ZZ Leiden Basketball, also known as Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden, is a professional basketball club based in Leiden, the Netherlands. The club plays in the BNXT League, the domestic first tier league. Their home games are played at Sportcomplex 1574.
ZZ Leiden has won the national championship five times, the NBB Cup four times, the Dutch Supercup a record four times and the BNXT championship twice in a row. Leiden was a European Club Winner's Cup semi-finalist in 1980. They also made the semi-finals of the FIBA Europe Cup in 2022.
History The old Leiden team (1958–1986)
On September 23, 1958, the club was founded as Bona Stars by Ton Kallenberg, a physical education professor at a school in Leiden. In 1967 the club entered the eredivisie, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands under the name BS Leiden.
When Parker became the main sponsor of the club in 1977 Leiden won its first national championship (1977/1978). During this era the team finished five times as runners-up in the league. In 1979/1980 Leiden reached the semi-finals of the European Club Winner's Cup (later: Saporta Cup, ULEB Cup or EuroCup), their best European result up till now. In 1986, Leiden was forced to leave the eredivisie, due to the absence of a main sponsor. The team played five years in the Promotiedivisie, the highest non-professional league, before pulling out of the Dutch basketball pyramid.
The Rise of ZZ (2006–2010) On February 16, 2006, it was announced that Leiden would return at the highest stage in the Netherlands. The team got a new main sponsor in Zorg en Zekerheid and would play its games in the Vijf Meihal.
After being quarter- and semifinalist in a few seasons, Leiden returned to the top of the Netherlands in 2010. Leading players of the ZZ team were Danny Gibson, who was named the DBL Most Valuable Player Award in 2009–10, and Seamus Boxley. The club won its first NBB Cup, by beating ABC Amsterdam in the championship game. In the Semi-final, heavy favorites Groningen were defeated. In the Playoffs Semi-finals, ZZ once again faced Groningen. The team put up a fight against the top seed, but eventually fell short 3–2.
Back at the top of Dutch basketball (2010–present) In the 2010–11 season, ZZ Leiden came back on top of the Dutch basketball world as best club. In the regular season, the team finished first. The second DBL title was eventually won, after beating Groningen 4–3 in the Finals. The deciding game 7 turned out to be historic, including three overtimes, which ended in 96–95.
The following year the team its second NBB Cup, but was defeated in the Finals of the DBL. ZZ Leiden also reached the Round of 16 in the EuroChallenge 2011-12 after their second place in the first group stage this season. In 2013 the team got its third national championship, by going undefeated in the play-offs and beating Aris Leeuwarden in the Finals.
The 2013–14 was a struggling one for Leiden. The team ended on the 4th place in the regular season and lost in the Semifinals to Groningen. After the end of the season, Leiden decided to part ways with head coach Toon van Helfteren. Van Helfteren eventually won six trophies with Leiden.
Main sponsor Zorg en Zekerheid extended their contract with 3 years in the 2014 offseason, and a new head coach was signed in Eddy Casteels. In the 2014–15 season, Leiden finished 2nd in the regular season, but once again was eliminated by Groningen in the Semi-finals.
In 2019, Leiden won the NBB Cup after defeating Landstede Zwolle 87–69 in the final.
On 17 May 2020, Leiden signed Geert Hammink as its new head coach for the 2020–21 season. Leiden went on to capture its fourth DBL championship. Star players of the team were league MVP Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Playoffs MVP Worthy de Jong.
Since the 2021–22 season, Leiden plays in the BNXT League, in which the national leagues of Belgium and the Netherlands have been merged. On 11 June 2022, Leiden won the inaugural BNXT championship. De Jong was named the league's Finals MVP and retired from professional basketball after. Leiden also had its best performance in Europe ever, reaching the semifinals of the 2021–22 FIBA Europe Cup.
After the successful season, coach Hammink signed with Skyliners Frankfurt; star player Worthy de Jong retired from professional basketball. In July 2022, Roberts Štelmahers was acquired as the club's new head coach. However, Stelmahers later signed another contract with Nymburk in the Czech Republic, causing Leiden to seek a replacement. On August 15, Leiden signed Doug Spradley as new head coach to a one-year contract.
