The Latvian Basketball League (LBL; Latvian: Latvijas Basketbola līga) also known as the Pafbet LBL for sponsorship reasons, is the top-level national basketball championship in Latvia composed of 6 teams. Since 2018/19, only the playoff matches are played, as the top Latvian clubs play the regular season in the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League. The LBL is governed by the Latvian Basketball Association, the national governing body of basketball in Latvia.

Its 6 teams are located in 5 cities; two in Riga, and one in Ventspils, Liepāja, Valmiera, and Ogre. The LBL season usually ran from September to April, with the playoffs in April–May. The league was founded in 1992, and its first season was played in the same year.

History

Before 1992

After American YMCA volunteers introduced the sport in Riga around 1920, interest in the sport grew, and in 1923 the YMCA organized the first ever basketball tournament in Latvia, with 14 teams registering. In 1924, the newly-founded Latvian Basketball Association announced the first Latvian Basketball Championship in the winter of 1924 (Latvian: Latvijas meistarsacīkstes basketbolā) with 6 teams participating. It was won by the Latvian Sports Society (Latvijas Sporta biedrība) team, who defeated the Riga YMCA team (Rīgas JKS) in the final game with a score of 25:15. The first official national women's tournament followed in 1932.

Early years

The first LBL season was played in 1992, with LBL2 (LBL 2. divīzija) as its second division and LBL3 as the third. From 1992 to 1999 all championships were won by BK Brocēni, however, from 2000 to 2006 BK Ventspils were the champions. In 2007, ASK Rīga stopped BK Ventspils' winning streak. BK Ventspils won again in 2009, beating Barons/LMT in a thriller 4–3.

Later history

Barons would return to the final the following year, this time against VEF Rīga, and win by the same 4–3 margin. The 2011 final again went to 7 games, with VEF Rīga defeating Ventspils. Between 2011 and 2018, the title changed hands frequently, with BK Valmiera Ordo claiming the title in 2016.

Since the introduction of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League in the 2018/2019 season, the regular LBL championship was merged into the LEBL. The six top Latvian teams then qualify for the LBL playoffs after the end of the LEBL regular season. VEF Rīga has held the title ever since.

For the 2020/2021 season, the 2nd tier Latvian league - LBL2 - was reformed into the Ramirent Nacionālā basketbola līga [lv] (NBL, National Basketball League) and LBL3 became the Reģionālā basketbola līga (Regional Basketball League).

"라트비아 농구 리그, 플레이오프"은 라트비아에서 개최되는 농구 토너먼트입니다. 이 토너먼트는 라트비아 농구 리그의 최고 수준인 플레이오프 단계를 의미합니다.

"라트비아 농구 리그, 플레이오프"는 라트비아에서 가장 열정적인 농구 경기들을 선보이는 행사로, 국내 최고의 농구 팀들이 참가합니다. 이 토너먼트는 라트비아 농구 리그의 정규 시즌을 마치고 상위 순위에 올라간 팀들이 경쟁하는 시즌 결정전입니다.

플레이오프는 라트비아 농구 리그에서 가장 경쟁력이 높은 팀들이 맞붙는 특별한 시간입니다. 경기는 고도의 기술과 전략, 열정적인 경기력으로 가득 차 있으며, 농구 팬들에게는 놓칠 수 없는 흥미로운 경기들을 제공합니다.

이 토너먼트는 라트비아 농구 리그의 최종 우승자를 가리는 중요한 이벤트로, 우승 팀은 국내 농구의 최고 명예를 획득하게 됩니다. 또한, 이 토너먼트에서 우수한 개인 선수들이 발굴되어 국제 농구 리그로 진출하는 경우도 많습니다.

"라트비아 농구 리그, 플레이오프"는 라트비아 농구의 역사와 전통을 자랑하며, 농구 팬들에게는 농구의 진수를 경험할 수 있는 특별한 행사입니다. 이 토너먼트는 라트비아 농구의 발전과 성장을 증명하는 중요한 장으로, 라트비아 농구의 미래를 주도하는 플레이어들의 열정과 재능을 선보입니다.