 | |
| Formerly | Eredivisie (1960–2010) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1960; 65 years ago (1960) |
| First season | 1960–61 |
| Folded | 2021 |
| Replaced by | BNXT League |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup | NBB Cup |
| Supercup | Dutch Supercup |
| International cup(s) | Basketball Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
| Last champions | Heroes Den Bosch (18th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Heroes Den Bosch (18 titles) |
| All-time top scorer | Kees Akerboom Sr. (9,878 points) |
| Website | www |
TheDutch Basketball League (DBL), formerly theEredivisie, was the highest professionalbasketball league in the Netherlands, run by the Federatie Eredivisie Basketball (FEB).[1] Since 2021, the league has been replaced by the Belgian-DutchBNXT League.[2]
The league had a closed system: to participate, a team has to have enough money and potential. The league began in 1960 as theEredivisie and was organized by the NBB and later the FEB. In 1977 the league introduced play-offs. As of 2019, the Dutch Basketball League consists of ten teams and plays under theFIBA rules.
Starting with the2010–11 season, the Eredivisie changed its name to the Dutch Basketball League, shortly the DBL. The beginning of the 2010s sawDonar andZZ Leiden emerge as top teams in the Netherlands. Donar won five titles, including three straight (2015–2018). The decade also saw clubs disappear due to financial problems, withAmsterdam in 2011,[3]West-Brabant Giants in 2011,[4]Magixx in 2014.[5][6] The decade also saw the emergence of new clubs inApollo Amsterdam andDen Helder Suns.
In Europe, Donar had one of the biggest successes in Dutch history after reaching the semi-finals of the2017–18 FIBA Europe Cup. It was the first European semi-final of a team sinceAmsterdam in 2001.
In December 2019, it was announced that the DBL has partnered with the BelgianPro Basketball League (PBL) to look at the potential of a future "BeNe League".[7] The2019–20 season was cancelled prematurely in March because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[8] It was the first time in league history that a season was not finished and no champions were named. Due to the pandemic, entry requirements for the following season were lowered which led to the entrance ofBasketball Community Gelderland,The Hague Royals andAlmere Sailors.
Each team has to play all the other teams in the league four times, twice at home and twice away. This means that the league's regular season ends after all teams play 36 matches. Like many other national domestic leagues in continental Europe, the Dutch Basketball League takes a winter break once each team has played half of its scheduled games.
At the end of the league season schedule, the eight best teams in the standings play in aplay-off, pitting the first place team in the standings versus the eighth place team in the standings, and so on. The quarter finals are played in a best-of-three format and the semi-finals are played in a best-of-five format, and the finals are played in a best-of-seven format.
In seasons were the number of teams dropped to 9 or lower, six teams qualified for the playoffs. In this case, the numbers one and two qualified for the semifinals and the other four teams played the quarterfinals.
The DBL has had many rules in place to restrict the number of foreign players of clubs. This way the league seek to keep developing Dutch talent in the league. For several seasons.Until 2019, teams in the DBL were not allowed to have more than four players without a Dutch passport in their on court team at the same time.
As of the end of the 2020–21 season:
| Club | City | Arena | Capacity | 1st season in DBL | No. of seasons in DBL | DBL titles | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almere Sailors | Almere | Topsportcentrum Almere | 3,000 | 2020–21 | 1 | – | – |
| Apollo Amsterdam | Amsterdam | Apollohal | 1,500 | 2012–13 | 8 | – | – |
| Aris Leeuwarden | Leeuwarden | Kalverdijkje | 1,700 | 2004–05 | 16 | – | – |
| BAL | Weert | Sporthal Boshoven | 1,000 | 2017–18 | 4 | – | – |
| Heroes Den Bosch | 's-Hertogenbosch | Maaspoort | 2,800 | 1962–63 | 54 | 16 | 2015 |
| Den Helder Suns | Den Helder | Sporthal Sportlaan | 1,500 | 1981–82 | 29 | 6 | 1998 |
| Donar | Groningen | MartiniPlaza | 4,350 | 1970–71 | 51 | 7 | 2018 |
| Feyenoord | Rotterdam | Topsportcentrum | 2,400 | 1988–89 | 32 | – | – |
| Landstede Hammers | Zwolle | Landstede Sportcentrum | 1,200 | 1995–96 | 25 | 1 | 2019 |
| The Hague Royals | The Hague | Sportcampus Zuiderpark | 3,500 | 2020–21 | 1 | – | – |
| Yoast United | Bemmel | De Schaapskooi | 650 | 2020–21 | 1 | – | – |
| ZZ Leiden | Leiden | Vijf Meihal | 2,000 | 1967–68 | 31 | 4 | 2021 |
The following is the timeline of the teams in the Dutch Basketball League era (since 2011).
