Basketball Champions League Asia

(Redirected from ABC Champions Cup)

The Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia), formerly the FIBA Asia Champions Cup,[1] is an annual continental club men's basketball competition organised by FIBA Asia. It is the highest level club competition for basketball in Asia.

Basketball Champions League Asia
Organising bodyFIBA Asia
Founded1981; 43 years ago (1981)
First season1981
RegionAsia
Number of teams8
Promotion toFIBA Intercontinental Cup
Current championsLebanon Al Riyadi (3rd title)
(2024)
Most championshipsLebanon Al Riyadi
Lebanon Sagesse
(3 titles each)
TV partnersYouTube (online streaming)
2024 Basketball Champions League Asia

Introduced in 1981, as the Asian Basketball Club Championship, the competition rebranded in 2004 to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. In 2024, the tournament was renamed as the Basketball Champions League Asia.[2]

Al Riyadi and Sagesse from Lebanon are the most successful teams in the history of the competition with three championships each. Lebanese and Iranian clubs have won the most titles with a total of six among teams from each of these countries.

History

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The competition was first organised by the Asian Basketball Confederation in 1981, when the inaugural tournament was hosted in Hong Kong. The first-ever champions were the Bayi Rockets from China. In 1995, the name of the competition was changed to the ABC Champions Cup. After the ABC became integrated in FIBA in 2004, the competition was rebranded as the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.

In the 1990s, FIBA announced plans to expand the Intercontinental Cup with the teams from the BCL Asia, Basketball Africa League (BAL), NBL, and the NBA, at some point in the future.[3][4]

In 2024, it was announced that the tournament will be renamed as the Basketball Champions League Asia, a name in line with other continental competitions in the Americas and Europe.[2]

Al Riyadi Club Beirut and Sagesse from Lebanon are the most successful clubs in the history of the competition, having won three titles each. Clubs from Lebanon and Iran have the most combined titles, with a total of six each.

Qualification

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As of the 2024 season, teams can qualify for the BCL Asia directly through their national leagues, through the FIBA West Asia Super League or through the qualifying rounds.

Allocated spots in the Basketball Champions League Asia
Method Country League
Direct Qualification   China Chinese Basketball Association
  South Korea Korean Basketball League
  Japan B.League
  Philippines Philippine Basketball Association
FIBA Zonal Leagues Central, West Asia and Gulf FIBA West Asia Super League champions
FIBA West Asia Super League runners-up
Qualifying tournaments East and Southeast Asia Winners of the qualifying round
Runners-up of the qualifying round

Summary

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Year Hosts Champions Score Runners-up Third Place
1981   Hong Kong   Bayi Rockets No playoffs   Nippon Kokan   Apcor
1984   Ipoh   Northern Cement 82–56   Bayi Rockets   Kuang Hua
1988   Jakarta   Swift-PABL 84–69   Liaoning Hunters   Samsung Electronics
1990   Jakarta   Liaoning Hunters No playoffs   Bank of Korea   Kazma
1992   Bangkok   Kia Motors No playoffs   Liaoning Hunters   Kazma
1995   Kuala Lumpur   Andok's 101–82   Petronas   Kia Motors
1996   Manila   Hapee Toothpaste 77–74   Isuzu Lynx   Guangdong Winnerway
1997   Jakarta   Regal 64–59   Kia Motors   Aspac
1998   Kuala Lumpur   Beijing Hanwei 71–70   Regal   Al-Riyadi
1999   Beirut   Sagesse 84–71   Liaoning Hunters   Petronas
2000   Beirut   Sagesse 55–52   Al-Ittihad   Al-Manama
2001   Dubai   Al-Ittihad 103–101 (OT)   Al-Rayyan   Al-Wahda
2002   Kuala Lumpur   Al-Rayyan 92–78   Al-Ittihad   Al-Wahda
2003   Kuala Lumpur   Al-Wahda 96–63   Al-Rayyan   Sangmu Phoenix
2004   Sharjah   Sagesse 72–70   Al-Wahda   Al-Rayyan
2005   Quezon City   Al-Rayyan 83–76   Fastlink   Sagesse
2006   Kuwait City   Fastlink 94–69   Al-Jalaa Aleppo   Al-Rayyan
2007   Tehran   Saba Battery Tehran 83–75   Al-Jalaa Aleppo   Al-Rayyan
2008   Kuwait City   Saba Battery Tehran 82–75   Al-Rayyan   Al-Wasl
2009   Jakarta   Mahram Tehran 78–68   Zain   Al-Riyadi
2010   Doha   Mahram Tehran 93–73   Al-Rayyan   Al-Riyadi
2011   Pasig   Al Riyadi 91–82   Mahram Tehran   Al-Rayyan
2012   Beirut No title awarded Not held   Al-Riyadi
  Mahram Tehran
  Duhok
2013   Amman   Foolad Mahan Isfahan 84–74   Al-Rayyan   ASU
2016   Chenzhou   China Kashgar 96–88   Al-Riyadi   Petrochimi Bandar Imam
2017   Chenzhou   Al Riyadi 88–59   China Kashgar   BC Astana
2018   Nonthaburi   Petrochimi Bandar Imam 68–64   Alvark Tokyo   Seoul SK Knights
2019   Nonthaburi   Alvark Tokyo 98–74   Al-Riyadi   Palayesh Naft Abadan
2020   Guangzhou[5] Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia[6]
2022   Dubai Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
2024   Dubai   Al Riyadi 122–96   Shabab Al Ahli   Hiroshima Dragonflies

