172-637: The Essex & Herts Leopards were an English semi-professional basketball club, based in Brentwood , Essex and St Albans , Hertfordshire. The Leopards competed in Division 1 of the English Basketball League . The team was established in 1997 as Ware Fire , but following the demise and eventual closure of the former British Basketball League franchise Essex Leopards in 2003, a supporters group known as 'Leopards Alive' merged with
344-401: A backboard at each end of the court), while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line , when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws . The team with the most points at
516-538: A leap year , the date is 29 February. Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. To appear in this section a player must have either: Homegrown Naturalised British Rest of the World *Note: † Defunct club. *Note: This is a ranking of all BBL clubs titles won both throughout BBL history and including pre-BBL titles. *Note: Manchester Giants refers to
688-409: A 20 three-pointers in total. Two months later, Williamson along with teammates Hayden Herrin and Ben Wallis, combined to score 21 three-pointers in a 116–105 defeat to Worthing Thunder, setting a new NBL/EBL record. Merger with Leopards Alive In the summer of 2003 it was announced that British Basketball League (BBL) team, and twice former League champions, Essex Leopards would be dropping out of
860-591: A 96–105 loss. The franchise returned to the Brentwood Centre in 2008 after a two-year absence, whilst still using Wodson Park as a secondary venue. The 2008–09 season opened with five consecutive victories in the Trophy and National Cup, however the team were eventually knocked out of the Trophy by Manchester Magic in a close 81–89 Semi-final defeat, whilst in the National Cup a narrow 72–75 loss meant
1032-594: A Conference format similar to the NBA was introduced, with clubs split North and South. The two Conference champions met in a Championship series to decide the champions for the next three years. A single division format returned in 2002 and five different franchises won the Championship title in the five years after that. The new millennium, however, also saw a series of setbacks for the BBL. The collapse of ITV Digital cost
1204-560: A Quarter-final exit at the hands of familiar foes Reading. Leopards still fared better than previous seasons and their form was much improved in the League, finishing the season with an all-time high third place (12–6) behind Reading and Manchester. Croatian player Hrvoje Pervan's 22.1 points-per-game proved instrumental in the season's success which continued through to the Play-offs. A 74–71 win at home to Coventry Crusaders meant that for
1376-404: A backboard that measures 6 by 3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court. The white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches (46 cm) high and 2 feet (61 cm) wide. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 meters) above the court and 4 feet (1.22 meters) inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of
1548-495: A basket mounted on a wall. Naismith wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto an elevated track. Naismith initially set up the peach basket with its bottom intact, which meant that the ball had to be retrieved manually after each "basket" or point scored. This quickly proved tedious, so Naismith removed the bottom of the basket to allow the balls to be poked out with a long dowel after each scored basket. Shortly after, Senda Berenson , instructor of physical culture at
1720-462: A change in administration from the now defunct National Basketball League. In the 12-team competition, Ware managed to finish in 8th place with 9 wins and 13 defeats. The season saw the start of a new partnership with the University of Hertfordshire , which saw the first team use the venue facilities of the brand-new Hertfordshire Sports Village as well as their traditional Wodson Park home. However
1892-501: A children's game called duck on a rock , as many had failed before it. Frank Mahan, one of the players from the original first game, approached Naismith after the Christmas break, in early 1892, asking him what he intended to call his new game. Naismith replied that he had not thought of it because he had been focused on just getting the game started. Mahan suggested that it be called "Naismith ball", at which he laughed, saying that
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#17327829163872064-405: A dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by placing their hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying the ball . A team, once having established ball control in the front half of their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt and be the first to touch it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession. The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For
2236-461: A group stage followed by a knockout stage. The group stage consists of the teams being split into north and south groups and within each playing a double round-robin system . The top 4 teams from each group are then seeded with 1st of each group playing 4th in the other and 3rd in each group playing 2nd in the other. The winner of the Aggregate score going through to the semi-final. The winner of
2408-466: A half-time break under FIBA, NBA, and NCAA rules and 10 minutes in United States high schools. Overtime periods are five minutes in length except for high school, which is four minutes in length. Teams exchange baskets for the second half. The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Therefore, games generally take much longer to complete than
2580-473: A home victory against Brixton Topcats in January 2012. Barking Abbey dissolved the agreement with Leopards in the summer of 2012, announcing that they were forming their own professional BBL Club East London Royals (though they never played a game), and Robert Youngblood – captain of the original Leopards when they won the BBL – was appointed as the club's first player-coach. Younblood's opening game in charge saw
2752-512: A name like that would kill any game. Mahan then said, "Why not call it basketball?" Naismith replied, "We have a basket and a ball, and it seems to me that would be a good name for it." The first official game was played in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany , New York, on January 20, 1892, with nine players. The game ended at 1–0; the shot was made from 25 feet (7.6 m), on a court just half the size of
2924-843: A neutral venue. In 2018, the Leicester Riders competed in Europe's third tier of continental basketball, the Basketball Champions League , losing in the first qualification round on aggregate to the Bakken Bears . They became the first British team to compete in European competition since the Guildford Heat featured in the ULEB Cup during the 2007–08 season . Following their elimination from
3096-608: A place in the Semi-finals for only the second time in the franchise's history, but in a repeat of Leopards' Play-off Semi-final clash last season, the London side were defeated by Manchester 69–77. In April 2010, the club announced a merger with Barking Abbey Basketball Academy, one of the country's leading basketball academy's. As a result, the senior men's Division 1 team was renamed as the BA London Leopards , whilst
3268-414: A player must have either: Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court , compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately 9.4 inches (24 cm) in diameter) through the defender's hoop (a basket 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high to
3440-441: A present-day Streetball or National Basketball Association (NBA) court. At the time, soccer was being played with 10 to a team (which was increased to 11). When winter weather got too icy to play soccer, teams were taken indoors, and it was convenient to have them split in half and play basketball with five on each side. By 1897–98, teams of five became standard. Basketball's early adherents were dispatched to YMCAs throughout
3612-506: A rematch of the previous season's Semi-final match-up against Doncaster, though the new and improved Ware swept them aside with a 92–54 home victory in the Quarter-final. The Semi-finals again proved to be the stumbling block though as Ware were defeated 86–75 to eventual winners Ealing Tornadoes. Rebels continued their rise through the League in the 2001–02 season, competing for the first time in Division 1. Another 3rd-place finish in
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#17327829163873784-692: A series of four or five home games consecutively followed by a straight set of away games. As the regular season is also particularly short many games are played over weekends as ' doubleheaders ', whereby a team will play games (possibly a home and away game) on consecutive days, something that is not commonplace in British sports, although often seen in the National Basketball Association and other North American sports. The post-season Playoffs usually takes place in April, featuring
