The Vietnam Basketball Association , abbreviated as VBA , is a Vietnamese national professional basketball league founded in 2016. It runs an annual tournament, the Vietnam Pro Basketball League ( Vietnamese : Giải Bóng rổ Chuyên nghiệp Việt Nam ).
7-537: The formation of the VBA was announced by charter team Saigon Heat following their completion of the 2015–16 ASEAN Basketball League season. Leading up to the inaugural season, the VBA expected that six teams would compete in the new league. However, only five teams were officially unveiled. To oversee league operations, the VBA looked to the Philippines for personnel with extensive basketball experience. Tonichi Pujante
14-511: A wildcard game to proceed to the playoffs. The winner of the game meets the #1 seeded team. From the 2017 season onwards, there are six teams, and the wildcard game is scrapped. #1 will play #4 and the #2 seeded team meets the #3 seeded team in a best-of-three series. The winners then progress to the VBA finals. Saigon Heat The Saigon Heat is a Vietnamese professional basketball team based in Ho Chi Minh City . Since
21-933: A member of the ASEAN Basketball League in October 2011. The team was formed by the Saigon Sports Academy , a multi-sports training academy launched in January 2009 and located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In their inaugural season, the Heat finished sixth in the ABL with a regular season record of 8–13. The Heat did not qualify in for the 2012 ABL playoffs . The Heat followed up their inaugural season with another disappointing sixth-place finish in an injury plagued 2013 season , highlighted by
28-479: A twelve-game losing streak. Thirteen games into the 2014 season , head coach Jason Rabedeaux suddenly died, the main cause of death was traumatic brain injury. Coach Rabedeaux's assistant Anthony Garbelotto was named the new head coach. The Heat finished the season in fourth place, clinching their first ever playoff berth. The Heat were swept 0–2 by the Westports Malaysia Dragons in
35-723: The 2014 season, the Heat's home games are played at the CIS Arena on the campus of the Canadian International School in District 7 . This is the first professional basketball team based in Vietnam. The Heat currently plays in the VBA , Vietnam's first professional basketball league. The Saigon Heat are the first professional basketball team in Vietnam based in Ho Chi Minh City. They were officially announced as
42-493: The start of June and runs until the end of September. Each team plays 12 games, divided between six home and six away matches. At the end of the regular season, the league's overall leader is awarded the Fans' Shield. At the conclusion of the regular season, the playoffs begin. In the inaugural season, all teams are eligible for the tournament style playoffs. However, the teams that finish in the #4 and #5 seeds must meet each other in
49-632: Was named the inaugural league commissioner. The VBA started its inaugural season with five teams. The Thang Long Warriors was added as the sixth team in the 2017 season , followed by the Nha Trang Dolphins as the seventh in the 2020 season . Following the summer break, the preseason typically begins in May. During this period, the teams build their 13–16-man rosters, with each team allowed to carry one foreign, two overseas Vietnamese , and 10 to 13 local players. The VBA regular season begins at
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