By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
It’s been more than a decade since Eurohoops first ranked in the Domestic Leagues in Europe, setting five specific criteria about them. What’s impressive, however, is that since then, very few things have changed, mainly with the rise of Turkey, Greece restoring part of its old glory, and France is constantly improving.
The initial main criteria were competitiveness among the participating teams, margin of upsets, budgets, roster quality, and prospects of growth.
Since then, the growth prospects of Germany have not been realized, and despite Dirk Nowitzki’s optimism, it’s questionable if they will ever be. Russia remains out of the list since VTB remains excluded from every continental competition, giving Poland the chance to stay in the fold while projects like the UK’s BBL crashed and burned, starting from scratch, and the BNXT League in Belgium and the Netherlands never really took off.
What can’t be denied is that France has for the first time three EuroLeague teams and despite last season’s issues with the TV rights, things are getting better and better. Turkey remains on a high level throughout the league thanks to money spent and Greece, having Panathinaikos and Olympiacos dragging the cart is just outside the top five.
So compared to last season, the only change was France clearly surpassing Italy, while Israel also kept its position despite the issues with the conflict in Gaza, due to Hapoel Jerusalem’s desire to create a EuroLeague-level team.
OVERALL RANKING
- ACB Liga Endesa – Spain (-)
- BSL – Turkey (-)
- Betclic ELITE ProA – France (+1)
- Lega Basket Serie A– Italy (-1)
- easyCredit BBL -Germany (-)
- HEBA Basket League – Greece (-)
- AdmiralBet ABA League (-)
- Winner’s League – Israel (-
- Betsafe LKL – Lithuania (-)
- Orlen Basket Liga – Poland (-)
1. ACB
Spain has been the top domestic league for years and will remain for years to come. They are head over heels above everyone else on every level.
2. BSL
Turkey had its share of problems despite getting to near the ACB level at some point. This is not the case anymore, but there’s a solid group of teams that include Fenerbahce, Anadolu Efes, Besiktas, Galatasaray, Turk Telekom, Karsiyaka, and Bahcesehir, which have high ambitions and are contenders in their continental competitions.
3. ProA
This is a golden opportunity for the French league to make a big step forward. They have three EuroLeague teams with one of them in Paris – ASVEL and Monaco are the other two – and a Eurocup contender in Bourg-en-Bresse. Plus, the sport’s popularity is huge in the country, even if it’s mainly focused on the national team and the NBA. ProA must somehow ride the wave and become mainstream.
4. Serie A
While this is a solid league in general, the results of Italian teams in continental competitions are not noteworthy with Virtus Bologna making the EuroLeague play-ins last year and saving the Italian pride. Still, this is a league with a long tradition and clubs like Virtus and Milan which get more mainstream interest compared to France and also compared to the next league on the list.
5. BBL
Germany seems destined to become Bayern’s kingdom and all other teams can’t keep up with them. Plus the financial burden for standard off-the-court expenses makes it very hard for most German teams to attract established players. Last season, Ulm made it to the eight-finals of the EuroCup, while Telekom Baskets Bonn and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg made it to the BCL quarterfinals. Solid, but not spectacular like the league itself.
6. HEBA
Having Panathinaikos and Olympiacos in theory should be enough to push you to the top, plus teams like Peristeri being the only non-Spanish team making the BCL Final Four. However, the devil lies in the details. Despite having mainstream interest in the country, the once mighty Greek league remains confined to 12 teams and there’s no competitive balance due to the presence of two behemoths.
7. ABA LIGA
As time goes by, ABA seems more and more like the smaller cousin of the Greek League due to the dominating presence of Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, while other teams simply can’t compete with them. Let’s see if Dubai BC can stir things up.
8. WINNER’S LEAGUE
Due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, remaining in the 8th position might seem generous. The real reason behind this ranking, however, is that finally, Maccabi Tel Aviv seems to have some real competition due to the admirable roster of Hapoel Tel Aviv, with players such as Pat Beverley and Jonathan Motley. So they keep their standings.
9. LKL
Basketball-crazed country with a limited market, and league for Zalgiris to win or lose.
10. PLK
Poland still has a solid national team and a national league of 16 clubs, which proves the interest of the country in the sport. Plus, no other league in Europe can be considered for the Top 10.