3956-506: A series of venues, including Catholic University , Georgetown and George Mason . The National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament for Black High Schools was held from 1929 to 1942 at Hampton Institute . The National Invitational Interscholastic Basketball Tournament was held from 1941 to 1967 starting out at Tuskegee Institute . Following a pause during World War II it resumed at Tennessee State College in Nashville. The basis for
4128-423: A standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players' names and, outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms. A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or sometimes mandated in
4300-490: A teammate's field goal attempt. Goaltending is a defender's touching of a ball that is on a downward flight toward the basket, while the related violation of basket interference is the touching of a ball that is on the rim or above the basket, or by a player reaching through the basket from below. Goaltending and basket interference committed by a defender result in awarding the basket to the offense, while basket interference committed by an offensive player results in cancelling
4472-591: A total of three referees on the court. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each team's scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls , player substitutions, team possession arrow , and the shot clock . The only essential equipment in a basketball game is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, score sheets, scoreboards, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems. A regulation basketball court in international games
4644-562: A touring Canadian women's team based in Edmonton , Alberta, operated between 1915 and 1940. The Grads toured all over North America, and were exceptionally successful. They posted a record of 522 wins and only 20 losses over that span, as they met any team that wanted to challenge them, funding their tours from gate receipts. The Grads also shone on several exhibition trips to Europe, and won four consecutive exhibition Olympics tournaments, in 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936; however, women's basketball
4816-655: A truly national league competition in the 1960s was met with some success; at its height the competition, known as the 'Rosebowl', featured 16 teams from across England, Scotland and Wales . In 1969, Scotland established its own national league with the ABBA following shortly after, with the formation of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1972. Over the next 15 years, basketball's popularity in Great Britain grew steadily and annual revenues for
4988-627: A winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998 . The 1998–99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia's various football codes . It features 8 teams from around Australia and one in New Zealand. A few players including Luc Longley , Andrew Gaze , Shane Heal , Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut made it big internationally, becoming poster figures for
5160-492: Is 28 meters (92 feet) long and 15 meters (49 feet) wide. In the NBA and NCAA the court is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 meters). Most courts have wood flooring , usually constructed from maple planks running in the same direction as the longer court dimension. The name and logo of the home team is usually painted on or around the center circle. The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm) diameter with an attached net affixed to
5332-474: Is ahead when a period ends. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is crowned as winners of the BBL Championship, and thus British Champions. If points are equal between two or more teams then head-to-head results between said teams are used to determine the winners. In the case of a tie between multiple teams where this does not break the tie, the winners are then determined by
Essex Leopards - Misplaced Pages Continue
5504-404: Is called a shot. A successful shot is worth two points, or three points if it is taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 meters (22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international games and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games. A one-point shot can be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made. After a team has scored from a field goal or free throw, play
5676-527: Is currently no tournament to determine a national high school champion. The most serious effort was the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of Chicago from 1917 to 1930. The event was organized by Amos Alonzo Stagg and sent invitations to state champion teams. The tournament started out as a mostly Midwest affair but grew. In 1929 it had 29 state champions. Faced with opposition from
5848-459: Is made up of an independent chairperson, non-affiliated non-executives, Investor Directors and a minority representation of BBL Club Directors. Sir Rodney Walker is the current elected chairperson. On 14 June 2024 British Basketball , the national governing body for basketball in the UK, terminated the league's licence citing financial concerns. The BBL Championship is the flagship competition of
6020-430: Is out of bounds if it touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of bounds. There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling, which commonly results in an infraction known as traveling . Nor may a player stop their dribble and then resume dribbling. A dribble that touches both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this infraction the name double dribble . Within
6192-453: Is resumed with a throw-in awarded to the non-scoring team taken from a point beyond the endline of the court where the points were scored. Games are played in four quarters of 10 ( FIBA ) or 12 minutes (NBA). College men's games use two 20-minute halves, college women's games use 10-minute quarters, and most United States high school varsity games use 8-minute quarters; however, this varies from state to state. 15 minutes are allowed for
6364-593: Is the WNBA ( NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship is also popular), whereas the strongest European clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women . A game similar to basketball is mentioned in a 1591 book published in Frankfurt am Main that reports on the lifestyles and customs of coastal North American residents, Wahrhafftige Abconterfaytung der Wilden (German; translates as Truthful Depictions of
6536-567: Is the grand Final, held at The O2 Arena in London, which sees the two Semi-final winners play a one-game event to determine the Playoff Champions. The BBL Cup emerged from a breakaway of the English Basketball Association -organised National Cup and was contested for the first time in the 2003–04 season , when Sheffield Sharks were the inaugural winners. Since the 2019–20 season, the competition has
6708-599: Is usually the center , the second-tallest and strongest is the power forward , a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward , and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard , who implement the coach's game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays (player positioning). Informally, players may play three-on-three, two-on-two, and one-on-one. Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts , in
6880-711: The 1995–96 season in front of a record 14,251 fans at the Nynex Arena against the London Leopards , a record crowd for a basketball game in Great Britain. It stood until 2006, when the NBA started staging games at the O2 Arena in London . London clubs dominated the league, with London Towers , Crystal Palace and the Greater London Leopards all sharing success in the mid-1990s. In 1999,
7052-473: The 2004 Athens Olympics , the United States suffered its first Olympic loss while using professional players, falling to Puerto Rico (in a 19-point loss) and Lithuania in group games, and being eliminated in the semifinals by Argentina . It eventually won the bronze medal defeating Lithuania, finishing behind Argentina and Italy . The Redeem Team , won gold at the 2008 Olympics , and the B-Team, won gold at
Essex Leopards - Misplaced Pages Continue
7224-513: The 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey despite featuring no players from the 2008 squad. The United States continued its dominance as they won gold at the 2012 Olympics , 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics . Worldwide, basketball tournaments are held for boys and girls of all age levels. The global popularity of the sport is reflected in the nationalities represented in the NBA. Players from all six inhabited continents currently play in
7396-470: The 2012–13 season allow teams to field a maximum of five non-British players per game (including up to three work permitted players), further demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players. Prior to the 2022–23 season , a "Team Payments Cap" limited teams to spend no more than £250,000 on player salaries per season with the aim of keeping overall costs down for the teams whilst also ensuring competitive balance. The Team Payments Cap
