Russian Professional Basketball League

The Professional Basketball League (Russian: Профессиональная баскетбольная лига (ПБЛ), Professionalʼnaya basketbolʼnaya liga), often abbreviated to the PBL, was the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Russia, and the successor to the Russian Super League 1, which is now the second-tier division of the Russian basketball league system.

Professional Basketball League

Formerly	Russian Super League 1
Sport	Basketball
Founded	2010
Inaugural season	2010–11
Ceased	2013
No. of teams	10
Country	Russia
Continent	FIBA Europe (Europe)
Most titles	CSKA Moscow (3 titles)
Level on pyramid	1
Related competitions	VTB United League Russian Super League 1 Russian Cup
Official website	www.PBLeague.ru

The PBL was the second version of the Russian Professional Basketball Championship.

History

Established in 2010, the league contained 10 teams in its inaugural 2010–11 season. 9 of those teams participated in the 2009–10 season of Russian Super League 1, and the 10th team was Nizhny Novgorod.^{[citation needed]}

The 2011–12 season featured 10 teams, like the inaugural season, however, Dynamo Moscow was replaced with the 2011 Russian Super League 1 champions Spartak Primorye.^{[citation needed]}

Merging with VTB United League

In May 2012, all the PBL clubs gathered to decide which format would be used for the next season, and some club's directors raised the possibility of merging with the VTB United League, to produce greater competition between the Russian basketball clubs. They suggested that the new league would be named the Eastern European Professional Basketball League.^[1][2][3]

In July 2012, the Council of VTB United League gave a definitive decision. It was decided that the PBL league would continue for one more year, with some of the games of the VTB United League that took place between two Russian clubs being counted as PBL games.^[4] The first tier Russian clubs then replaced the PBL with the VTB United League as their new national domestic league, starting with the 2013–14 season.^{[citation needed]}

Champions

Season	Champions
2010–11	CSKA Moscow
2011–12	CSKA Moscow
2012–13	CSKA Moscow

Awards winners

Main article: Russian Professional Basketball League Awards

Most Valuable Player

• Maciej Lampe: (2011)^[5]
• Davon Jefferson: (2012)^[6]

Playoffs MVP

• Victor Khryapa: (2011)^[7]
• Alexey Shved: (2012)^[8]

Russian basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions

Main article: Russian basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions

See also

• USSR Premier League
• Russian Cup
• USSR Cup

References

1. 20 clubs will play in VTB United League championship in seasone-2012/13 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, vtb-league.com, May 20, 2012
2. "PBL looks to a better future". ULEB. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
3. Triumph applied an application to participate in the new season of VTB United League 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, may 20, 2012, vtb-league.com
4. BEKO PBL Press service. "BEKO PBL Board suggests scheme of 2012/2013 season". pbleague.ru. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
5. PBleague.ru Maciej Lampe - the MVP of the BEKO PBL Regular season.
6. PBleague.ru Davon Jefferson – MVP of the regular season.
7. PBleague.ru Viktor Khryapa Gets Play-Offs MVP Award.
8. Wolves Sign Free Agent Alexey Shved.

External links

• Official website (in English)
• Official website (in English)^{[dead link]}