Top Professional Basketball Leagues around the World

There are many basketball professional leagues around the world. This is such a feat for the game’s creator, Dr. James Naismith. Who would have thought that the game that Naismith conceptualized to help his students keep fit and active during rainy and winter seasons will emerge as one of the most popular and widely watched sports all around the globe?

It was on December 1981 when Naismith came up with the first rules about the game that he originally called Basket Ball. He was then a physical education professor and instructor at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School at in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. The school is now known as the Springfield College. He went through many trial and error processes before he finally was able to implement the first look of the game. Through time, various improvements have been implemented to make the game more efficient and more fun to watch and play.

Since its conception, there have been many changes and innovations that were implemented on the game to make it what it is today. This is why many countries have also created their professional leagues, which is one good sign that the sport is indeed popular.

Professional Leagues

Here’s a look at some of the leagues that can be found at various countries where the sport is popular and many people are hooked about the game as well as the players.

National Basketball Association

This league is the product of the union of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. The American Basketball Association was created in 1967 and this actually posed a threat on the NBA’s dominance. In 1976, another historical merge happened between the two groups that created a powerful lineup of teams and paved the way for the NBA to be hailed as the top professional league in the world when it comes to this sport. It is the top when it comes to various aspects such as the popularity of the game and most of its players, the salary range of the players, the talent of those who are involved in the game and the level of competition that it brings every time a game is on.

Women’s National Basketball Association

This league that in backed up by the NBA was formed in 1997. It suffered from a shaky start, but it was able to stand up above the rest and confirms its spot on the league. WNBA was able to seal a lucrative deal with ESPN for 2009 to 2016. According to figures, this gets more viewership than the NHL and Major League Soccer.

National Basketball League Australia

This started in 1979 and it currently has eight teams from various parts of Australia and one from New Zealand. There are some players from the league that made it big in the international scene, such as Luc Longley, Shane Heal, Andrew Gaze, Andrew Bogut and Chris Anstey.

Philippine Basketball Association

This is known to be the second oldest basketball league in the world. Its first game was held on April 9, 1975 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines. There were nine teams that participated on the first season of the league.