The following clubs are not competing in the DBL during the2020–21 season, but have previously competed in the DBL for at least one season. Teams initalics were folded and do not exist anymore.
| Club | City | Current league | First season in DBL | Most recent season in DBL | Seasons in DBL | DBL titles | Last DBL title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agon Amsterdam / Racing Agona | Amsterdam | 1961–62 | 1972–73 | 12 | – | – | |
| Almere Pioneers | Promotiedivisie | 1998–99 | 2006–07 | 9 | – | – | |
| Amsterdam Basketball | – | 1995–96 | 2010–11 | 15 | 7 | 2009 | |
| AMVJ | Amsterdam | Regional | 1966–67 | 1 | – | – | |
| ASVU | Amstelveen | – | 1963–64 | 1974–75 | 5 | – | – |
| GOBA | Regional levels | 1990–91 | 1995–96 | 4 | – | – | |
| Blue Starsa | Diemen | Regional | 1960–61 | 1975–76 | 13 | 1 | 1970 |
| BSW | – | 1982–83 | 2016–17 | 24 | 1 | 1994 | |
| BVG | Promotiedivisie | 1979–80 | 1 | – | – | ||
| Landlust / Canadians Amsterdama | Amsterdam | – | 1960–61 | 1992–93 | 32 | 2 | 1963 |
| C3 Cobra's | – | 2000–01 | 1 | – | – | ||
| DAS Delft | Regional levels | 1986–87 | 1988–89 | 3 | – | – | |
| DEDa | Amsterdam | Regional | 1960–61 | 1973–74 | 14 | ||
| Dutch Windmills | – | 2018–19 | 1 | – | – | ||
| Dunckers | Hilversum | Regional levels | 1995–96 | 1 | – | – | |
| EiffelTowers Nijmegen | – | 2000–01 | 2004–05 | 5 | 1 | 2003 | |
| Herly Amsterdama | Amsterdam | Regional | 1960–61 | 1968–69 | 9 | 1 | 1969 |
| NAC | – | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2 | – | – | |
| Magixx | – | 2005–06 | 2013–14 | 9 | – | – | |
| Monark Amsterdama | Amsterdam | – | 1960–61 | 1963–64 | 4 | – | – |
| Orca's Urk | Eerste Divisie | 1983–84 | 1990–91 | 8 | – | – | |
| Puncha | Promotiedivisie | 1960–61 | 1982–83 | 22 | 2 | 1975 | |
| Red Giants | Eerste Divisie | 1987–88 | 1994–95 | 8 | – | – | |
| SVE Utrecht | Utrecht | – | 1965–66 | 1970–71 | 6 | 1 | 1967 |
| Suvrikri | The Hague | – | 1966–67 | 1971–72 | 6 | – | – |
| The Arrowsa | Rotterdam | – | 1960–61 | 1963–64 | 4 | – | – |
| The Wolves Amsterdama | – | 1960–61 | 1968–69 | 9 | 5 | 1965 | |
| Tonego | Regional levels | 1980–81 | 1986–87 | 8 | – | – | |
| Typhoons Haarlem | Haarlem | – | 1961–62 | 1 | – | – | |
| USa | Amstelveen | Regional | 1960–61 | 1966–67 | 6 | – | – |
| Virtus | Eerste Divisie | 1983–84 | 2000–01 | 8 | – | – | |
| West-Brabant Giants | – | 2003–04 | 2010–11 | 8 | – | – | |
| Wilskracht Amsterdam | Amsterdam | – | 1964–65 | 1969–70 | 6 | – | – |
| ZBVS Santpoort | – | 1960–61 | 1 | – | – | ||
a: Founding member of the DBL.
