The 2023–24 Basketball Champions League was the 8th season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL), the premier European professional basketball competition for clubs launched by FIBA. The season began on 17 October 2023 and ended with the championship game on 28 April 2024.
Telekom Baskets Bonn were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Peristeri in the quarter-finals. The Štark Arena in Belgrade hosted the Final Four and the championship game, the second time the competition had a neutral venue for its conclusion. Unicaja won its first Champions League title following their win over Lenovo Tenerife in the final. As champions, Unicaja also qualified for the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Team allocation
Country rankings The BCL Country Ranking is used to define the number of clubs each country is entitled to enter into the various stages of the BCL.
The results are based on the results of the past three seasons (the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022–23 seasons).
RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams1104.7552 69.004363.77463.205563.003663.001756.00849.00943.2541041.331141.00112 (suspended)40.50 01338.0011434.5021534.501626.001724.00 11821.00RankAssociationAverage pointsTeams1919.0022015.0002112.001228.00237.00244.00254.00264.00273.00283.00293.000302.00312.00322.00331.001341.000351.001
Teams A total of 54 teams from 29 countries participated in the 2023–24 Basketball Champions League. 15 of them were domestic champions in the previous season. Two teams were invited as a wild card entries.
If one or more clubs do not exercise their right to participate in the BCL, the FIBA may decide to allocate the respective place(s) to other clubs of the same or other National Federation(s).
League positions after playoffs of the previous season shown in parentheses. The Basketball Champions League rankings are taken into consideration. TH: Champions League title holders WC: Wild card. AV: Allocation vacant.NOTE NOTE: According to BCL rankings, National Federations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia and Hungary should had two berths in Regular season, as well as one berth for the champion of Romania (U-BT Cluj Napoca decided to play Eurocup), and one berth for the Russian representative (banned from competition). Their places were allocated to the teams from Turkey (3), Spain (1) and Poland (1). +Qualified teams for 2023–24 Basketball Champions League (by entry round)Regular season Pınar Karşıyaka AEKWC JDA Dijon Opava Bursaspor İnfo Yatırım Unicaja Le Mans Sarthe Falco Szombathely Darüşşafaka Lassa AV Lenovo Tenerife Hapoel Jerusalem VEF Rīga Tofaş AV UCAM Murcia Hapoel Holon Rytas Galatasaray Nef AV Río Breogán AV Bertram Derthona King Szczecin AV Peristeri bwin Telekom Baskets Bonn TH Dinamo Sassari PAOK MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg Filou Oostende PromitheasWC EWE Baskets Oldenburg Igokea Qualifying rounds Cholet Kalev/Cramo CBet Jonava Patrioti Levice SIG Strasbourg WC Karhu Mornar Barsko zlato Monbus Obradoiro Happy Casa Brindisi TSU Tbilisi Heroes Den Bosch Norrköping Dolphins Openjobmetis Varese WC Göttingen Legia Warsaw WC Fribourg Olympic Telenet Giants Antwerp Caledonia Gladiators Benfica AEK Larnaca Ironi Ness Ziona CSM Oradea Bakken Bears Peja FMP Meridian Notes
Qualifying rounds
Draw The draw for the qualifying rounds will be made on 5 July 2023. The 25 teams were divided into six pots. The top eight national champions from the unrepresented nations were placed into Pots 1 and 2, and the remaining clubs into Pots 3–6. Pots are arranged based on the competition's club ranking and, for clubs that have not yet participated in the competition, on the country ranking.
The three winners of the finals will then qualify for the regular season and join the 29 directly qualified teams in the main draw. The rest of the teams will be demoted, if they apply, to the FIBA Europe Cup.
Venue On July 27, 2023, it was announced that Antalya Sports Hall in Antalya, Turkey, has been selected as the host city for the Qualification Rounds which was scheduled to take place from 24 September to 1 October.
Champions Path +Pot 1Team Bakken Bears24 Benfica18 Kalev/Cramo 11 Patrioti Levice4+Pot 2Team Norrköping Dolphins 1 AEK Larnaca 1 Peja 1.00 TSU Tbilisi0.00
Main Path +Pot 3Team SIG Strasbourg100 Happy Casa Brindisi 35 Cholet 11 Legia Warszaw 8+Pot 6Team CSM Oradea41.00 CBet Jonava36.50 Telenet Giants Antwerp34.50+Preliminary PotTeam Caledonia Gladiators3.00 Fribourg Olympic7 +Pot 4Team FMP Meridian4 Heroes Den Bosch 2 Karhu 2 Mornar Bar2+Pot 5Team Monbus Obradoiro102.25 Göttingen67.75 Ironi Ness Ziona62.00 Openjobmetis Varese41.33 Notes
Indicates teams with no club points, therefore using the country points as a tiebreaker.