7568-591: The ABBA National Championship , a knockout competition featuring the regional champions from across England and Wales . An equivalent competition for Scotland was formed by the Amateur Basketball Association of Scotland in 1947. As fully amateur championships, the competitions were largely dominated by victorious teams from universities, YMCAs and Royal Air Force stations. A short-lived attempt at establishing
7740-517: The All American Red Heads Team , which competed against men's teams, using men's rules. By 1938, the women's national championship changed from a three-court game to two-court game with six players per team . The NBA-backed Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) began in 1997. Though it had shaky attendance figures, several marquee players ( Lisa Leslie , Diana Taurasi , and Candace Parker among others) have helped
7912-522: The BBL Trophy as an invitee, though they lost all four games to Birmingham Bullets , Leicester Riders , Milton Keynes Lions and Leopards' old BBL rival London Towers . In the National Cup, Leopards fared much better and after early round victories over Colchester and London United , a 101–75 win over Solent Stars in the Quarter-final and an 84–51 Semi-final victory against Worcester Wolves , Leopards had qualified for their first National Final in
8084-532: The British Basketball League . The initiative was led by John Deacon, owner of Portsmouth , who had rallied support for the new league from fellow teams Bracknell Pirates , Crystal Palace , Edinburgh , Hemel Hempstead & Watford Royals , Kingston and Sunderland, with each team contributing a £5,000 entry fee. Not all teams were initially onboard with the new proposals however, as established names like Birmingham Bullets first rejected
8256-732: The EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas . The FIBA Basketball World Cup and Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament are the major international events of the sport and attract top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for national teams, like EuroBasket and FIBA AmeriCup . The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league
8428-474: The European Union (EU) and require a work permit to play – whilst the remaining players on the roster must have citizenship of an EU country, either by birth or by naturalisation . The current ruling was integrated at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, reverting from the previous law which allowed for up to four non-EU players on a roster, along with naturalised players. New rules introduced for
8600-682: The National Federation of State High School Associations and North Central Association of Colleges and Schools that bore a threat of the schools losing their accreditation the last tournament was in 1930. The organizations said they were concerned that the tournament was being used to recruit professional players from the prep ranks. The tournament did not invite minority schools or private/parochial schools. The National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament ran from 1924 to 1941 at Loyola University . The National Catholic Invitational Basketball Tournament from 1954 to 1978 played at
8772-822: The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in New York, was organized in 1938; the NCAA national tournament began one year later. College basketball was rocked by gambling scandals from 1948 to 1951 , when dozens of players from top teams were implicated in game-fixing and point shaving . Partially spurred by an association with cheating, the NIT lost support to the NCAA tournament. Before widespread school district consolidation, most American high schools were far smaller than their present-day counterparts. During
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#17327829163878944-782: The Original Celtics and two all-African American teams, the New York Renaissance Five ("Rens") and the (still existing) Harlem Globetrotters played up to two hundred games a year on their national tours. In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was formed. The first game was played in Toronto , Ontario, Canada between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946. Three seasons later, in 1949,
9116-572: The Soviet Union , Brazil and Australia rivaling the American squads. In 1989, FIBA allowed professional NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time. Prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics , only European and South American teams were allowed to field professionals in the Olympics. The United States' dominance continued with the introduction of the original Dream Team . In
9288-622: The United Kingdom . The organisation that operated the competition, Basketball League Limited, folded in July 2024 after the British Basketball Federation terminated its operating license. It was succeeded as the top-level men's basketball competition with Super League Basketball . The BBL operated as a franchise model where each member team is located within a separate franchise area. Most recently (in 2023/24),
9460-400: The University of Chicago , Columbia University , Cornell University , Dartmouth College , the University of Minnesota , the U.S. Naval Academy , the University of Colorado and Yale University began sponsoring men's games. In 1905, frequent injuries on the football field prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to suggest that colleges form a governing body, resulting in the creation of
9632-478: The University of Chicago , while Adolph Rupp , a student of Naismith's at Kansas, enjoyed great success as coach at the University of Kentucky . On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate 5-on-5 game was played at Hamline University between Hamline and the School of Agriculture, which was affiliated with the University of Minnesota . The School of Agriculture won in a 9–3 game. In 1901, colleges, including
9804-514: The 13 existing teams of the NBL Division 1 along with two promoted teams from Division 2, plus Scottish champions Livingston and a possibility of future expansion into Scotland and Ireland . Some reports also suggested Wales -based Rhondda were approached as a potential addition. Additional proposals for the new league included prize money being awarded to competition winners, a new supplementary League Cup competition for member teams, and
9976-549: The 16 confirmed teams to feature in the new league were announced as: The new league faced challenges from the off-set when Rhondda – the league's only Wales-based team – folded in August 1987, just weeks before the start of the new season. The sudden loss of a major sponsor meant the team were unable to finance the upcoming campaign, where they would compete against teams with budgets of up to £250,000. London-based Brunel Crystal Palace also faced similar financial challenges during
10148-559: The 1998–99 season was followed with a successful campaign in 1999–00, finishing in 4th place (16–8) and earning promotion to Division 2 (though with the "clean-sheet" League restructuring that followed that season, Division 2 became the third tier division). After destroying Birmingham University 117–71 in Play-off Quarter-finals, Ware were comfortably beaten in their first Semi-final appearance, losing 84–72 away to Division champions Doncaster Eagles. The 2000–01 season saw
10320-475: The 2014–15 season as Division 1 Champions. The Big Cats secured the Division One title after beating the only remaining challengers Team Northumbria 84–72 in a must-win game at Brentwood Centre. The Leopards claimed their 18th win of the season to build an unassailable lead at the top of the standings with just one regular season game remaining. Robert Youngblood's side were beaten just once at home going into
10492-546: The 2016–17 season, 980,673 boys and girls represented their schools in interscholastic basketball competition, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations . The states of Illinois , Indiana and Kentucky are particularly well known for their residents' devotion to high school basketball, commonly called Hoosier Hysteria in Indiana; the critically acclaimed film Hoosiers shows high school basketball's depth of meaning to these communities. There
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#173278291638710664-612: The ABBA – renamed as the English Basket Ball Association (EBBA) in 1975 – increased from £23,440 in 1972 to £303,500 in 1981. With the increased commercial potential of basketball and the NBL evident, teams started to attract entrepreneurial owners and benefactors along with football clubs, such as Manchester United and Portsmouth , looking to replicate the multi-modal sporting club patented by European powerhouses such as Real Madrid and Barcelona . In 1982,
10836-541: The Academy, with his replacement coming in the form of Slovenian Dejan Mihevc, a former Coach of various Slovenia international youth teams. Mihevc's first move as new Head Coach was to resign last season's MVP Ousman Krubally, whilst bringing-in Lithuanian Vilius Šumskis and former young star Lukas Volskis. Following the late withdrawal of Essex Pirates from the BBL, Leopards accepted an invite to compete in
11008-513: The BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). By the 1950s, basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. In 1959, a basketball hall of fame was founded in Springfield , Massachusetts, site of the first game. Its rosters include the names of great players, coaches, referees and people who have contributed significantly to
