The British Basketball League, also known as the BBL, is the highest level of professional men’s basketball in Britain. In it, 10 teams compete for the BBL Championship (nine from England, one from Scotland), as well as three other knockout competitions: the BBL Trophy, the BBL Cup and the end-of-season play-offs. Read on for British Basketball League betting tips and all there is to know about the competition!
- Tournament Structure for the British Basketball League (BBL)
- British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Odds, Promotions, Tips & Predictions 2022
- 5 Reasons To Bet on the British Basketball League (BBL)
- British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Sites With Live Streaming – Reviewed
- Popular British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Markets
- History of the British Basketball League (BBL)
- Recent British Basketball League (BBL) Winners
- British Basketball League (BBL) Key Stats
- Similar Tournaments to the British Basketball League (BBL)
- British Basketball League (BBL) Betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
Best Betting Sites for the British Basketball League (BBL)
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Tournament Structure for the British Basketball League (BBL)
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The BBL is the flagship competition for the organisation. Played over a regular 30-game campaign, the British Basketball League features 10 teams. Sides are awarded two points for a victory, and the team that finishes with the most points is crowned the BBL Champion. It is worth noting that the games follow the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules.
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In the case of a tie, the head-to-head record will determine who finishes top. However, if the tie involves multiple teams, then points difference will be the overriding factor. Once the regular season is over, the BBL’s top eight teams will advance to the play-offs. Leicester Riders are the reigning champions after they stormed to their fifth title in 2021.
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Games in this league are scheduled around venue availability. This sees teams often playing a run of four or five home games followed by a similar set of away games. And as the regular season is quite short, it’s no surprise that many games are played over weekends as double-headers. This is when a team plays games (possibly a home and away game) on consecutive days.
British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Odds, Promotions, Tips & Predictions 2022
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The 2021/22 BBL season runs from the 24th of September 2021 to the 24th of April 2022. It is shown on TV in Great Britain by Sky Sports and BBC Sport, as well as online through BBL TV and YouTube – so you won’t miss out on it. In the meantime, why not check out the best BBL in-play betting sites? Keep reading for the latest BBL odds and tips and the best British Basketball League teams.
British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Odds 2022
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The BBL betting odds for the 2021/22 campaign are not out yet. Fear not – as soon as they’re out, we’ll have them right here.
British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Tips & Predictions 2022
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Similar to our odds, the BBL betting tips are not available yet. Come back at a later stage to read all about the best tips and British Basketball League table of odds.
British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Promotions 2022
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If you are looking for the best choice of pre-match and in-play British Basketball League markets, then sign up to bet365 and enjoy their deposit £10 and get £50 in free bets offer for new customers.
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Unibet offer an enticing money back as a bonus up to £40 if your first bet loses + £10 casino bonus for new customers.
5 Reasons To Bet on the British Basketball League (BBL)
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It’s the highest level of basketball competition in the UK.
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10 teams from Bristol, Cheshire, Glasgow, Leicester, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Sheffield and Surrey are represented.
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Sky Sports provide live coverage of 30 games per season, including the BBL Trophy final, BBL Cup final and the BBL play-offs.
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Each game is made up of four quarters, lasting 10 minutes each.
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Overtime is used if the score is tied at the end of the game, constituting 5-minute periods of action until a winner is decided.
British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Sites With Live Streaming – Reviewed
Popular British Basketball League (BBL) Betting Markets
The biggest and most exciting basketball event in Britain, the BBL, is a big deal for B-ball fans. British Basketball League betting is great because it is the highest level of action on these shores and the players know it. And if you fancy betting with your phone, check out our list of the best betting apps.
Here are some ways you can bet on the BBL:
Match Winner Betting
The most common type of bet across the sports betting world, the match winner, is no different in basketball. But there are some varieties of this market: the match winner, line betting, or the points spread constituting a fundamental betting type in basketball. All BBL bookmakers offer this market, which sees you back one team to beat the opponent by the predefined margin.
Best BBL betting site for match winner: Ladbrokes
Total Points Betting
Most (if not all) BBL betting sites also offer total points betting. This allows you to predict whether the cumulative number of points of both teams in a game will be over or under a predefined margin. Popularised in North America, it is a pretty straightforward bet which can go two ways.
