Dutch Basketball League


The Dutch Basketball League, formerly the Eredivisie, is the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. The league has a closed system. To participate, a team has to have enough money and potential. The league began in 1960 as the Eredivisie and was organized by the NBB and later the FEB. In 1977 the league introduced the play-offs. As of 2019, the Dutch Basketball League consists of ten teams and plays under the FIBA rules.
It is run by the Federatie Eredivisie Basketball.

History

2010s

Starting with the 2010–11 season, the Eredivisie changed its name to the Dutch Basketball League, shortly the DBL. The beginning of the 2010s saw Donar and ZZ Leiden emerge as top teams in the Netherlands. Donar won five titles, including three straight. The decade also saw clubs disappear due to financial problems, with Amsterdam in 2011, West-Brabant Giants in 2011,
Magixx in 2014. The decade also saw the emergence of new clubs in Apollo Amsterdam and Den Helder Suns.
In Europe, Donar had one of the biggest successes in Dutch history after reaching the semi-finals of the 2017–18 FIBA Europe Cup. It was the first European semi-final of a team since Amsterdam in 2001.

2020s

In December 2019, it was announced that the DBL has partnered with the Belgian Pro Basketball League to look at the potential of a future "BeNe League". The 2019–20 season was cancelled prematurely in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time in league history that a season was not finished and no champions were named.

Format and rules

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.

Playoffs

At the end of the league season schedule, the eight best teams in the standings play in a play-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.

Foreign players

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.

Clubs

Current clubs

Other clubs

The following clubs are not competing in the DBL during the 2019–20 season, but have previously competed in the DBL for at least one season. Teams in italics were folded and do not exist anymore.
ClubCurrent leagueFirst season in
DBL		Most recent
season in
DBL		Seasons
in DBL		DBL
titles		Last DBL
title
Almere PioneersPromotiedivisie1998–992006–079––
Amsterdam Basketball–1995–962010–111572009
GOBA1990–911995–964––
BSW–1982–832016–172411994
BVGPromotiedivisie1979–801979–801––
DAS Delft–1986–871988–893––
Dutch Windmills–2018–192018–191––
EiffelTowers Nijmegen–2000–012004–05512003
NAC–2000–012001–022––
Magixx–2005–062013–149––
Orca's UrkEerste Divisie1983–841990–918––
PunchaPromotiedivisie1960–611982–832221975
Red GiantsEerste Divisie1987–881994–958––
The Wolves Amsterdama–91960–61951965
Tonego–1980–811986–878––
VirtusEerste Divisie1983–842000–018––
West-Brabant Giants–2003–042010–118––

a: Founding member of the DBL.

Champions

List of Dutch Basketball League winners

Finals

The two teams that advance to the Finals of the play-offs play against each other in a best-of-seven playoff format.
SeasonWinnerScoreRunners-up
2009–10
Donar
4–1
West-Brabant Giants
2010–11
ZZ Leiden
4–3
Donar
2011–12
Den Bosch
4–1
ZZ Leiden
2012–13
ZZ Leiden
4–0
Aris Leeuwarden
2013–14
Donar
4–3
Den Bosch
2014–15
Den Bosch
4–1
Donar
2015–16
Donar
4–1
Landstede Zwolle
2016–17
Donar
4–1
Landstede Zwolle
2017–18
Donar
4–0
ZZ Leiden
2018–19
Landstede Zwolle
4–2
Donar

Performance by club

Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence. Teams in bold are currently playing in the DBL.
ClubWinsSeasons won
Heroes Den Bosch
16
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
DED81945–46, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1957–58
Amsterdam71998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09
Donar71981–82, 2003–04, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
Den Helder61988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1997–98
The Wolves Amsterdam
4
1959–60, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65
Flamingo's Haarlem
4
1985–86, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73
AMVJ31948–49, 1950–51, 1954–55
Leiden
3
1977–78, 2010–11, 2012–13
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

Awards