11180-521: The BBL Trophy in their place, pitting them in a group with Leicester Riders and Milton Keynes Lions . In November 2011 the Leopards organisation announced that they were intending to apply for a British Basketball League franchise, bidding to return to the top flight as soon as the 2012–13 season . The bid was later deferred for two seasons The 2011/12 season proved to be the most successful in
11352-617: The Basketball Champions League, the Leicester Riders played in the 2018–19 FIBA Europe Cup , Europe's fourth tier. To be eligible for entry into the Basketball Champions League or the FIBA Europe Cup , teams must play in arenas with a capacity of at least 2,000 people. British Basketball League rules currently allow for each team to have a maximum of three "import" players – from outside of
11524-681: The Big Cats slip to a controversial defeat at Tees Valley Mohawks in the National Trophy pool game, but his side recovered to finish second behind the Mohawks and qualify for the knockout stages. Derby Trailblazers were hammered in the quarter-final before a fine performance from American guard Simon Cummings saw Leopards win at Hemel Storm in the semi-final. Mohawks where the opponents in the final at Leicester, and after trailing by nine at half-time, Youngblood stepped up with his biggest game of
11696-428: The British Basketball League and features all member teams playing a double round robin (home and away) league season, from September through to April. Matches are played according to FIBA rules and games consist of four-quarters of 10 minutes each. Two points are awarded for a win, with overtime used if the score is tied at the final buzzer – unlimited numbers of 5-minute overtime periods are played until one team
11868-416: The Championship crown – the previous season saw the Eagles win 31 matches but lose out to Chester Jets in the final week, by just two points. That title was one of four pieces of silverware won during the dubbed "clean-sweep" season of 2005–06 , the Eagles marching on to claim the BBL Cup, BBL Trophy and Playoff's – the complete set. The intervening years saw the perennial success of the Newcastle Eagles ,
12040-414: The Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. Thus, the sport quickly spread throughout America's schools, colleges and universities with uniform rules for both sexes. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball . These round balls from " association football " were made, at the time, with a set of laces to close off the hole needed for inserting
12212-404: The Division 1 Play-offs for the first time, however they couldn't use this to their advantage, losing 70–80 to local rival London Capital in the Quarter-final. A full-time move back to the club's original home at Wodson Park in Ware greeted the 2007–08 season and a poor showing in the Trophy started off the season with the Leopards team failing to progress from the group stage. The Leopards reached
12384-589: The Division One title never really got going, but they slowly moved up the table and a pair of victories in the north east over the final weekend of the season saw them grab and improbable fourth-place finish and home court advantage in the play-offs. Mohawks were beaten for the second successive Saturday in front of a big Brentwood Centre crowd, and the 90–75 victory sent the Big Cats into the Final Four at Manchester where champions Reading Rockets edged home 75–70 in overtime to end their season. The Leopards completed
12556-598: The EBBA would retain disciplinary powers, appointment of match officials and remain completely in control of other competitions, such as the National Cup . Following the conclusion of the 1986–87 season , the EBBA signed a formal agreement with the Basketball League Limited, handing over full control and administration of the top national basketball competition to the new organisation. The agreement
12728-619: The English and Scottish leagues. Following the launch of the new British Basketball League administration in 1987 – who assumed control over the National Basketball League from the English Basketball Association – the British Master's Cup was scrapped and replaced with the newly formed League Trophy . The Trophy competition has historically had a round-robin group stage format used for the first round, however
12900-520: The Final. The addition of American forward Ousman Krubally , from Georgia State , in December brought extra firepower to the team and helped propel the team to second-place finish in Division 1, with a 14–4 record, beating the previous best from last season's campaign. Krubally finished the season averaging 22.1 points-per-game, the second highest in the Division. The Leopards overcame Durham Wildcats in
13072-492: The G League has 31 teams. FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed in 1932 by eight founding nations: Argentina , Czechoslovakia , Greece , Italy , Latvia , Portugal , Romania and Switzerland . At this time, the organization only oversaw amateur players. Its acronym, derived from the French Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur , was thus "FIBA". Men's basketball
13244-487: The Goresbrook Centre. The newly renamed side underperformed in all three knockout competitions, with a 3rd round exit in the National Cup after an 85–123 defeat to London Capital , and 1st round exits in the National Trophy and the BBL Trophy, to which Leopards competed as invitees again. In Division 1, the team recorded a 4th-place finish, the club's highest ever league placing and secured home-court advantage in
13416-665: The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). In 1910, that body changed its name to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first Canadian interuniversity basketball game was played at YMCA in Kingston , Ontario on February 6, 1904, when McGill University – Naismith's alma mater – visited Queen's University . McGill won 9–7 in overtime;
13588-472: The League admitted two teams, Bristol Flyers and Leeds Carnegie , into the organisation; an ill-fated application from a third team, Edinburgh-based East Scotland Warriors , was rejected at the final stages to concerns over its financial backing. Plymouth City Patriots were admitted into the League for the 2021–22 season as a direct replacement for the Plymouth Raiders , who withdrew prior to
13760-460: The League as a buyer for the struggling franchise could not be found. A supporters group called "Leopards Alive" was set up in September 2003, aiming to resurrect the Leopards franchise and bring professional basketball back to their base in Brentwood . Initially seeking to enter a team into the BBL, the supporters group opted for the English Basketball League due to the expected costs of running
13932-651: The League featured 10 member franchises from England and Scotland who jointly own the organisation and a chairman was elected by the teams to oversee operations. The League offices were located in Leicester where the country's oldest team, the Leicester Riders , is also based. The BBL sat above the English National Basketball League and the Scottish Basketball Championship , which effectively formed
14104-612: The League with a 16–6 record and another promotion followed. The post-season Play-off's saw Rebels sweep aside Westminster Warriors 109–96 in the Quarter-finals before being matched up with familiar foes Ealing, who knocked out the Rebels for the second consecutive year with a 99–88 defeat, in the Semi-final. Ware's first appearance in the new NBL Conference for the 2002–03 season saw them pitted against much tougher opponents in
14276-629: The Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at the Conference of Physical Training in Springfield to draw up general rules for women's basketball. These rules, designed by Berenson, were published in 1899. In 1902 Berenson became the editor of A. G. Spalding 's first Women's Basketball Guide. The same year women of Mount Holyoke and Sophie Newcomb College (coached by Clara Gregory Baer ), began playing basketball. By 1895,
14448-484: The NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed. The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools, there are
14620-404: The NBA, and U Sports (Canadian universities) play for both sexes, and 30 seconds in NCAA play for both sexes), holding the ball while closely guarded (5 seconds), and remaining in the restricted area known as the free-throw lane, (or the " key ") (3 seconds). These rules are designed to promote more offense. There are also limits on how players may block an opponent's field goal attempt or help
14792-704: The NBA. Top international players began coming into the NBA in the mid-1990s, including Croatians Dražen Petrović and Toni Kukoč , Serbian Vlade Divac , Lithuanians Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis , Dutchman Rik Smits and German Detlef Schrempf . In the Philippines, the Philippine Basketball Association 's first game was played on April 9, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao , Quezon City , Philippines. It
