 | |
| Founded | 1953; 72 years ago (1953) |
|---|---|
| First season | 1953–54 |
| Country | Israel |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga Leumit |
| Domestic cup | State Cup |
| Supercup | League Cup |
| International cup(s) | EuroLeague EuroCup Champions League Europe Cup |
| Current champions | None |
| Most championships | Maccabi Tel Aviv (57 titles) |
| CEO | Ari Steinberg |
| TV partners | Sport 5 |
| Website | basket.co.il |
 2025–26 Israeli Basketball Premier League | |
Ligat HaAl (Hebrew:ליגת העל, lit.,Supreme League or Premier League), or theIsraeli Basketball Premier League, is a professionalbasketball league inIsrael and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL (Basketball Super League) or ISBL (Israeli Basketball Super League). For sponsorship reasons, the league is also referred to asLigat Winner Sal (Hebrew:ליגת ווינר סל), lit.Winner Basket League, with "Winner" being the name of a game operated by the league's primary sponsor, Toto Winner.[1]
The league is run by the Israeli Basketball Super League Administration Ltd.[2]
Ligat HaAl comprises the top 12 basketball clubs in Israel, and was founded in 1954.
The league itself is most known in Europe, due to the success of the Israeli teams in European-wide competitions, such as theEuroLeague,EuroCup (formerly called the ULEB Cup), andFIBA'sEuroChallenge (formerly called the FIBA EuroCup). Many non-drafted andfree agent players fromEurope and theNBA play in the Israeli league, as an alternative to NBA competition.
The league is the first division in Israeli basketball: the team that finishes last in a season isrelegated to theSecond Division, while the Second Division's top eight teams compete in a play-off system right after the end of the regular season, with the team that reaches the finals series being promoted to the Premier League for the following season.
There are 14 teams in the league,[3] and they play against each other three times a season. The top eight teams advance to thefive-game series Quarter-finals. The winners of the Quarter-finals advance to the Final Four.[4]
_2.jpg)
In the 1980s and the early 1990s, the Israeli League stars played in Israel against thePhoenix Suns,Cleveland Cavaliers,Orlando Magic, andLos Angeles Lakers.
In October 2005,Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated theToronto Raptors 105–103 in an exhibition game played inToronto,Canada; this was the first victory for any European or Israeli team over an NBA team on its home court.
Over the years, many of its players joined the NBA. In 2009,Omri Casspi became the first Israeli-born NBA player with theSacramento Kings. Prior to that, three players were drafted:Doron Sheffer (who playedU.S. college basketball atConnecticut),Yotam Halperin andLior Eliyahu.Oded Kattash agreed to play with theNew York Knicks, but he never played in the NBA because of the1998–99 NBA lockout that started on July 1, 1998.
In the2009 NBA draft,Omri Casspi was selected 23rd overall by theSacramento Kings, andGal Mekel followed in 2013 by signing withDallas Mavericks. In 2016,Dragan Bender became the highest selection from the Israeli Basketball Premier League to be selected in an NBA draft with thePhoenix Suns taking him at 4th overall. Other players who have moved from the league to the NBA include:Will Bynum,Anthony Parker,Joe Ingles,Roger Mason Jr.,P. J. Tucker,Eugene "Pooh" Jeter,Elijah Bryant,Carlos Arroyo, andNate Robinson.
In 2016,Amar'e Stoudemire retired from the NBA. However, on August 1, 2016, he signed a two-year deal withHapoel Jerusalem, a team he co-owns.[5] On October 1, 2016, he helped Hapoel Jerusalem win the2016 Israeli Basketball League Cup.[6] He also played for Maccabi Tel Aviv during the 2019–20 season, helping them win the2019–20 Israeli Basketball Premier League championship. He was named MVP of the championship game.[7]
In 2020 two players declared for the NBA draft. The first beingDeni Avdija from Maccabi Tel Aviv and the second beingYam Madar from Hapeol Tel Aviv. Avdija was selected in the first round, 9th overall, by the Washington Wizards, and Madar was taken in the second round with the 47th pick of the draft by the Boston Celtics.
In 2011, the league imposed a limit of four non-Israelis per team.[8] However, as all Jews are immediately eligible forIsraeli citizenship under Israel'sLaw of Return, non-Israeli Jewish basketball players are able to join a team in the league without using up one of the few roster spots available for non-Israeli players.
Examples ofJewish Americans joining teams in the league includeJon Scheyer,Jordan Farmar,Sylven Landesberg,David Blu,Amar'e Stoudemire, andDan Grunfeld.
| National Teams |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leagues |
| ||||
| Cups |
| ||||
