Country | Israel |
---|---|
Confederation | FIBA Europe |
Founded | 1953 |
First season | 1953–54 |
Number of teams | 12 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Liga Leumit |
Domestic cup(s) | State Cup |
Supercup | League Cup |
International cup(s) |
EuroLeague EuroCup Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
Current champions |
Hapoel Jerusalem (2nd title) |
Most championships |
Maccabi Tel Aviv (51 times) |
TV partners | Sport 5 |
Website | basket |
2017–18 Israeli Basketball Premier League |
Ligat HaAl (Hebrew: ליגת העל, lit., Super League or Premier League), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball competition. 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 as Ligat Winner Sal (Hebrew: ליגת ווינר סל), lit. Winner Sal League, with "Winner" being the name of a game operated by the league's primary sponsor, Toto Winner, and "Sal" meaning basket.
The league is run by the Israeli Basketball Super League Administration Ltd.
The most recent league champion is Hapoel Jerusalem.
Ligat HaAl comprises the top twelve 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 the European competitions such as the EuroLeague, EuroCup (formerly called the ULEB Cup), and FIBA's EuroChallenge (formerly called the FIBA EuroCup). Many undrafted and free agent players from Europe and the NBA 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 is relegated to the Second Division, while the Second Division's top 8 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.