How Long is the Overseas Basketball Season? [Global Chart Breakdown by Country]
Knowing how long the overseas basketball season is can be a huge factor in overseas basketball players finding jobs or not.
Just think about:
If you don’t know when various overseas basketball league season schedules are then you won’t know:
When to contact pro teams
When overseas basketball teams are looking for players
When overseas basketball teams aren’t looking for players
When each specific region starts and stops with their overseas basketball schedules
…and much more.
So let’s dive into a general overview of each region so that you can be better prepared into how long the overseas basketball season is.
Let’s begin.
How long is the overseas basketball season?
The short answer for how long the overseas basketball season is this:
The overseas basketball season generally runs for about 7-9 months in most parts of the world when including preseason, regular season and playoffs. This applies in particular to the top-tier levels regardless of which continent the basketball league takes place in.
The overseas basketball season can be shorter in certain parts of the world though. In particular, many countries in the Americas have pro seasons that last for only 3-5 months in total.
While each continent does typically have it’s preferred start month(s), these can vary.
But generally speaking, the length of the season will not change that much.
So although a season may not start every year on the same month, it generally will still run the same length each time.
The exception to all this, of course, would be in 2020 due to the global pandemic that has temporarily rearranged the overseas basketball schedule.
For that reason, I pulled all the start and end dates from the last “normal basketball year” which would have been in 2018/2019.
But all things considered:
This is a great general outline for overseas players to get started with.
Also for your convenience:
I broke down the season lengths by region
I broke down the seasons lengths by country
And I made a note of what particular trends to look out for in each region
Let’s dive a bit deeper into the specifics…
how long is the overseas basketball season in europe?
In almost every European overseas basketball league the season will run for about 8-9 months, beginning in late September - early October and ending in late May - early June.
Not only does this apply to the top divisions in Europe (e.g. Spain’s ACB, Germany’s BBL etc.) but it also trickles down to the lower divisions as well as each conference in Europe almost always follows this time frame.
The European in-season basketball schedule is shared amongst all the leagues as well.
Here’s a rough idea:
So while that means - yes, the European schedule is quite long - running for 8-9 months - it isn’t nearly as game-heavy as some other parts of the world where 2-4 games are expected per week.
So when thinking European overseas basketball think:
Few games per week
Many practices
Longer schedule
As mentioned:
This model is conveniently followed throughout the tier-systems (i.e. lower divisions) of Europe.
For example compare the 2018/2019 start and end dates of Spain’s 1st division (ACB) and 4th division (EBA):
ACB: Sept.28, 2018 - June 21, 2019
EBA: Sept. 22, 2018 - May 18, 2019
Although there is a slight difference (about a month) between the two, it’s very minimal in the grand scheme of things.
Typically in Europe teams will be looking for players in certain time frames:
Summer time/early fall (off-season/pre-season)
Christmas break (switching out imports)
Playoff run (May-June)
Contact teams accordingly.
How long is the overseas basketball season in Latin America?
In contrast to the European overseas basketball schedule, the Latin American overseas basketball schedule is shorter but it has the potential to come more frequently:
In Latin America the average overseas basketball season generally lasts 4-5 months. But when considering the top-tier leagues in the region, overseas players are looking at 7-8 months of basketball.
It is also important to note that it is not uncommon for some Latin American leagues to have 2 professional seasons per year, each lasting between 3-4 months. That would mean then that per year, a Latin American overseas basketball season could potentially last between 3-8 months.
NOTABLE LATIN AMERICAN OVERSEAS BASKETBALL LEAGUE SEASON SCHEDULES
|
Country |
League |
2018/2019 Start Date |
2018/2019 End Date |
Season Length |
|
LATIN AMERICA |
||||
|
Argentina |
La Liga |
Dec |
July |
7 months |
|
Belize |
NEBL |
January |
June |
5 months |
|
Bolivia |
LiboBasquet |
June |
Sept. |
3 months |
|
Brazil |
NBB |
Oct. |
June |
8 months |
|
Chile |
Liga Nacional |
Oct. |
May |
7 months |
|
Colombia |
LPB |
Late Sept. |
Early Dec. |
2 ½ months |
|
Dominican Republic |
LNB |
Sept. |
Oct. |
2 months |
|
Dominican Republic |
Santiago |
Late Jan. |
March |
2 months |
|
El Salvador |
LMB (Apertura) |
Feb. |
May |
4 months |
|
El Salvador |
LMB (Clausura) |
Aug. |
Early Dec. |
4 months |
|
Mexico |
CIBACOPA |
Late March. |
July |
4 months |
|
Mexico |
LNBP |
Sept |
Feb. |
5 months |
|
Nicaragua |
LSB |
Late July. |
October |
4 months |
|
Panama |
LPB |
May |
August |
4 months |
|
Paraguay |
Metro |
Late March |
July |
4 months |
|
Peru |
LBL |
Sept. |
Nov. |
3 months |
|
Puerto Rico |
BSN |
March |
July |
5 months |
|
Uruguay |
LUB |
Oct |
June |
8 months |
|
Venezuela |
SLB |
May |
August |
3 months |
Chart compiled by
: Josecolorado.com [2020]
All Start and End Dates pulled from Latinbasket.com
If European overseas basketball leagues run during the “traditional basketball season (i.e. September - June) then think of many Latin American leagues running during the “off-season” or as “summer leagues.”
