1997–98 British Basketball League season
The 1997–1998 BBL season was known as the Budweiser League for sponsorship reasons. The league featured the same 13 teams as the previous year, playing 36 games each. The only change saw the Hemel Royals renamed the Watford Royals.
Greater London Leopards clinched their second successive Budweiser League title only by virtue of an overtime win in their final game of the season against Sheffield Sharks. Leopards' 102–106 victory in Sheffield meant they finished level on points with title-rivals Birmingham Bullets, but were crowned Champions due to a better head-to-head record over the Midlands team. Birmingham gained some consolation by taking their second Play-off Championship in three years at Wembley Arena, beating off a tough challenge from Thames Valley Tigers, winning 78–75. The Thames Valley Tigers won the National Cup and the Sheffield claimed their first uni-ball Trophy with an 82–79 win over London Towers at the National Exhibition Centre.
London Towers represented the Budweiser League in European competition, participating in the EuroCup.
Notable occurrences
- Greater London Leopards won the League title in the final game of the season on April 5, 1998, with a 102–106 overtime victory at Sheffield Sharks. Regulation time ended on 90–90, but Leopards' Eric Burks sunk 9 of their 16 overtime points to win the title for the second successive season.
Budweiser League Championship (Tier 1)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Greater London Leopards | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.806 | 58 |
| 2 | Birmingham Bullets | 36 | 29 | 7 | 0.806 | 58 |
| 3 | Newcastle Eagles | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 |
| 4 | Sheffield Sharks | 36 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 50 |
| 5 | Thames Valley Tigers | 36 | 24 | 12 | 0.667 | 48 |
| 6 | London Towers | 36 | 23 | 13 | 0.638 | 46 |
| 7 | Derby Storm | 36 | 16 | 20 | 0.444 | 32 |
| 8 | Manchester Giants | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 9 | Leicester Riders | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 10 | Chester Jets | 36 | 15 | 21 | 0.416 | 30 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 8 | 28 | 0.222 | 16 |
| 12 | Worthing Bears | 36 | 7 | 29 | 0.194 | 14 |
| 13 | Watford Royals | 36 | 3 | 33 | 0.083 | 6 |
The Play-offs
Quarter-finals
Greater London Leopards vs. Manchester GiantsBirmingham Bullets vs. Derby Storm
Newcastle Eagles vs. London Towers
Sheffield Sharks vs. Thames Valley Tigers
Semi-finals
Third-place game
Final
National League Division 1 (Tier 2)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Richmond Jaguars | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0.958 | 40 |
| 2 | Plymouth Raiders | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0.864 | 38 |
| 3 | Stevenage Rebels | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 32 |
| 4 | Teesside Mohawks | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0.636 | 28 |
| 5 | Solihull Chiefs | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.592 | 26 |
| 6 | Coventry Crusaders | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.592 | 26 |
| 7 | Guildford Pumas | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 |
| 8 | Oxford Devils | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0.409 | 18 |
| 9 | Westminster Warriors | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0.273 | 12 |
| 10 | Cardiff Phoenix | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| 11 | Mid-Sussex Magic | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| 12 | Brixton TopCats | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
Play Off Final – Richmond 82 Plymouth 67
National League Division 2 (Tier 3)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Solent Stars | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0.962 | 46 |
| 2 | Cardiff Clippers | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 40 |
| 3 | London Towers II | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0.793 | 38 |
| 4 | South Bank University Bulls | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 28 |
| 5 | Bournemouth Dolphins | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0.583 | 28 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0.500 | 24 |
| 7 | Flintshire Flyers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0.458 | 22 |
| 8 | Northampton 89ers | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0.417 | 20 |
| 9 | Slough Chargers | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 10 | Liverpool Atac | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 11 | Swindon Sonics | 24 | 9 | 15 | 0.375 | 18 |
| 12 | Chessington Wildcats | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0.208 | 10 |
| 13 | Thames Valley Tigers II | 24 | 1 | 23 | 0.042 | 2 |
Play Off Final – Solent 70 London Towers 68
Sainsbury's Classic Cola National Cup
Fourth Round
Quarter Finals
Semi Finals
Final
uni-ball Trophy
Group stage
Northern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1.Newcastle Eagles | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 2.Leicester Riders | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Manchester Giants | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Sheffield Sharks | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Chester Jets | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 6.Derby Storm | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
Southern Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent |
| 1.Gtr. London Leopards | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2.Thames Valley Tigers | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 3.Birmingham Bullets | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| 4.Watford Royals | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 5.Crystal Palace | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 |
| 6.Worthing Bears | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.000 |
Sheffield finished ahead of Chester and Derby by having the best record in matches between the three teams and qualify as fourth-placed finishers with the best record ahead of Watford on basket difference. London Towers received a bye into Quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
Greater London Leopards vs. Thames Valley TigersLondon Towers vs. Manchester Giants
Newcastle Eagles vs. Birmingham Bullets
Sheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders
Semi-finals
London Towers vs. Newcastle EaglesSheffield Sharks vs. Greater London Leopards
Final
Dairylea Dunkers All-Star Game
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Stat |
| Points per game |  Tony Dorsey | 26.09 |
| Rebounds per game | Makeba Perry | 11.81 |
| Assists per game |  Cleave Lewis | 5.78 |
| Steals per game | Casey Arena | 3.11 |
| Blocks per game |  Brendan Graves | 2.77 |
Seasonal awards
- Most Valuable Player: Eric Burks
- Coach of the Year: Billy Mimms
- All-Star Team:
- *Eric Burks
- *John Amaechi
- *Ted Berry
- *Tony Dorsey
- *Tony Holley
- *Danny Lewis
- *Nigel Lloyd
- *John McCord
- *Leon McGee
- *John White