Basketball National League
Founded1993 (1993)
(as Premier Basketball League)
First season1993–94
CountrySouth Africa
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Current championsCape Town Tigers (1st title)
(2023)
Most championshipsEgoli Magic (5 titles)
CEOAlbert Mokoena
TV partnersSuperSport
Websitebnlsa.com
2023 BNL season

The Basketball National League (BNL) is the pre-eminent male professional basketball league in South Africa. The league was founded in 2013, however, before the Premier Basketball League had been running as the country's premier basketball league.

The league also has a female counterpart, the Women's Basketball National League, which was established in 2021.[1]

Egoli Magic are the most succesfull club in league history, having won five championships. The current champions are the Cape Town Tigers, who won the 2023 season.

History

PBL era

Founded in 1994 as the Premier Basketball League (PBL), the league was founded by six franchises. In an agreement with the national federation Basketball South Africa, the league began with four new teams, namely Capetown Eagles, Soweto Panthers, Capetown Kings and Pretoria Suns.[2]

The leaguge was sponsored by Allied Bank, and later by Telkom.[3] The PBL was disbanded in 1996.

The PBL disappeared for the following years, but made a return after nine years in 2007. The final of that season was won by the Soweto Panthers.[4]

BNL era

After a 14-year period without a national men's league, the Basketball National League (BNL) was founded in 2013. The Tshwane Suns won the inaugural BNL championship.[5]

The BNL Season of 2018 started in August, the 3rd and ended on October, the 27th. For the first time ever, the championship was won by the Soweto Panthers.

In 2016 the league piloted a women's division in Gauteng, The Sturdy Stars won the title that year.[6]

South Africa saw the official nationwide launch of the Women's Basketball National League (WBNL) in 2021, with the participating club expansion the W-Tshwane Suns won their first national championship on the 27 November 2021.[7]

Because of the scarcity of available basketball arenas, all games between 2013 and 2015 were played at Wembley Stadium in Stafford, Gauteng, City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, a former ice-rink which holds up to 3,000 visitors.[8]

The league expanded to 12 clubs in the 2023 season, when the Cape Town Tigers, joined the league. The Tigers had already played in two seasons of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the continent's most important tournament. The Tigers won the league in their debut season, after going unbeaten.[9]

Current clubs

The league currently has 11 clubs:

Team Location
Cape Town Tigers Cape Town
Eastern Cape Windbreakers

Eastern Cape

Egoli Magic

Gauteng

Free State Warriors Free State
KwaZulu MarlinsDurban, KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo Pride

Limpopo

Mpumalanga Rhinos[lower-alpha 1]

Mpumalanga

Northern Cape Zebras [lower-alpha 2]

Northern Cape

North West Eagles [lower-alpha 3]

North West

Soweto Panthers

Soweto, Gauteng

Tshwane Suns

Tswhane, Gauteng

Western Cape Mountaineers

Cape Town, Western Cape

List of champions

Season Champions Runners-up Finals
score		 Venue Ref.
1997KwaZulu Marlins
1998–2012 Inactive
2007 Soweto Panthers KwaZulu Marlins 79–78 Mandeville Indoor Center, Johannesburg [4]
2008–2012 Inactive
2013Tshwane SunsMbombela Wildcats 79–68 Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg [5]
2014Tshwane Suns (2)Duzi Royals 65–60 [10]
2015Egoli MagicDuzi Royals 2–1 (series) [11]
2016Egoli Magic (2)Tshwane Suns 62–47 [12]
2017Tshwane Suns (3)Egoli Magic 58–51 [13]
2018Soweto PanthersEgoli Magic 84–58 [14]
2019Egoli Magic (3)Soweto Panthers 59–55 [15]
2020–21Egoli Magic (4)Soweto Panthers 85–67 [16]
2021Egoli Magic (5)Tshwane Suns 53–39 [17]
2022 Tshwane Suns (4) Western Cape Mountaineers 66–62 [18]
2023 Cape Town Tigers Tshwane Suns 85–60 Mandeville Indoor Center, Johannesburg [19]

Performance by team

Club Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Egoli Magic 5 2 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020–21, 2021 2017, 2018
Tshwane Suns 4 2 2013, 2014, 2017, 2022 2016, 2021, 2023
Soweto Panthers 2 0 2007, 2018 2019, 2020–21
KwaZulu Marlins 1 1 1997 2007
Cape Town Tigers 1
—
 2023
—
Duzi Royals
—
 2
—
 2014, 2015
Mbombela Wildcats
—
 1
—
 2013
Western Cape Mountaineers
—
 1
—
 2022

Individual awards

MVP and Final MVP

Season MVP Final MVP Ref.
2007 Neo Mothiba (Panthers) [4]
2013 Neo Mothiba (Suns) [5]
2014South Africa Tichifara Mabiza (Suns) [20]
2015Angola Jose Salvador (Egoli)
2017South Africa Stephen Gabriel (Suns) [21]
2018Zimbabwe Tatenda Maturure (Soweto)
2019South Africa Bandile Nsele (Egoli) [22]
2020–21Portugal Miguel Ferrão (Egoli) South Africa Lehlogonolo Tholo (Soweto) [23]
2021 Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Shine (Suns) South Africa Nkosinathi Sibanyoni (Suns) [24]
2022 Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Shine (Suns) South Africa Kagiso Ngoetjana (Suns) [25]
2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Shine (Suns) South Africa Nkosinathi Sibanyoni (Tigers) [26]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Named the "Mbombela Wildcats" from 2013 to 2014.
  2. ↑ Named "Kimberley Diamonds" from 2013 to 2014.
  3. ↑ Named "North West Goodfellas" from 2013 to 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "The Basketball National League Launch A Semi-Professional League For Women – Basketball National League". Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "PBL the whole story | MyBasketball". MyBasketball | South Africa's basketball community. 16 August 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Lehohla, Manyehlisa (19 June 2023). "Gilchrist reflects on glorious, but short-lived PBL". The Big Tip Off. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "South Africa - Panthers crowned the PBL champions". FIBA.basketball. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "RSA - Underdogs Tshwane Suns win inaugural South Africa League". FIBA.basketball. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Basketball National League 2016, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "African Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Basketball (And The NBA) Try To Find Fans In South Africa Don Boroughs (NPR), 3 August 2015. Accessed 3 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "Cape Town Tigers are 2023 BNL winners". Afrobasket.com. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "BNL 2014: Tshwane Suns wrap it up in style | MyBasketball". MyBasketball | South Africa's basketball community. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Basketball National League 2015, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Basketball National League 2016, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Basketball National League 2017, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "Basketball National League 2018, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Egoli Produces Magic". BNLSA. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Basketball National League 2020, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "Basketball National League 2021, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Basketball National League 2022, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Basketball National League 2023, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "BNL 2014: Suns' Mabiza chosen League MVP | MyBasketball". MyBasketball | South Africa's basketball community. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "BNL Basketball 2017". Afrobsaket.com. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  22. ↑ "Egoli Produces Magic – Basketball National League". Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  23. ↑ "Reliving the BNL 2020-2021 Unforgettable Season – Basketball National League". Bnlsa.com. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  24. ↑ "African Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "Basketball National League 2022, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  26. ↑ "Basketball National League 2023, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - afrobasket". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 26 December 2023.


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