Basketball National League

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This article is about the South African professional basketball league. For the American basketball minor league, see Premier Basketball League. For the Indonesian basketball minor league, see Premier Basketball League (Indonesia).

Basketball National League
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Founded1993; 33 years ago (1993)
(as Premier Basketball League)
First season1993–94
CountrySouth Africa
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Current championsKwaZulu Marlins (1st title)
(2024)
Most championshipsEgoli Magic (5 titles)
CEOAlbert Mokoena
TV partnersSuperSport
Websitebnlsa.com
2024 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 successful club in league history, having won five championships.

History

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PBL era

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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

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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]

The defending champions Tigers withdrew for the sequential 2024 season because of budgetary constraints. Meanwhile, a promotion and relegation was introduced and last-ranked Eastern Cape Windbreakers were relegated, while MBB from the Inner City Super League (ICSL) joined the league.[10]

Current clubs

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The league currently has 11 clubs:

Team Location Founded Joined
Egoli Magic

Johannesburg, Gauteng

1994
Free State Warriors Free State 2012
KwaZulu Marlins Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 1994
Limpopo Pride

Limpopo

2012
MBB

Johannesburg, Gauteng

2012 2024
Mpumalanga Rhinos[a]

Mbombela, Mpumalanga

2012
Northern Cape Zebras[b]

Northern Cape

2012
North West Eagles[c]

Potchefstroom, North West

2012
Soweto Panthers

Soweto, Gauteng

1986 1994
Tshwane Suns

Tswhane, Gauteng

1996
Western Cape Mountaineers

Cape Town, Western Cape

2013

Former teams

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Team Location Founded Joined Last season
Cape Town Tigers Cape Town 2019 2023
Eastern Cape Windbreakers

Eastern Cape

2012 2023

List of champions

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Season Champions Runners-up Finals
score 		Venue Ref.
1997 KwaZulu Marlins
1998–2006 Inactive
2007 Soweto Panthers KwaZulu Marlins 79–78 Mandeville Indoor Center, Johannesburg [4]
2008–2012 Inactive
2013 Tshwane Suns Mbombela Wildcats 79–68 Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg [5]
2014 Tshwane Suns (2) Duzi Royals 65–60 [11]
2015 Egoli Magic Duzi Royals 2–1 (series) [12]
2016 Egoli Magic (2) Tshwane Suns 62–47 [13]
2017 Tshwane Suns (3) Egoli Magic 58–51 [14]
2018 Soweto Panthers Egoli Magic 84–58 [15]
2019 Egoli Magic (3) Soweto Panthers 59–55 [16]
2020–21 Egoli Magic (4) Soweto Panthers 85–67 [17]
2021 Egoli Magic (5) Tshwane Suns 53–39 [18]
2022 Tshwane Suns (4) Western Cape Mountaineers 66–62 [19]
2023 Cape Town Tigers Tshwane Suns 85–60 Mandeville Indoor Center, Johannesburg [20]
2024 KwaZulu Marlins Mpumalanga Rhinos 2–0 (series) [21]

Performance by team

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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
KwaZulu Marlins 2 1 1997, 2024 2007
Soweto Panthers 2 0 2007, 2018 2019, 2020–21
Cape Town Tigers 1
—
 2023
—
Duzi Royals
—
 2
—
 2014, 2015
Mbombela Wildcats
—
 1
—
 2013
Western Cape Mountaineers
—
 1
—
 2022

Individual awards

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MVP and Final MVP

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Season MVP Final MVP Ref.
2007 Neo Mothiba (Panthers) [4]
2013 Neo Mothiba (Suns) [5]
2014 South Africa Tichifara Mabiza (Suns) [22]
2015 Error creating thumbnail: Jose Salvador (Egoli)
2017 South Africa Stephen Gabriel (Suns) [23]
2018 Zimbabwe Tatenda Maturure (Soweto)
2019 South Africa Bandile Nsele (Egoli) [24]
2020–21 Portugal Miguel Ferrão (Egoli) South Africa Lehlogonolo Tholo (Soweto) [25]
2021 Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Shine (Suns) South Africa Nkosinathi Sibanyoni (Suns) [26]
2022 Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Shine (Suns) South Africa Kagiso Ngoetjana (Suns) [27]
2023 Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Shine (Suns) South Africa Nkosinathi Sibanyoni (Tigers) [28]
2024 South Africa Sifiso Gininda (Marlins) South Africa Sifiso Gininda (Marlins)

See also

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Notes

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  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

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  8. ^ Basketball (And The NBA) Try To Find Fans In South Africa Don Boroughs (NPR), 3 August 2015. Accessed 3 December 2020.
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