Pre-qualifier The pre-qualifier round match consists of a one leg match that is expected to take place at a neutral venue.
The winner of the pre-qualifiers round match will be drawn to Pot 6 and advanced to the main qualifying rounds. The losers of the pre-qualifiers is transferred (if they apply) to the FIBA Europe Cup
Qualification Group I
Qualification Group II
Qualification Group III
Regular season
Draw The 29 teams that entered in the regular season directly were divided into four pots based firstly on the club ranking and, for clubs that have not yet participated in the competition, on the country ranking. The country protection rule will apply for the stage of the draw. Clubs cannot be drawn in groups with other clubs from the same country.
+Pot 1Team Lenovo Tenerife 135 Hapoel Holon 98 Hapoel Jerusalem 78 Unicaja 75 Pınar Karşıyaka 71 Tofaş 69 AEK 67 JDA Dijon 65+Pot 2Team MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg 64 Rytas 62 Galatasaray Nef 61 Telekom Baskets Bonn 56 56 Falco Szombathely 52 Darüşşafaka Lassa 52 Filou Oostende 49+Pot 3Team Dinamo Sassari 40 VEF Rīga 38 UCAM Murcia 33 Peristeri bwin 30 PAOK 26 EWE Baskets Oldenburg 8 Bursaspor İnfo Yatırım 63.60 Promitheas 44.25+Pot 4Team Opava 4 Le Mans Sarthe 2 Río Breogán 1 Bertram Derthona 41.33 King Szczecin 19.00 Benfica Cholet SIG Strasbourg Notes
Indicates teams with no club points, therefore using the country points as a tiebreaker.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
Play-ins The Play-ins took place from 2 to 17 January 2024. The teams classified in second and third place in their respective groups of Basketball Champions League, went to the Play-ins. Winners advanced to the round of 16. The first legs were played on 2–3 January, the second legs on 9–10 January. Eventual third legs were played on 16–17 January.
Round of 16 The Round of 16 will take place from January 24 until March 22, 2024. The groups will be formed by the winners of each Regular Season Group and by eight Play-Ins winners. The 16 teams were divided in 4 groups, 4 teams each. The first two of each groups advanced to the quarter-finals.
Group I
Group J
Group K
Group L
Playoffs
The playoffs will begin on 3 April 2024 and ends with the 2024 Basketball Champions League Final Four, which will be hosted in the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.
Final Four
Semifinals The semifinals were played on 26 April 2024.
Third place game The third place game was played on 28 April 2024.
Final The final was played on 28 April 2024.
Individual awards Season awards The annual season awards were announced on 27 April. Award Player Club Most Valuable Player Marcelo Huertas Lenovo Tenerife Final Four MVP Kendrick Perry Unicaja Defensive Player of the Year Howard Sant-Roos UCAM Murcia Best Young Player Tidjane Salaün Cholet Best Coach Vassilis Spanoulis Peristeri
Star Lineup
First TeamSecond Team Player TeamPlayerTeam Joe Ragland Peristeri Dylan Ennis UCAM Murcia Marcelinho Huertas Lenovo Tenerife Hunter Hale Promitheas Patras Kendrick Perry Unicaja Levi Randolph Hapoel Jerusalem David Kravish Unicaja Dylan Osetkowski Unicaja Austin Wiley Tofaş Vernon Carey Jr. Pınar Karşıyaka
MVP of the Month Month Player Club 2023 Vernon Carey Jr. Pınar Karşıyaka Justin Tillman AEK Levi Randolph Hapoel Jerusalem 2024 Hunter Hale Promitheas Patras Joe Ragland Peristeri
Team of the Month Year Month Player Team 2023October Chris Dowe Derthona Basket Justin Tillman AEK Gregor Hrovat JDA Dijon David McCormack Darüşşafaka Lassa Vernon Carey Jr. Pınar KarşıyakaNovember Marcelinho Huertas Lenovo Tenerife David Holston JDA Dijon Kendall Smith PAOK Levi Randolph Hapoel Jerusalem Justin Tillman AEKDecember Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman Darüşşafaka Lassa Levi Randolph (x2) Hapoel Jerusalem Pierre-Antoine Gillet Filou Oostende Gytis Radzevičius Rytas Vilnius David McCormack (x2) Galatasaray Ekmas2024January Marcelinho Huertas Lenovo Tenerife Hunter Hale Promitheas Patras Craig Randall II Cholet Basket Justin Smith Hapoel Holon Austin Wiley TofaşMarch Joe Ragland Peristeri Marcelinho Huertas (x2) Lenovo Tenerife Jayvon Graves Riesen Ludwigsburg Dustin Sleva UCAM Murcia Jaime Echenique Promitheas Patras
See also 2023–24 EuroLeague 2023–24 EuroCup Basketball 2023–24 FIBA Europe Cup
References
External links Official website