Spartak Saint Petersburg	CSKA Moscow
1993-94	CSKA Moscow		Avtodorozhnik Saratov	CSKA Moscow
1994-95	CSKA Moscow	3-0	Dynamo Moscow	CSKA Moscow
1995-96	CSKA Moscow	3-2	Dynamo Moscow	CSKA Moscow
1996-97	CSKA Moscow	3-2	Avtodor Saratov	Avtodor Saratov
1997-98	CSKA Moscow	3-1	Avtodor Saratov	Avtodor Saratov
1998-99	CSKA Moscow	2-0	Avtodor Saratov	CSKA Moscow
1999-00	CSKA Moscow	3-0	Ural Great Perm	CSKA Moscow
2000-01	Ural Great Perm	3-0	UNICS Kazan	Ural Great Perm
2001-02	Ural Great Perm	3-1	UNICS Kazan	Ural Great Perm
2002-03	CSKA Moscow	4-1	Ural Great Perm	CSKA Moscow
2003-04	CSKA Moscow	3-1	UNICS Kazan	CSKA Moscow
2004-05	CSKA Moscow	3-1	Dynamo Moscow	CSKA Moscow
2005-06	CSKA Moscow	3-0	Khimki Moscow Region	CSKA Moscow
2006-07	CSKA Moscow	3-0	UNICS Kazan	CSKA Moscow
2007-08	CSKA Moscow	3-0	Khimki Moscow Region	CSKA Moscow
2008-09	CSKA Moscow	3-1	Khimki Moscow Region	CSKA Moscow
2009-10	CSKA Moscow	3-0	Khimki Moscow Region	CSKA Moscow
2010-11	CSKA Moscow	3-1	Khimki Moscow Region	UNICS Kazan
2011-12	Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar	3-0	Triumph Lyubertsy	CSKA Moscow
2012-13	CSKA Moscow		Khimki Moscow Region	CSKA Moscow
2013-26	Not held

Finals participants

Club	W	L	Total
CSKA	22	3	25
Zalgiris	3	4	7
Khimki	0	6	6
Avtodor	0	4	4
Dynamo MO	0	4	4
Ural Great	2	2	4
UNICS	0	4	4
Spartak SP	1	2	3
Budivelnyk	1	0	1
Kalev Tallinn	1	0	1
Almaty L.	0	1	1
Lokomotiv	1	0	1
Zenit	0	1	1

Final Four participants

Club	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
CSKA	22	3	1	3
Zalgiris	3	4	0	0
Ural Great	2	2	0	3
Spartak SP	1	2	4	1
Budivelnyk	1	0	4	2
Lokomotiv	1	0	3	3
Kalev Tallinn	1	0	0	0
Khimki	0	6	1	2
UNICS	0	4	6	1
Dynamo MO	0	4	3	4
Avtodor	0	4	1	3
Almaty L.	0	1	0	2
Zenit	0	1	0	1
Krasnye Krylia	0	0	4	0
Arsenal	0	0	2	1
VEF Riga	0	0	1	0
Dynamo SP	0	0	1	0
Dinamo	0	0	0	3
Dinamo-Autodor	0	0	0	1
Spartak M.	0	0	0	1

Players with the most appearances in the Russian Finals

Player	Finals Appearances	Years
Andrei Lopatov	13	1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Valeriy Tikhonenko	13	1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Sergei Panov	13	1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Alexander Meleshkin	12	1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Aleksandr Gusev	12	1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Sergei Belov	11	1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Zakhar Pashutin	11	1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Stanislav Eremin	10	1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Sergei Tarakanov	10	1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Evgeny Pashutin	10	1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003

Players with the most Russian titles

Player	Count	Years Won
Theodoros Papaloukas	16	2003, 2003, 2004, 2004, 2005, 2005, 2006, 2006, 2007, 2007, 2008, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
Sergei Panov	12	1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Viktor Khryapa	12	2003, 2003, 2004, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
Sergei Belov	11	1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Alexander Meleshkin	10	1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990
Andrei Lopatov	10	1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990
Valeriy Tikhonenko	10	1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Anton Yudin	10	1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004
Stanislav Eremin	9	1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984
Aleksandr Gusev	9	1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990