14964-525: The NBL reached a broadcasting deal with newly launched television channel Channel 4 , further increasing the visibility of the league to a national audience. The NBL's upward commercial trajectory continued with the EBBA signing sponsorship agreements with major national companies such as Prudential Insurance , Bell's whisky and the Carlsberg Group , generating an estimated income of £1,196,000. A joint venture company, Basketball Marketing Limited,
15136-606: The Play-off Quarter-finals with a 77–68 victory at the Brentwood Centre, in a game that Leopards always held the lead. Unfortunately poor free-throw shooting contributed to a disappointing Semi-final exit at the hands of Reading at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester. Reading ran out winners with a 69–80 scoreline, meaning Leopards failed to reach yet another major Final. Following the end of season, Coach Mark Clark stepped down from his position to concentrate on his work with
15308-487: The Quarter-final in the National Cup, but were narrowly beaten by Worthing Thunder in a close 77–79 home defeat. In a condensed Division 1, the team finished with a 50% record, tallying 9 wins and 9 losses and narrowly missed out on a 4th-place finish and home court advantage in the Play-offs, after losing the last three regular season games. The Leopards lost in the Quarter-finals of the Play-off away to Bristol Flyers with
15480-593: The Savages : "Among other things, a game of skill is described in which balls must be thrown against a target woven from twigs, mounted high on a pole. There's a small reward for the player if the target is being hit." In December 1891, James Naismith , a Canadian-American professor of physical education and instructor at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (now Springfield College ) in Springfield, Massachusetts ,
15652-428: The United States, and it quickly spread through the United States and Canada. By 1895, it was well established at several women's high schools. While YMCA was responsible for initially developing and spreading the game, within a decade it discouraged the new sport, as rough play and rowdy crowds began to detract from YMCA's primary mission. However, other amateur sports clubs, colleges, and professional clubs quickly filled
15824-459: The United States, basketball has evolved to become one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition (drawing most of its talent from U.S. college basketball ). Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as
15996-454: The WNBA to break even this year." Measurements and time limits discussed in this section often vary among tournaments and organizations; international and NBA rules are used in this section. The object of the game is to outscore one's opponents by throwing the ball through the opponents' basket from above while preventing the opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt to score in this way
16168-734: The Ware-based club and rebranded the team as Essex & Herts Leopards in 2004. Basketball in Ware For much of the 1990s the town of Ware in Hertfordshire was home to National League (NBL) basketball following the arrival of the original Rebels franchise, who moved from Watford in 1991. The Rebels team consistently finished in the top three of NBL Division 1 and were crowned Champions in 1997, after finishing two points ahead of Plymouth Raiders with an overall record of 21 wins and 5 losses. Following their most successful season,
16340-491: The act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 15 feet (4.6 m) from the basket. British Basketball League The British Basketball League ( BBL ) was a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain . Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within
16512-484: The addition of new franchises such as Guildford Heat (formed by supporters of the defunct Thames Valley Tigers), and elected teams from the lower-tier English Basketball League , including the Plymouth Raiders . Both teams made a refreshing impact on the old boys, with the Heat qualifying for the Play-offs in their rookie season. During the same season Newcastle won 30 of their 40 regular season league fixtures to clinch
16684-670: The aggregate score of each match in the semi-final then goes through to the BBL Cup Final. The Cup final is played at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, usually in early January. The BBL Trophy traces its origins back to a previous competition known as the Anglo-Scottish Cup – and subsequently the British Master's Cup – which was founded in 1984 and was initially a competition between teams from both
16856-407: The allotted game time, typically about two hours. Five players from each team may be on the court at one time. Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped. Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers. For both men's and women's teams,
17028-415: The ball from a dribbler, intercept passes, or block shots; either offense or defense may collect a rebound , that is, a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard. It is a violation to lift or drag one's pivot foot without dribbling the ball , to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling . The five players on each side fall into five playing positions . The tallest player
17200-490: The basket if one is scored. The defense gains possession in all cases of goaltending or basket interference. An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through certain types of physical contact is illegal and is called a personal foul. These are most commonly committed by defensive players; however, they can be committed by offensive players as well. Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in
17372-414: The basketball is also regulated. For men, the official ball is 29.5 inches (75 cm) in circumference (size 7, or a "295 ball") and weighs 22 oz (620 g). If women are playing, the official basketball size is 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference (size 6, or a "285 ball") with a weight of 20 oz (570 g). In 3x3 , a formalized version of the halfcourt 3-on-3 game, a dedicated ball with
17544-516: The champion dwindled after 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education began an integration of schools. The last tournaments were held at Alabama State College from 1964 to 1967. Teams abounded throughout the 1920s. There were hundreds of men's professional basketball teams in towns and cities all over the United States, and little organization of the professional game. Players jumped from team to team and teams played in armories and smoky dance halls. Leagues came and went. Barnstorming squads such as
17716-419: The circumference of a size 6 ball but the weight of a size 7 ball is used in all competitions (men's, women's, and mixed teams). The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while running). The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball
17888-504: The city of Edinburgh and NBL powerhouse Reading Rockets . Of these interested cities, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Liverpool have all, at some point in time, previously hosted a BBL team since 1987. The league was an independent company owned by its member clubs and Miami -based investment firm 777 Partners, who bought 45.5% of the shares of the league, investing £7million, in December 2021. Each club, or franchise, now had an equal shareholding of 5.45%. The 8-person management board
18060-436: The club compete in Division 2 for the first time and also brought a new name for the club with the return of the Rebels name following the original club's rebranding from Worthing Rebels to Worthing Thunder in the same year. The reincarnated Ware Rebels went on to have their most successful season to date, finishing third in the Division with 17 wins and 7 losses and earning promotion to Division 1. The post-season Play-off's saw
18232-466: The club's history as they won the EBL Division One regular season title, the play-offs and the National Cup. The Big Cats lost four of their first five league games but then reeled off 19 straight victories, winning the Division One title at Reading with two games to spare. Bristol Academy Flyers had already been beaten in a thrilling National Cup final at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, and the treble
18404-439: The court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be of the correct height – a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting. The net must "check the ball momentarily as it passes through the basket" to aid the visual confirmation that the ball went through. The act of checking the ball has the further advantage of slowing down the ball so the rebound does not go as far. The size of
18576-550: The current competition is a knockout tournament with pairings drawn completely at random – there are no seeds , and a draw takes place after the majority of fixtures have been played in each round. As well as including all BBL member clubs, invited teams from the English Basketball League , and occasionally the Scottish Basketball League , often take part in the Trophy. The Final is usually played in March at
