Swiss Basketball League
The Swiss Basketball League, also known as SB League or SBL, is the top-tier professional club basketball league in Switzerland. It is organized by Swiss Basketball. The winners of the SBL are crowned Swiss national basketball champions. Currently, twelve teams compete in the league. Historically, Fribourg Olympic is the league's most successful team, as it has won a league-record 18 championships. Until 2017, the league was known as the Championnat LNA.
Promotion and relegation
The national professional club basketball competition of Switzerland is divided into two separate league levels, the top-tier level SBL, and the 2nd-tier level LNB, with a system of promotion and relegation between the two league levels.Format
All teams play two times against each other for completing 22 games per team.The six first qualified teams will join the group for places 1 to 6 while the other six teams will play the group for places 7 to 12. These two groups will be played with a one-legged round-robin format, where all teams from group 1 to 6 and the two first qualified teams from the group for the seventh position will be qualified for the playoffs. In this intermediate stage, teams start with the points accumulated by the winnings achieved in the first stage.
The quarterfinals and the semifinals will be played as a best-of-five series while the final in a best-of-seven series.
Current teams
Team | Location |
SAM Basket Massagno | Massagno |
Boncourt | Boncourt |
Fribourg Olympic | Fribourg |
Lions de Genève | Geneva |
Lugano Tigers | Lugano |
Monthey | Monthey |
Pully | Pully |
Starwings Regio Basel | Basel |
Swiss Central Basket | Lucerne |
Union Neuchâtel | Neuchâtel |
Vevey Riviera | Vevey |
Winterthur | Winterthur |
Title holders
- 1931–32 Uni Bern
- 1932–33 Servette
- 1933–34 Urania Genève
- 1934–35 Servette
- 1935–36 Servette
- 1936–37 Genève
- 1937–38 Urania Genève
- 1938–40 Not held
- 1940–41 Urania Genève
- 1941–42 Urania Genève
- 1942–43 Urania Genève
- 1943–44 Urania Genève
- 1944–45 CAG Genève
- 1945–46 Urania Genève
- 1946–47 Urania Genève
- 1947–48 Urania Genève
- 1948–49 Urania Genève
- 1949–50 Stade Français Genève
- 1950–51 Sanas Merry Boys
- 1951–52 Jonction
- 1952–53 Jonction
- 1953–54 Jonction
- 1954–55 Jonction
- 1955–56 Jonction
- 1956–57 Jonction
- 1957–58 Urania Genève
- 1958–59 Urania Genève
- 1959–60 Stade Français Genève
- 1960–61 Not held
- 1961–62 Stade Français Genève
- 1962–63 Sanas Merry Boys
- 1963–64 Urania Genève
- 1964–65 Urania Genève
- 1965–66 Fribourg Olympic
- 1966–67 Urania Genève
- 1967–68 Stade Français Genève
- 1968–69 Stade Français Genève
- 1969–70 Stade Français Genève
- 1970–71 Fribourg Olympic
- 1971–72 Stade Français Genève
- 1972–73 Fribourg Olympic
- 1973–74 Fribourg Olympic
- 1974–75 Federale
- 1975–76 Federale
- 1976–77 Federale
- 1977–78 Fribourg Olympic
- 1978–79 Fribourg Olympic
- 1979–80 Viganello
- 1980–81 Fribourg Olympic
- 1981–82 Fribourg Olympic
- 1982–83 Nyon
- 1983–84 Vevey
- 1984–85 Fribourg Olympic
- 1985–86 Pully
- 1986–87 Pully
- 1987–88 Champel Genève
- 1988–89 Pully
- 1989–90 Pully
- 1990–91 Vevey
- 1991–92 Fribourg Olympic
- 1992–93 Fidefinanz Bellinzona
- 1993–94 Fidefinanz Bellinzona
- 1994–95 Fidefinanz Bellinzona
- 1995–96 Monthey
- 1996–97 Benetton Fribourg Olympic
- 1997–98 Benetton Fribourg Olympic
- 1998–99 Benetton Fribourg Olympic
- 1999–00 Lugano Tigers
- 2000–01 Lugano Tigers
- 2001–02 Lugano Tigers
- 2002–03 Boncourt
- 2003–04 Boncourt
- 2004–05 Monthey
- 2005–06 Lugano Tigers
- 2006–07 Benetton Fribourg Olympic
- 2007–08 Benetton Fribourg Olympic
- 2008–09 Vacallo
- 2009–10 Lugano Tigers
- 2010–11 Lugano Tigers
- 2011–12 Lugano Tigers
- 2012–13 Lions de Genève
- 2013–14 Lugano Tigers
- 2014–15 Lions de Genève
- 2015–16 Fribourg Olympic
- 2016–17 Monthey
- 2017–18 Fribourg Olympic
- 2018–19 Fribourg Olympic
- 2019–20 season cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic
Performance by club
Club | Winners | Championship seasons |
Fribourg Olympic | 18 | 1965–66, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1991–92, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
Urania Genève | 15 | 1933–34, 1937–38, 1940–41, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67 |
Stade Français Genève | 7 | 1949–50, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72 |
Lugano Tigers | 6 | 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11 |
Jonction | 6 | 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57 |
Pully | 4 | 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90 |
Monthey | 3 | 1995–96, 2004–05, 2016–17 |
Bellinzona | 3 | 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95 |
Federale | 3 | 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77 |
Servette | 3 | 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36 |
Lions de Genève | 2 | 2012–13, 2014–15 |
Boncourt | 2 | 2002–03, 2003–04 |
Sanas Merry Boys / BBC Lausanne | 2 | 1950–51, 1962–63 |
Vevey | 2 | 1983–84, 1990–91 |
Vacallo | 1 | 2008–09 |
Champel Genève | 1 | 1987–88 |
Nyon | 1 | 1982–83 |
Viganello | 1 | 1979–80 |
CAG Genève | 1 | 1945–46 |
Genève | 1 | 1936–37 |
Uni Bern | 1 | 1931–32 |
Bold indicates clubs which will play in the 2018–19 Swiss Basketball League.