On 12 March 2023, ZZ Leiden won their fourth-ever Cup title after beating Landstede Hammers 72–70 in the Landstede Sportcentrum. On 29 May 2023, they won their fifth national title following a Game 5 win over Donar, despite trailing by 16 points 2:40 before the ending of the game. Thomas Rutherford scored two game-winning free throws to seal the championship. The win meant that Leiden won its first national double (both the league and cup titles) in club history.
Arenas
From its re-inception in 2006 to 2023, Leiden used the Vijf Meihal as its home arena. The arena, which is also used for gymnastics of high school students, is nicknamed De Schuur (The Barn) by ZZ Leiden fans.
Vijf Meihal (2006–2023) Sportcomplex 1574 (2023–present)
Move to Sportcomplex 1574 The municipality of Leiden replaced the Vijf Meihal with the newly built Sportcomplex 1574, which was announced to have a capacity of 2,435 people. The new name was later announced to be Sportcomplex 1574, named after the year of the Siege of Leiden after which the city was liberated from Spanish rule. Construction of the €24 million arena began in 2021 and finished in 2023. The sporting hall was named the "Aad van der Luit Topsporthal". The decision by the municipality of Leiden to build was heavily criticized by ZZ Leiden as the number of seats is below FIBA's minimum of 3,000 seats for international games. In its first season, ZZ Leiden was forced to withdraw from the Basketball Champions League because of the size of the Sportcomplex 1574. On 15 October 2023, the inaugural basketball game was played at the arena when Leiden played BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Logos and names
Club records The list only includes records since ZZ Leiden was established in 2006. Bold denotes still active with team. As of the end of the 2019–20 season:
Most points scoredPlayerPoints Worthy de Jong 5,686 Mohamed Kherrazi 2,538 Seamus Boxley 2,429 Arvin Slagter 1,407 Clayton Vette 1,377
Most reboundsPlayerRebounds Worthy de Jong 2,231 Mohamed Kherrazi 1,940 Seamus Boxley 1,064 Johan Kuijper 775 David Chiotti 751
Most assistsPlayerAssists Worthy de Jong 1,247 Mohamed Kherrazi 684 Arvin Slagter 540 Rogier Jansen 491 J.S. Nash 445
Players Current roster
Retired numbers ZZ Leiden retired numbersN°PlayerPositionTenureCeremony date 6 Worthy de Jong SG 2010–2016, 2017–2022 October 22, 2022
Notable players
Individual awards
BNXT League Dream Team Asbjørn Midtgaard – 2022 BNXT League Finals MVP Worthy de Jong – 2022 David Collins – 2023 BNXT League Player of the Year Worthy de Jong – 2022 BNXT League Defensive Player of the Year Worthy de Jong – 2022 BNXT League Sixth Man of the Year Marijn Ververs – 2024 DBL Most Valuable Player Art Collins – 1978 Jerry Beck – 1984 Toon van Helfteren – 1986 Danny Gibson – 2010 Worthy de Jong – 2016 Darius Thompson – 2019 Emmanuel Nzekwesi – 2021
DBL All-Star Team David Chiotti – 2009 Danny Gibson – 2010 Ronny LeMelle – 2010 Seamus Boxley – 2011, 2012 Thomas Jackson – 2012 Worthy de Jong – 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021 Ross Bekkering – 2013 Joshua Duinker – 2014 Carrington Love – 2018 Maurice Watson, Jr. – 2019 Darius Thompson – 2019 Emmanuel Nzekwesi – 2021
DBL Defensive Player of the Year Mohamed Kherrazi – 2015, 2016, 2019 Worthy de Jong – 2021 DBL Sixth Man of the Year Dylon Cormier – 2016 Rogier Jansen – 2017 Sergio De Randamie – 2019 Riley LaChance – 2021