Performance by club

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Performances in the Basketball Champions League Asia by club
Club Titles Runners-up Years won Years runners-up
  Al Riyadi 3 3 2011, 2017, 2024 2012, 2016, 2019
  Sagesse 3 0 1999, 2000, 2004
  Al-Rayyan 2 5 2002, 2005 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013
  Mahram Tehran 2 2 2009, 2010 2011, 2012
  Saba Battery Tehran 2 0 2007, 2008
  Liaoning Hunters 1 3 1990 1988, 1992, 1999
  Al-Ittihad 1 2 2001 2000, 2002
  Zain 1 2 2006 2005, 2009
  Al-Wahda 1 1 2003 2004
  Kia Motors 1 1 1992 1997
  Bayi Rockets 1 1 1981 1984
  Regal 1 1 1997 1998
  Xinjiang Flying Tigers / China Kashgar 1 1 2016 2017
  Alvark Tokyo 1 1 2019 2018
  Petrochimi Bandar Imam 1 0 2018
  Northern Cement 1 0 1984
  Swift-PABL 1 0 1988
  Andok's 1 0 1995
  Hapee Toothpaste 1 0 1996
  Beijing Hanwei 1 0 1998
  Foolad Mahan Isfahan 1 0 2013
  Al-Jalaa Aleppo 0 2 2006, 2007
  Petronas 0 1 1995
  Nippon Kokan 0 1 1981
  Bank of Korea 0 1 1990
  Isuzu Lynx 0 1 1996
  Shabab Al Ahli 0 1 2024


Titles by country

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RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Lebanon63413
2  Iran62210
3  China45110
4  Philippines4015
5  Qatar25411
6  Syria1326
7  Japan1315
8  South Korea1247
9  Jordan1214
10  Saudi Arabia1203
11  Hong Kong1102
12  Malaysia0112
  United Arab Emirates0112
14  Kuwait0022
15  Bahrain0011
  Chinese Taipei0011
  Indonesia0011
  Iraq0011
  Kazakhstan0011
Totals (19 entries)28302987

See also

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References

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General
Specific
  1. ^ "22ND FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONS CUP". fibaasia.net. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Mongolia, Indonesia to host BCL Asia Qualifying rounds". FIBA. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  3. ^ Esportes.Opovobr Com Copa Intercontinental, Fiba ensaia Campeonato Mundial. Archived January 17, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (in Portuguese)
  4. ^ Estadao.com Pinheiros e Olympiacos começam a disputar o título da Intercontinental. (in Portuguese)
  5. ^ "FIBA Asia Board Meeting Decisions" (PDF). Basketball Association of Singapore. FIBA Asia. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Bayi Rockets soar to first FIBA Asia Champions Cup". FIBA. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2024.