18748-626: The development of the game. The hall of fame has people who have accomplished many goals in their career in basketball. An upstart organization, the American Basketball Association , emerged in 1967 and briefly threatened the NBA's dominance until the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Today the NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent, and level of competition. The NBA has featured many famous players, including George Mikan ,
18920-420: The end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play ( overtime ) is mandated. Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling) or by passing it to a teammate, both of which require considerable skill. On offense, players may use a variety of shots – the layup , the jump shot , or a dunk ; on defense, they may steal
19092-833: The ending of the game was replayed three times until the Soviet Union finally came out on top. In 1950 the first FIBA World Championship for men, now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup , was held in Argentina. Three years later, the first FIBA World Championship for women, now known as the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup , was held in Chile. Women's basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976, which were held in Montreal , Quebec, Canada with teams such as
19264-507: The financial relationship between them and the EBBA. Kevin Routledge, a director at Leicester Riders , claimed at the time that "there was a feeling about men's clubs that insufficient emphasis was being given to them, particularly recognising that in terms of spectator, sponsorship and media appeal they were very much top of the heap." The sentiment was echoed by Dave Elderkin, Manager of Sunderland 76ers , who noted that sponsorship revenue
19436-478: The first decades of the 20th century, basketball quickly became the ideal interscholastic sport due to its modest equipment and personnel requirements. In the days before widespread television coverage of professional and college sports, the popularity of high school basketball was unrivaled in many parts of America. Perhaps the most legendary of high school teams was Indiana's Franklin Wonder Five , which took
19608-866: The first dominating "big man"; ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy and defensive genius Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics ; charismatic center Wilt Chamberlain , who originally played for the barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters ; all-around stars Oscar Robertson and Jerry West ; more recent big men Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Shaquille O'Neal , Hakeem Olajuwon and Karl Malone ; playmakers John Stockton , Isiah Thomas and Steve Nash ; crowd-pleasing forwards Julius Erving and Charles Barkley ; European stars Dirk Nowitzki , Pau Gasol and Tony Parker ; Latin American stars Manu Ginobili , more recent superstars, Allen Iverson , Kobe Bryant , Tim Duncan , LeBron James , Stephen Curry , Giannis Antetokounmpo , etc.; and
19780-486: The first time in 11 years, British participation in European competition when Leicester competed in the Basketball Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup . On 2 December 2021 the Miami -based investment firm 777 Partners bought 45.5% of the shares of the league. The company invested £7 million in the league, that also saw an organisational reform which included the appointment of a CEO. On 14 June 2024 British Basketball ,
19952-460: The first time in the club's history, they had won a Play-off game and advanced to the Semi-finals and the Final Four's weekend at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester. However, after being pitted against the hosts, Manchester Magic, in the Semi-finals, the occasion proved too much and Leopards fell to 92–76 defeat with Manchester's Stefan Gill posting a game-high 35 points, driving the hosts into the Final. Leopards couldn't capitalize on their successes of
20124-406: The first-ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" were "dispersed to the league's teams." In a March 12, 2009, article, NBA commissioner David Stern said that in the bad economy, "the NBA is far less profitable than the WNBA. We're losing a lot of money among a large number of teams. We're budgeting
20296-469: The franchise's history. In front of a packed National Indoor Arena in Birmingham the Leopards defeated Reading Rockets 79–75 and claim the club's first-ever piece of silverware. In Division 1, the team finished in 6th place, the highest placing the club has achieved to date, with a 17–9 record. In the Play-offs, they were matched up with Sheffield Arrows for the second consecutive season and again for
20468-425: The game had spread to colleges across the country, including Wellesley , Vassar , and Bryn Mawr . The first intercollegiate women's game was on April 4, 1896. Stanford women played Berkeley , 9-on-9, ending in a 2–1 Stanford victory. Women's basketball development was more structured than that for men in the early years. In 1905, the executive committee on Basket Ball Rules (National Women's Basketball Committee)
20640-423: The group stage including wins over Brixton and London Capital (after the team failed to fulfil a fixture), Leopards progressed through the 1st Knockout Round with a comfortable 78–56 away win over Bristol to progress to the Semi-final. The London side were edged out narrowly though by their traditional Cup rivals Reading in a close 62–60 defeat, whilst Reading went on to win the competition, beating Leeds Carnegie in
20812-529: The higher seed getting two home games either side of the lower seeds home game. The team that wins two of the three games advances to the next round. As with the Quarterfinals, teams in the Semifinals are also seeded, with the highest-ranking team drawn against the lowest-ranking team in one Semifinal and the two remaining teams drawn together in the other Semifinal. The culmination of the post-season
20984-489: The inflatable bladder after the other sewn-together segments of the ball's cover had been flipped outside-in. These laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith (whereas in American football , the lace construction proved to be advantageous for gripping and remains to this day). The first balls made specifically for basketball were brown, and it
21156-531: The league financially, with many franchises struggling to recover from the lost revenue that the £21 million contract was providing. Long established franchises such as the Manchester Giants , Essex Leopards , Derby Storm , Thames Valley Tigers and Birmingham Bullets withdrew from the league, though new teams have been formed under the Giants and Leopards names. The membership crisis brought about
21328-556: The league's popularity and level of competition. Other professional women's basketball leagues in the United States, such as the American Basketball League (1996–98) , have folded in part because of the popularity of the WNBA. The WNBA has been looked at by many as a niche league. However, the league has recently taken steps forward. In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN . The new television deal ran from 2009 to 2016. Along with this deal, came
21500-516: The league, with the biggest advances in facilities. Some clubs have now built their own venues, including Newcastle , Leicester , Sheffield and Caledonia , and Manchester , Cheshire and Surrey and have moved into much improved facilities, while Plymouth , and the most recent election from the EBL, the Bristol Flyers , have announced plans for their own arenas. The 2018–19 season saw, for
21672-423: The mezzanine balcony of the playing court, but this proved impractical when spectators in the balcony began to interfere with shots. The backboard was introduced to prevent this interference; it had the additional effect of allowing rebound shots. Naismith's handwritten diaries, discovered by his granddaughter in early 2006, indicate that he was nervous about the new game he had invented, which incorporated rules from
21844-432: The move and opted to stay within the existing EBBA structure. The EBBA established a Committee of Inquiry to conduct a review and establish the terms of the handover, and a new organisation – the Basketball League Limited – was formed by the team owners to oversee the operations of the new competition. The new organisation proposed commencing with a new 16-team league competition for the 1987–88 season , that would include
22016-489: The nation by storm during the 1920s, dominating Indiana basketball and earning national recognition. Today virtually every high school in the United States fields a basketball team in varsity competition. Basketball's popularity remains high, both in rural areas where they carry the identification of the entire community, as well as at some larger schools known for their basketball teams where many players go on to participate at higher levels of competition after graduation. In
22188-451: The national governing body for basketball in the UK, terminated the league's licence, meaning that the UK men's professional league would no longer be run by the current operating company behind the BBL. British Basketball cited financial concerns as a principal driver of the decision, and promised that interim measures would be put in place to ensure that a 2024/25 season takes place. The most recent round of expansion took place in 2014 when
