National_Basketball_League_(Lithuania)
National Basketball League (Lithuania)
Basketball league
The National Basketball League (NKL) (Lithuanian: Nacionalinė krepšinio lyga), also known as 7bet-NKL for sponsorship reasons, is the second-tier basketball minor league in Lithuania. It is placed below the top division Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). The competition currently consists of 14 teams. The champions of the league have the option to promote to the LKL. However, this rarely happens, as most clubs do not meet the requirements for budget and seating capacity.
| Founded | 2005; 19 years ago (2005) |
|---|---|
| First season | 2005–06 |
| Country | Lithuania |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | LKL |
| Relegation to | RKL |
| Current champions | Žalgiris-2 Kaunas (2nd title) |
| Website | nklyga.lt |
The league was established in 2005, when the second division LKAL (Lietuvos Krepšinio A Lyga, Lithuanian Basketball A League) was abolished and split into two divisions, the NKL, which is its direct successor, and the newly founded third division RKL.
| Team | Arena | Capacity | City | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Atletas | Garliava Arena | 1,300 | Garliava | 1962 |
| BC Delikatesas | Saulės elementary school sport hall | 300 | Joniškis | 1994 |
| BC Kretinga | Kretinga Arena | 822[1] | Kretinga | 1999 |
| BC Kuršiai | Palanga Arena | 1,200 | Palanga | 2018 |
| BC Mažeikiai | Mažeikiai Venta school sport hall | 840[2] | Mažeikiai | 2005 |
| BC Neptūnas-Akvaservis | Klaipėda KKRC | 400 | Klaipėda | 1987 |
| BC Perlas | Vilkaviškis Sport Center | 800 | Vilkaviškis | 2017 |
| BC Perlas Energija | NBA Basketball School Arena | 1,490 | Vilnius | 2003 |
| BC Stekas | NBA Basketball School Arena | 1,490 | Vilnius | 2010 |
| BC Sūduva-Mantinga | Marijampolė SC sport hall | 800[2] | Marijampolė | 2006 |
| BC Šilutė | Šilutės Vydūno gymnasium | 650 | Šilutė | 1990 |
| BC Telšiai | Telšiai Sport Arena | 1,000[2] | Telšiai | 2012 |
| BC Vytis-VDU | Šakiai JKSC sport hall | 800 | Šakiai | 2005 |
| Valdas Adamkus Center | 288 | Akademija | ||
| BC Žalgiris-2 | Žalgiris training center | 500 | Kaunas | 1999 |
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| Rank | Club | Titles | Runner-up | Champion years | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BC Sūduva-Mantinga | 4 | 1 | 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20 | 2. | NKL |
| 2 | BC Neptūnas-Akvaservis | 3 | 2 | 2006–07, 2014–15, 2017–18 | 2. | NKL |
| 3 | BC Mažeikiai M Basket | 2 | 2 | 2012–13, 2013–14 | 1. | LKL |
| – | BC Žalgiris-2 | 2 | 2 | 2007–08, 2022-23 | 2. | NKL |
| 5 | BC Lietkabelis-2 | 1 | 1 | 2009–10 | † | |
| – | BC Jonava | 1 | 1 | 2020–21 | 1. | LKL |
| 7 | Š.Marčiulionio KA-Twomenas [lt] | 1 | 0 | 2005–06 | † | |
| – | Labas Gas Prienai | 1 | 0 | 2008–09 | † | |
| – | BC Pieno žvaigždės | 1 | 0 | 2010–11 | 1. | LKL |
| – | BC Atletas | 1 | 0 | 2011–12 | 2. | NKL |
| – | Gargždai | 1 | 0 | 2021–22 | 1. | LKL |
† Marks defunct former winners of the competition.
- "Naujais Kretingos krepšinio namais besidžiaugiantis Mikaločius: "Mano siekis būti pirmiems pagal lankomumą"". Mūsų Kretinga (in Lithuanian). 4 November 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- Žiūrys, Martynas (13 April 2023). "Potencialius LKL naujokus aplankęs Milašius: apie arenas ir biudžetus". BasketNews (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- http://www.krepsinis.net/news.php?news_id=70929 Archived 21 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine (Lithuanian)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) (Lithuanian) - http://www.15min.lt/naujiena/sportas/krepsinis/nkl-cempione-tapo-palangos-naglis-adakris-23-95594 Archived 16 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Lithuanian)
- ""Neptūnas-Akvaservis" - čempionai!". 14 April 2018.
- Official website of National Basketball League (in Lithuanian)