| Current season or competition: 2011–12 Israeli Basketball Super League |
|
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Commissioner | Avner Koppel |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country(ies) | Israel |
| Most recent champion(s) | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Most titles | Maccabi Tel Aviv (49 times) |
| TV partner(s) | Sport 5 Channel 10 |
| Official website | www.basket.co.il |
Ligat HaAl (Hebrew: ליגת העל, lit Super League), or the Israeli Basketball Super League, is the top tier of league basketball competition in Israeli basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball competition. For sponsorship reasons, the league is also referred to as Ligat Loto (Hebrew: ליגת לוטו), lit. Lottery League, with "Toto" being the name of a game operated by the league's primary sponsor, the Israeli Sports Betting Board.[1] The league is also sometimes referred to as the Israeli Premier League.
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Ligat HaAl comprises the top ten basketball clubs in Israel, and was founded in 1954.
The league itself is most known in Europe due to the success of the Israeli teams in the European competitions such as the Euroleague, ULEB Eurocup (formerly ULEB Cup) and FIBA's EuroChallenge (formerly EuroCup). Many undrafted and free agent players from Europe and the NBA play in the Israeli league as an alternative to NBA competition.
The league is the first division in Israeli basketball: the two teams that finish last in a season are relegated to the Second Division, while the Second Division's top 8 teams compete in a play-off system right after the end of the regular season, with the teams that reach the final series being promoted to the Premier League for the following season. The four teams that finish the season on top in Ligat HaAl compete against each other for the Championship title in a "Final Four" tournament format.
During the 1980s and the early 1990s there were many basketball games between the Israeli League stars and NBA teams such as the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic, all of which were played in Israel.
In October 2005, Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated the Toronto Raptors 105–103 in an exhibition game that was played in Toronto, Canada; this was the first victory for any, European or Israeli team over an NBA team at its home court.
Over the years, the league has exported many of its foreign players to the NBA. In 2009, Omri Casspi became the first Israeli-born NBA player with the Sacramento Kings. Prior to that, three players have been drafted: Doron Sheffer (who played U.S. college basketball at Connecticut), Yotam Halperin and Lior Eliyahu.
In the 2009 NBA Draft, Omri Casspi was selected 23rd overall by the Sacramento Kings. Other players who have moved from the league to the NBA include Will Bynum, Anthony Parker, and Carlos Arroyo.[2]
In 2011, the league had recently imposed a new limit of four non-Israelis per team.[3] Jews are immediately eligible for Israeli citizenship, under Israel's Law of Return.[4] Consequently, non-Israeli Jewish basketball players are able to join a team in the league without using up one of the few roster spots available for non-Israeli players.[5]
Examples of Jewish Americans joining teams in the league include Jon Scheyer, Jordan Farmar, Sylven Landesberg, David Blu, and Dan Grunfeld.[6]
| Team | Winners | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 49 | 6 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 5 | 20 |
| Hapoel Galil Elyon/Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon | 2 | 2 |
| Hapoel Holon | 1 | 2 |
| Hapoel Ramat Gan | 0 | 6 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 0 | 6 |
| Ironi Ramat Gan | 0 | 3 |
| Hapoel Gvat/Yagur | 0 | 3 |
| Hapoel Haifa | 0 | 2 |
| Elitzur Netanya | 0 | 1 |
| Maccabi Rishon LeZion | 0 | 1 |
| Hapoel Eilat | 0 | 1 |
| Maccabi Ironi Ra'anana | 0 | 1 |
| Ironi Nahariya | 0 | 1 |
| Maccabi Haifa | 0 | 1 |
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