The two teams that advance to the Finals of the play-offs play against each other in abest-of-seven playoff format.
| Season | Winner(s) | Score | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donar[a] | 4–1 | West-Brabant Giants | |
| ZZ Leiden | 4–3 | Donar[a] | |
| Den Bosch | 4–1 | ZZ Leiden | |
| ZZ Leiden | 4–0 | Aris Leeuwarden | |
| Donar[a] | 4–3 | Den Bosch | |
| Den Bosch | 4–1 | Donar | |
| Donar | 4–1 | Landstede Zwolle | |
| Donar | 4–1 | Landstede Zwolle | |
| Donar | 4–0 | ZZ Leiden | |
| Landstede Zwolle | 4–2 | Donar | |
Not awarded | |||
| ZZ Leiden | 3–0 | Heroes Den Bosch | |
| Heroes Den Bosch | 3–2 | ZZ Leiden | |
| ZZ Leiden | 3–2 | Donar | |
| ZZ Leiden | 3–1 | Heroes Den Bosch | |
| Heroes Den Bosch | 3–0 | ZZ Leiden | |
Teams shown initalics are no longer in existence. Teams inbold are currently playing in the DBL.
| Club | Wins | Seasons won |
|---|---|---|
| Heroes Den Bosch | 18 | 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07,2011–12,2014–15,2021–22,2024–25 |
| DED | 8 | 1945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58 |
| Amsterdam | 7 | 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09 |
| Donar | 7 | 1981–82, 2003–04,2009–10,2013–14,2015–16,2016–17,2017–18 |
| Den Helder | 6 | 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1997–98 |
| ZZ Leiden | 6 | 1977–78,2010–11,2012–13,2020–21,2022–23,2023–24 |
| The Wolves Amsterdam | 4 | 1959–60, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65 |
| Flamingo's Haarlem | 4 | 1985–86, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 |
| AMVJ | 3 | 1948–49, 1950–51, 1954–55 |
| Blue Stars | 2 | 1958–59, 1969–70 |
| Landlust | 2 | 1961–62, 1962–63 |
| Punch Delft | 2 | 1968–69, 1974–75 |
| Amstelveen | 2 | 1975–76, 1976–77 |
| APGS | 1 | 1947–48 |
| Herly Amsterdam | 1 | 1965–66 |
| SVE Utrecht | 1 | 1966–67 |
| RZ | 1 | 1973–74 |
| Landstede Hammers | 1 | 2018–19 |
| BSW Weert | 1 | 1993–94 |
| Matrixx Magixx | 1 | 2002–03 |
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The following are the ten players with the most points in the Eredivisie or DBL:[9]
| Rank | Player | Points | Played | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kees Akerboom Sr | 9,878 | 491 | 20.1 |
| 2 | Emil Hagens | 7,810 | 583 | 13.4 |
| 3 | Toon van Helfteren | 7,385 | 605 | 12.2 |
| 4 | Kees Akerboom Jr. | 7,262 | 656 | 11.0 |
| 5 | Hank Smith | 7,119 | 297 | 24.0 |
| 6 | Marcel Huijbens | 6,842 | 481 | 14.2 |
| 7 | Cees van Rootselaar | 6,338 | 538 | 11.8 |
| 8 | Jimmy Moore | 6,099 | 277 | 22.0 |
| 9 | Dan Cramer | 6,000 | 329 | 18.2 |
| 10 | Martin de Vries | 5,943 | 357 | 16.7 |
| 11 | Yoran Jorna | 5,943 | 101 | 58.8 |
| 11 | Joshua Bosma | 5,942 | 69 | 63.5 |
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