Basketball Super League
The Basketball Super League, also known as the ING Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Basketball Championship to become the Turkish Basketball League until 2015 when it adopted its current name while the TBL name became exclusive to the second-tier and third-tier divisions.
The BSL is administrated by the Turkish Basketball Federation and is contested by 16 teams, with the two lowest-placed teams relegated to the second-tier TBL and replaced by the top two teams of that division. Since the league's restructuring in 1966, 11 clubs have been crowned champions, with Anadolu Efes winning the title a record 14 times and Fenerbahçe 9 times. In recent years, Fenerbahçe dominated the league by winning 8 titles out of 13 from the 2006–07 season onward.
The BSL replaced the former Turkish Basketball Championship, which was the league's predecessor.
History
According to official records, basketball was first played in Turkey in 1904 at Robert College. An American physical education teacher laid the foundations of the sport in the country. Seven years later, in 1911, Ahmet Robenson, a physical education teacher at Galatasaray High School, decided to introduce a new game to his students. Robenson, who also later became president of Galatasaray S.K., popularized the sport in Turkey.Until late 1966, local basketball competitions were held in major cities like Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. There was also the former Turkish Championship which existed from 1946 to 1967.
The current Turkish top-tier level national league was founded in 1966, by the Turkish Basketball Federation, and began with the 1966–67 season, and it thus replaced those earlier competitions. The Turkish second-tier level league, the TBL, was also founded three years later in 1969, and since 2011, a third-tier level league TB2L, with the teams divided into two groups.
Format
There are 16 teams in the league, and they play against each other twice, under a league system format, once at their home and the other away. At the end of the season, the top eight teams are entitled to participate in the league's playoffs. The winners of the playoffs are crowned the Turkish champions. The two top teams of the Turkish Second League are promoted to the top level Basketbol Süper Ligi. The two lowest placed teams of the Süper Ligi are relegated.Current clubs
Title holders
The winners of the former Turkish Basketball Championship are not included, only the clubs winning the Basketbol Süper Ligi since its inception in 1966.- 1966–67 Altınordu
- 1967–68 İTÜ
- 1968–69 Galatasaray
- 1969–70 İTÜ
- 1970–71 İTÜ
- 1971–72 İTÜ
- 1972–73 İTÜ
- 1973–74 Muhafızgücü
- 1974–75 Beşiktaş
- 1975–76 Eczacıbaşı
- 1976–77 Eczacıbaşı
- 1977–78 Eczacıbaşı
- 1978–79 Efes Pilsen
- 1979–80 Eczacıbaşı
- 1980–81 Eczacıbaşı
- 1981–82 Eczacıbaşı
- 1982–83 Efes Pilsen
- 1983–84 Efes Pilsen
- 1984–85 Galatasaray
- 1985–86 Galatasaray
- 1986–87 Karşıyaka
- 1987–88 Eczacıbaşı
- 1988–89 Eczacıbaşı
- 1989–90 Galatasaray
- 1990–91 Fenerbahçe
- 1991–92 Efes Pilsen
- 1992–93 Efes Pilsen
- 1993–94 Efes Pilsen
- 1994–95 Ülker
- 1995–96 Efes Pilsen
- 1996–97 Efes Pilsen
- 1997–98 Ülker
- 1998–99 Tofaş
- 1999–00 Tofaş
- 2000–01 Ülker
- 2001–02 Efes Pilsen
- 2002–03 Efes Pilsen
- 2003–04 Efes Pilsen
- 2004–05 Efes Pilsen
- 2005–06 Ülker
- 2006–07 Fenerbahçe Ülker
- 2007–08 Fenerbahçe Ülker
- 2008–09 Efes Pilsen
- 2009–10 Fenerbahçe Ülker
- 2010–11 Fenerbahçe Ülker
- 2011–12 Beşiktaş Milangaz
- 2012–13 Galatasaray Medical Park
- 2013–14 Fenerbahçe Ülker
- 2014–15 Pınar Karşıyaka
- 2015–16 Fenerbahçe
- 2016–17 Fenerbahçe
- 2017–18 Fenerbahçe Doğuş
- 2018–19 Anadolu Efes
Performance by club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won |
| Anadolu Efes | 1979, 1983, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2019 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 1991, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 | ||
| Eczacıbaşı | 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989 | ||
| Galatasaray | 1969, 1985, 1986, 1990, 2013 | ||
| İTÜ | 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 | ||
| Ülker | 1995, 1998, 2001, 2006 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 1975, 2012 | ||
| Tofaş | 1999, 2000 | ||
| Karşıyaka | 1987, 2015 | ||
| Altınordu | 1967 | ||
| Muhafızgücü | 1974 | ||
| Çukurova Sanayi | |||
| Paşabahçe | |||
| Şekerspor | |||
| Türk Telekom | |||
| Bandırma Basketbol |