22360-402: The nearby Smith College , went to Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she started to organize games with her pupils, following adjusted rules. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played barely 11 months later, between the University of California and the Miss Head's School. In 1899, a committee was established at
22532-557: The new Carlsberg Basketball League and the 1987–88 season took place on 13 September 1987, when Scotland -based Livingston defeated Oldham Celtics, 98–81, at the Forum Arena in Livingston . The former Scottish National League team went on to have a very successful season overall. Whilst Portsmouth were successful in retaining their national champions title in the inaugural league championship – continuing their success from
22704-400: The new sport and the values it could teach, she instantly introduced the game as a class exercise and soon after teams were organized. The first women's collegiate basketball game was played on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another. The first official women's interinstitutional game was played later that year between the University of California and
22876-715: The off-season, searching for additional sponsors to cover their £100,000 outgoings. Despite these setbacks, the fledging organisation did achieve some immediate commercial success; a new 3-year sponsorship agreement with the Carlsberg Group saw the new competition branded as the Carlsberg Basketball League , along with additional naming-rights deals for the postseason playoffs and the Tournament of Champions, both of which were also sponsored by Carlsberg. The newly-established League Cup competition
23048-458: The offense, a violation of these rules results in loss of possession; for the defense, most leagues reset the shot clock and the offensive team is given possession of the ball out of bounds. There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway (8 seconds in FIBA and the NBA; 10 seconds in NCAA and high school for both sexes), before attempting a shot (24 seconds in FIBA,
23220-622: The organisation also ran the BBL Cup and BBL Cup Winners' Cup competitions, though these were last contested in 2023 and 2009 respectively. In partnership with Basketball England the organisation launched a women's league in 2014, branded as the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL). Competitive national basketball in Great Britain has existed since 1936 when the Amateur Basket Ball Association (ABBA) founded
23392-411: The points difference in the games between said teams. Following the completion of the Championship regular season, the top eight ranked teams advance into the post-season Playoffs which usually take place during April. In the regular season, team schedules are not identical and neither are matchdays, with games scheduled mainly around venue availability. Because of this teams may find themselves playing
23564-487: The previous National Basketball League – they were soundly defeated by Livingston in both the Playoff Final (81–72) and NatWest Bank Trophy Final (96–91). The 1990s also saw a growth in popularity and commercialism within the league. Games were televised and the league picked up sponsors such as Peugeot , Lego , Playboy and Budweiser , while attendances at games also increased. The Manchester Giants opened
23736-590: The previous season and so the 2009–10 campaign saw a disappointing 9th-place finish (out of 12 teams) with a 6–16 record, meaning that the London team didn't qualify for the post-season Play-offs for the first time since the Rebels-Leopards merger. An early exit in the Trophy in a group that contained Reading and London Mets was quickly forgotten after a promising run of results in the National Cup. Victories against Milton Keynes Lions II , Hackney White Heat , London Westside and Brixton TopCats saw Leopards earn
23908-472: The reemergence of the Leicester Riders as a dominant force in the domestic game, and the rise and fall of teams based in London , Birmingham , Liverpool , Essex , Durham and Worthing . Long term franchise Milton Keynes relocated to London, to become a 2012 Olympics legacy tenant at the Copper Box Arena , and a new incarnation of the famous Manchester Giants name re-entered the league in
24080-451: The removal of relegation between the new league and NBL Division 2 for the first two seasons, to encourage financial stability for its member teams; promotion would still be offered to the top two teams within Division 2, subject to financial and facility guarantees. Furthermore, all member teams within the Basketball League Limited would be equal shareholders of the new organisation and be eligible to compete in European competitions, whilst
24252-434: The same year. The 2015 Playoffs Final took place at The O2 Arena , London, following a string of sell-out attendances at Wembley Arena between 2012 and 2014. The event saw a record breaking crowd of 14,700. As of the 2016–17 BBL season Italian sportswear manufacturer Kappa have been the exclusive kit supplier for all teams, replacing a previous deal with Spalding . The past decade has seen sustained growth across
24424-582: The score was 7–7 at the end of regulation play, and a ten-minute overtime period settled the outcome. A good turnout of spectators watched the game. The first men's national championship tournament, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball tournament, which still exists as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament , was organized in 1937. The first national championship for NCAA teams,
24596-493: The season starting. As of 2023, the League does not have any confirmed plans to introduce more teams in new cities or locations, however there are interested parties from Belfast , Birmingham , Cardiff , Dublin , Leeds and Liverpool looking at establishing a potential expansion franchise. In 2022, media outlets also reported interest from a Birmingham-based consortium which included former NBA star and Hall of Famer , Hakeem Olajuwon , as well as additional interest from
24768-485: The season to take the game into overtime and Leopards then took control to win 99–91 and win the one piece of silverware that had eluded them the previous year. American big man Greg Hernandez took home the MVP award after recording 26 points and ten rebounds while Cummings had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists. With Hernandez and former England international Taner Adu suffering early season injuries, Leopards’ defence of
24940-414: The season will be best remembered for three records broken by the Rebels, thanks in-part to the three-point shooting abilities of American-import Michael Williamson. In Rebels' 117–87 National Cup first round win over Northampton Neptunes , Williamson scored a National Cup record 13 three-pointers, scoring two within the first 10 seconds of the game, whilst the team broke the record for a team effort, scoring
25112-420: The second tier of basketball competition in Great Britain. Due to the franchise model there was no promotion or relegation between the lower leagues and the BBL, although several BBL member teams had previously competed in the National Basketball League. In addition to the regular season Championship, the BBL also staged two knockout competitions; the BBL Trophy and the end-of-season BBL Playoffs . Previously
25284-527: The second time were knocked out in the Quarter-final after losing 69–93. Return of the London Leopards The 2006–07 season saw another major rebranding for the franchise as the club was renamed as London Leopards in an effort to attract a bigger fanbase from Britain 's capital city, whilst following a disagreement with the new owners of the club's home venue, the Brentwood Centre, the Leopards would play all home games between Wodson Park and
25456-421: The second-tier league and unsurprisingly Rebels successes of the previous season's were not replicated. Finishing 10th out of the 12 teams competing, Ware could only put together 4 victories out of 22 games, whilst missing out on the Play-off's for the first time in the club's history. The 2003–04 season would see Rebels fare much better in the newly rebranded English Basketball League (EBL) Division 1, following
25628-468: The sport in Australia. The Women's National Basketball League began in 1981. Women began to play basketball in the fall of 1892 at Smith College through Senda Berenson , substitute director of the newly opened gymnasium and physical education teacher, after having modified the rules for women. Shortly after Berenson was hired at Smith, she visited Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by
25800-530: The team was uprooted and moved to Stevenage to become the Stevenage Rebels, though the success didn't follow and the franchise would eventually relocate again in 1999 to become Worthing Rebels . Following the Rebels' move to Stevenage, a brand-new team, Ware Fire , was established and admitted to NBL Division 3 for the 1997–98 season. In their rookie season they finished 7th out of 11 teams with an amicable 9–17 record. A mild improvement to 6th place in