DBL Most Improved Player Worthy de Jong – 2011 DBL Rookie of the Year Joey Schelvis – 2009 Joshua Duinker – 2014 Emmanuel Nzekwesi – 2021 DBL Coach of the Year Ruud Harrewijn – 1985 Toon van Helfteren – 2010, 2011, 2012 Geert Hammink – 2021
Trophies National competitions Dutch Basketball League Winners (6): 1977–78, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24 Runners-up (9): 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1984–85, 2011–12, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2024–25, 2025–26 Dutch Cup Winners (4): 2009–10, 2011–12, 2018–19, 2022–23 Runners-up (3): 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18 Dutch Supercup Winners (5): 2011, 2012, 2021, 2023, 2024 Runners-up (4): 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019
Regional competitions BNXT League Winners (2): 2021–22, 2022–23 BNXT Supercup Runners-up (1): 2021
Season by season SeasonTierLeagueCupSupercup BNXT League European competitions1967–68 1 Eredivisie 6th 1968–69 1 Eredivisie 8th 1969–70 1 Eredivisie 5th 1970–71 1 Eredivisie 3rd 1971–72 1 Eredivisie 8th 1972–73 1 Eredivisie 6th 1973–74 1 Eredivisie 7th 1974–75 1 Eredivisie 5th 1975–76 1 Eredivisie 10th 1976–77 1 Eredivisie 10th 1977–78 1 Eredivisie 1st 1978–79 1 Eredivisie 2nd 1 Champions Cup 1979–80 1 Eredivisie 2nd 2 Saporta Cup 1980–81 1 Eredivisie 2nd 2 Saporta Cup 1981–82 1 Eredivisie 3rd 2 Saporta Cup 1982–83 1 Eredivisie 3rd 3 Korac Cup 1983–84 1 Eredivisie 2nd 1984–85 1 Eredivisie 1985–86 1 Eredivisie 4th 1986–91 Five seasons in Promotiedivisie 1991–06 Inactivity2006–07 1 Eredivisie 8th Quarterfinalist 2007–08 1 Eredivisie 9th 2008–09 1 Eredivisie 8th 2009–10 1 Eredivisie 3rdChampion 2010–11 1 DBL 1st Champion 3 EuroChallenge 2011–12 1 DBL 2nd Fourth round Champion 3 EuroChallenge 2012–13 1 DBL Semifinalist Champion 2013–14 1 DBL Runner-upRunner-up 3 EuroChallenge 2014–15 1 DBL Semifinalist Runner–up 2015–16 1 DBL Runner-up 3 FIBA Europe Cup 2016–17 1 DBL Quarterfinalist 2017–18 1 DBL2nd Runners-up 2018–19 1 DBL3rd Champions Runner-up 4 FIBA Europe Cup 2019–20 1 DBL 5th Quarterfinals Runner-up 4 FIBA Europe Cup 2020–21 1 DBL 1st Quarterfinals 2021–22 1 BNXT2nd Semifinalist Champions Champions3 Champions League4 FIBA Europe Cup 2022–23 1 BNXT 1st Winner Runners-up Champions 4 FIBA Europe Cup 2023–24 1 BNXT 1st Semifinalist Champions Runners-up 4 FIBA Europe Cup 2024–25 1 BNXT 2nd Semifinalist Champions 12th 2025–26 1 BNXT 2nd Quarterfinalist 10th
International record ZZ Leiden made its debut in the European stage in 1978 when it entered the European Champions Cup. In 1982, Leiden played in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, qualifying as hosts of the competition. {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:left;" |+ Record ! Competition ! ! ! ! !
| 1 FIBA Champions Cup / EuroLeague || align="center"| || align="center"|5 || align="center"|– || align="center"|1 || align="center"| |- | 2 FIBA Saporta Cup / ULEB Cup / Eurocup || align="center"| || align="center"|16 || align="center"|– || align="center"|12 || align="center"| |- | 3 Basketball Champions League / Korac Cup / EuroChallenge || align="center"| || align="center"|10 || align="center"|– || align="center"|22 || align="center"| |- | 4 FIBA Europe Cup (since 2016/2017) || align="center"| || align="center"|29 || align="center"|– || align="center"|29 || align="center"| |- |-class="sortbottom" ! scope="col" align="center"| Total || || 60 || – ||64 || Key
(N) = Neutral venue