A few examples:
Baloncesto Superior Nacional (Puerto Rico) - March - July
Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (Panama) - May - August
CIBACOPA (Mexico) - Late March - July
Liga Superior de Baloncesto (Nicaragua ) - Late July - Oct.
Recently, Canada - another powerhouse of the Americas - adopted this for their first-ever FIBA-sanctioned professional league called the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
The CEBL was originally scheduled to run from May - August but due to the global pandemic in 2020, they readjusted it to an even more condensed tournament format - similar to what is done in the Dominican Republic.
Another consideration:
In Latin America it is not uncommon for countries to run multiple seasons per calendar year.
The opening season is usually known as Apertura.
Closing season is Clausura.
Regardless of if there are multiple seasons or when it starts, Latin American leagues will typically:
Play more games per week (2-4/week)
Have shorter season lengths
Practice less due to more games/travel/recovery needed
WHEN DOES THE OVERSEAS BASKETBALL SEASON START IN ARGENTINA?
There are some exceptions.
In fact:
Some of the biggest leagues in the Americas adopt a much longer overseas basketball schedule.
Argentina’s top basketball league - La Liga - usually runs from roughly Dec. - July (7 months).
Meanwhile Brazil’s top division - the NBB - goes from October - June (8 months).
Other noticeably long(er) seasons in Latin American include:
Chile (Liga Nacional, 7 months)
Uruguay (LUB, 8 months)
How long is the overseas basketball season in Asia?
In Asia the overseas basketball season runs between 2-8 months but the majority of leagues in this region average between 3-6 months in total.
Unlike in European overseas leagues, Asian pro leagues can vary considerably in their start and end month dates with some falling into the “traditional basketball season” and others beginning in the summer time.
NOTABLE ASIAN OVERSEAS BASKETBALL LEAGUE SEASON SCHEDULES
|
Country |
League |
2018/2019 Start Date |
2018/2019 End Date |
Season Length |
|
ASIA |
||||
|
China |
CBA |
Oct. |
May |
7 months |
|
China |
NBL |
May |
August |
3 months |
|
Hong Kong |
HKD1 |
May |
August |
3 months |
|
Indonesia |
IBL |
Late Nov. |
March |
4 months |
|
Iran |
SuperLeague |
Late Oct. |
May |
7 months |
|
Iraq |
IBL |
Oct. |
April |
6 months |
|
Japan |
B.League |
Oct. |
May. |
8 months |
|
Japan |
B2 League |
Oct. |
May |
8 months |
|
Lebanon |
Pepsi LBL |
Late Oct. |
Early May |
6 ½ months |
|
Malaysia |
MPL |
June |
July |
2 months |
|
Philippines |
PBA |
Late Sept. |
January |
5 months |
|
Qatar |
D1 |
Dec. |
March |
3 months |
|
Saudi Arabia |
SBL |
Late Oct. |
April |
6 months |
|
South Korea |
KBL |
Oct. |
April |
6 months |
|
Taiwan |
SBL |
Dec |
May |
6 months |
|
Thailand |
TBL |
June |
Sept. |
3 months |
|
UAE |
D1 |
Nov. |
March |
4 months |
|
Vietnam |
VBA |
June |
Sept. |
3 months |
Chart compiled by
: Josecolorado.com [2020]
All Start and End Dates pulled from Asiabasket.com
If European overseas leagues follow a “traditional basketball schedule” and Latin American leagues have a tendency to fall into the “off-season” or summer time, then Asian pro leagues are somewhere in the middle.
As you can see from the chart, some of the continent’s heaviest hitters such as:
CBA (China)
B League (Japan)
SBL (Taiwan)
Superleague (Iran)
Pepsi LBL (Lebanon)
…all fall within the “traditional basketball season.”
But there are also some other leagues that are much more condensed and that would qualify as a summer league, including:
VBA (Vietnam)
MPL (Malaysia)
Hong Kong (HKD1)
Asia has also been known to have a very tough practice schedule but many teams/leagues take care of their players with great recovery treatment and plans.
How long is the overseas basketball season in AUSTRALIA?
Australia’s top basketball league - the National Basketball League (NBL) - has a 5-month season that runs from approximately October to March.
Meanwhile the State Leagues in Australia - a lower division of professional basketball in the country - also lasts for 5 months but this season usually runs from March - August/early September.
CONCLUSION
So with all of this in mind you now know how long the overseas basketball season is in each specific region, continent and in many countries across the world.
Remember to respect each time frame so that you are giving yourself an honest chance of getting recruited by overseas pro basketball clubs.
Now with this guideline in mind, get out there and begin contacting overseas basketball teams.
What overseas basketball league season schedule were you most curious about?
Is there a country I didn’t mention for how long their overseas basketball season is?
Comment below and let me know!
Jose Colorado is a five-year professional basketball player helping others achieve their goals of pro basketball through a proven, research-based approach.
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