Best BBL betting site for total points: bet365
Player Totals Betting
Bettors who like to focus on the individual records of certain players should be able to find player totals markets too. Player totals don’t depend on the outcome of a match, but your wager is tied to a selected player, and you can predict whether they will beat the margin in a particular statistical parameter. This could be the number of points, rebounds, steals or turnovers.
Best BBL betting site for player totals: Unibet
MVP Betting
Most Valuable Player (MVP) betting is great if you have a strong feeling that one player is about to have an outstanding game. Before the match begins, you can back that player to be the game’s MVP. The odds are often more attractive here, but note that the risk is also higher.
Best BBL betting site for MVP betting: Coral
History of the British Basketball League (BBL)
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The BBL has had a colourful history. Since the tournament’s inception in 1987, the competition has represented everything good about British basketball. Currently, there are 10 franchises that cover all areas of the country, from Plymouth in the southwest to Glasgow north of the border. For the inaugural season (1987/88), 15 teams took to the floor, and in 1993, the competition was rebranded due to a sponsorship deal from Budweiser. Perhaps the biggest upheaval came in 2006 when the Birmingham Bulls, Brighton Bears, and London Towers all withdrew from the league. Nevertheless, in the intervening years, the league has continued to flourish with the addition of more commercial partners.
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Over the last decade, the Newcastle Eagles have dominated but the Leicester Riders have returned as the favourites. The Milton Keynes franchise relocated to London, and a new incarnation of the Manchester Giants came to fruition.
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The 2015 play-offs final, played at the O2 Arena in London, brought in a crowd of 14,700, with sustained growth seen across the league. Some clubs built their own venues, while others moved to improved facilities. The 2019/20 season was cancelled due to the pandemic, with no champions declared.
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As an interesting fact and given that the BBL is the only UK professional league, the British Basketball League salary is set at £250,000 per year. This is an increase of 50,000 from the 2018/2019 season.
Recent British Basketball League (BBL) Winners
| Year | Winner | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | Leicester Riders | London Lions |
| 2019/20 | No champions declared | Season cancelled due to pandemic |
| 2018/19 | London Lions | Leicester Riders |
| 2017/18 | Leicester Riders | London Lions |
| 2016/17 | Leicester Riders | Newcastle Eagles |
| 2015/16 | Leicester Riders | Newcastle Eagles |
| 2014/15 | Newcastle Eagles | Leicester Riders |
| 2013/14 | Newcastle Eagles | Sheffield Sharks |
| 2012/13 | Leicester Riders | Newcastle Eagles |
| 2011/12 | Newcastle Eagles | Leicester Riders |
| 2010/11 | Mersey Tigers | Newcastle Eagles |
British Basketball League (BBL) Key Stats
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1.
Peter Scantlebury is the all-time leading points scorer in the BBL with 8,324 points from 540 games. To compare, the all-time leading points scorer in the NBA is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387 points.
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Bajan-Brit Nigel Lloyd is second for points with 7,838 but tops the assist charts with 1,909 from a total of 402 games.
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Fabulous Flournoy was born in New York and attended college in the United States but was undrafted in the 1995 NBA draft, going on to sign for the Birmingham Bullets and later helping the Newcastle Eagles to their clean sweep. He has the record for the most steals with 764 in 498 games.
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Tony Holley has the most total rebounds with 3,985 from 398 appearances.
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5.
The new rules that were introduced in the 2012/13 season allow teams per game to field a maximum of five non-British players.
Similar Tournaments to the British Basketball League (BBL)
October 2021 – June 2022, NBA (National Basketball Association): Simply put, it’s the biggest and best basketball league on the planet, with a draft kicking off proceedings before the beginning of every season.
British Basketball League (BBL) Betting FAQs
The British Basketball League (BBL) will be broadcast on Sky Sports and BBC Sport, as well as BBL TV (online) in the United Kingdom.
The regular season of the British Basketball League usually runs from September to April, with the play-offs continuing until the end of May.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
The British Basketball League's regular season takes place from September to around April every year, with the play-offs concluding by the end of May. This is the most exciting competition for basketball fans in the UK, but it must be noted that the standard is somewhat lower than in Europe and the NBA. The league had a strong spell of growth in the 1990s and again over the last decade following some troubles in the 2000s. The reigning champions are the Leicester Riders, who beat the London Lions to the 2020/21 title after the previous season was voided due to the pandemic.
If you don’t want to miss the BBL fun, check out our list of the best betting odds comparison. British basketball fans will be keen to see which teams could upset the odds with online bookmakers this season.