25972-632: The team. It was formally announced in May 2004 that Leopards Alive and the Ware Rebels were merging for the 2004–05 season, and would be re-branded as the Essex & Herts Leopards , taking the names of both counties (Essex and Hertfordshire) they would be representing. Jon Burnell, coach of the Ware Rebels in their final season, was given the Head Coach job for the new-look Leopards. The 2004–05 season
26144-572: The three players who many credit with ushering the professional game to its highest level of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s: Larry Bird , Earvin "Magic" Johnson , and Michael Jordan . In 2001, the NBA formed a developmental league, the National Basketball Development League (later known as the NBA D-League and then the NBA G League after a branding deal with Gatorade ). As of the 2023–24 season,
26316-662: The title showdown and a strong finish wrapped up their first D1 Championship since the 2011–12 season. During a turbulent 2016–17 season, the Leopards were relegated to Division 1 for the first time in 13 years. Relegation was confirmed in the penultimate game against Lancashire Spinners where a final second shot saw them go down 83–82. Note: Flags indicate national team , as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non- FIBA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. To appear in this section
26488-417: The top eight ranked teams from the Championship regular season compete in a knockout tournament . Teams are seeded depending on their final positioning in the Championship standings, so first-place faces eighth-place, second versus seventh-place, third against sixth-place and finally fourth plays the fifth-placed team. Both the Quarterfinals and the succeeding Semifinals are played over a three-game series, with
26660-577: The void. In the years before World War I , the Amateur Athletic Union and the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (forerunner of the NCAA ) vied for control over the rules for the game. The first pro league, the National Basketball League, was formed in 1898 to protect players from exploitation and to promote a less rough game. This league only lasted five years. James Naismith
26832-415: The women's team and the men's second team were rebranded as Barking Abbey Leopards to reflect the new partnership. Due to the new partnership, the senior team was made up mainly of Barking Abbey recruits, with American import-player Josh Sharlow brought in to add experience to the team. The new-look team enjoyed their best season yet in the League and also another encouraging run in the Trophy, after overcoming
27004-457: Was announced in the summer of 2005, after just one season of splitting home games between both Ware's venue, Wodson Park, and Essex's Brentwood Centre, that the club would drop Wodson Park in favour of the Goresbrook Centre in Dagenham . On-court, the Leopards went from strength to strength and the 2005–06 season would prove to be one of their strongest yet. The club competed for the first time in
27176-607: Was branded as the NatWest Bank Trophy following a deal with National Westminster Bank . The EBBA's player import rules – where teams were restricted to having two foreign "import" players plus one "naturalised" British player – were carried over to the new competition. A small complication arose as the league also featured Scotland-based Livingston, and the ruling meant that English players would count as foreign players for teams based in Scotland. The first game of
27348-429: Was business as normal on-court as the team finished 8th for the second consecutive season, totalling 9 wins and 13 defeats. An early exit in the National Cup came at the hands of Nottingham Knights after a 58–62 defeat at Wodson Park in the 3rd round, whilst they didn't fare much better in the post-season Play-offs, exiting in the Quarter-final after a 103–72 defeat at the hands of Division Champions Sheffield Arrows . It
27520-403: Was common by 1896, with a rule against the double dribble by 1898. The peach baskets were used until 1906 when they were finally replaced by metal hoops with backboards. A further change was soon made, so the ball merely passed through. Whenever a person got the ball in the basket, his team would gain a point. Whichever team got the most points won the game. The baskets were originally nailed to
27692-410: Was completed as Medway Park Crusaders, Leicester Warriors and Derby Trailblazers were beaten on the way to play-off success. American point guard Vernon Teel won the MVP award in both finals and completed a hat-trick by taking the Division honour, while teammate Krubally was runner-up for the second straight season. The Leopards also began playing some home games at Basildon Sporting Village, starting with
27864-632: Was created by the American Physical Education Association . These rules called for six to nine players per team and 11 officials. The International Women's Sports Federation (1924) included a women's basketball competition. 37 women's high school varsity basketball or state tournaments were held by 1925. And in 1926, the Amateur Athletic Union backed the first national women's basketball championship , complete with men's rules. The Edmonton Grads ,
28036-408: Was divided between the EBBA's 650 member clubs, and though the Division 1 teams generated the most sponsorship they were only receiving a small fraction of the return; Sunderland were reportedly paid just £2,000 from central sponsorship earnings in 1986. By April 1986, still unsatisfied by the relationship with the EBBA, a contingent of team owners set forth to organise a breakaway competition, dubbed
28208-445: Was dropped in August 2022 as it was stated to hamper the growth of BBL teams playing in European competitions. According to BBL rules, teams must field no more than six import (non-EU) players in any one season, though only three are allowed to be registered to a roster at any one time. Signings are allowed to be made throughout the pre-season and during the regular season until the league's transfer deadline on 28 February, or if during
28380-432: Was established in 1982 by the EBBA and team owners to market the league collectively to potential sponsors and share revenue from TV contracts; with the agreement that 40% of revenue was held by the EBBA and the remaining 60% shared between all member teams. In 1983, the Basketball Owners' Association (BOA) was established by owners of 9 different NBL teams to represent their interests as internal conflict arose regarding
28552-401: Was first included at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics , although a demonstration tournament was held in 1904. The United States defeated Canada in the first final, played outdoors. This competition has usually been dominated by the United States, whose team has won all but three titles. The first of these came in a controversial final game in Munich in 1972 against the Soviet Union, in which
28724-474: Was founded as a "rebellion" of several teams from the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association, which was tightly controlled by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (now defunct), the then-FIBA recognized national association. Nine teams from the MICAA participated in the league's first season that opened on April 9, 1975. The NBL is Australia's pre-eminent men's professional basketball league. The league commenced in 1979 , playing
28896-418: Was instrumental in establishing college basketball . His colleague C. O. Beamis fielded the first college basketball team just a year after the Springfield YMCA game at the suburban Pittsburgh Geneva College . Naismith himself later coached at the University of Kansas for six years, before handing the reins to renowned coach Forrest "Phog" Allen . Naismith's disciple Amos Alonzo Stagg brought basketball to
29068-412: Was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. The Grads' players were unpaid, and had to remain single. The Grads' style focused on team play, without overly emphasizing skills of individual players. The first women's AAU All-America team was chosen in 1929. Women's industrial leagues sprang up throughout the United States, producing famous athletes, including Babe Didrikson of the Golden Cyclones , and
29240-424: Was only in the late 1950s that Tony Hinkle , searching for a ball that would be more visible to players and spectators alike, introduced the orange ball that is now in common use. Dribbling was not part of the original game except for the "bounce pass" to teammates. Passing the ball was the primary means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the asymmetric shape of early balls. Dribbling
29412-420: Was signed at Old Trafford football stadium, home of Manchester United, whose basketball team would feature in the newly formed league. Signing the agreement to establish the new league was Keith Mitchell OBE and Mel Welch, President and Secretary of the EBBA respectively, along with John Deacon, Chairman of the Basketball League Limited, and John Barr, Treasurer of the new organisation. At official launch,
29584-402: Was trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper levels of fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums , he invented a new game in which players would pass a ball to teammates and try to score points by tossing the ball into
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