The Latvian Basketball League (LBL; Latvian: Latvijas Basketbola līga) also known as the Pafbet LBL for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the national basketball championship in Latvia; composed of 6 teams. It is considered the biggest basketball league in Latvia. The LBL is a part of Latvian Basketball Association, which is the national governing body of basketball in Latvia.
Its 6 teams are located in 5 cities; two in Riga, and one in Ventspils, Liepāja, Valmiera, and Ogre. The LBL season usually runs from September to April. The league was founded in 1992, and its first season was played in the same year.
The first LBL season was played in 1992. From 1992 to 1999 all championships were won by BK Brocēni, however, from 2000 to 2006 BK Ventspils were the champions. In 2007, ASK Rīga stopped BK Ventspils winning streak. BK Ventspils won again in 2009, beating Barons/LMT in a thriller 4–3. Barons would return to the final the following year, this time against VEF Rīga, and win by the same 4–3 margin. The 2011 final again went to 7 games, with VEF Rīga defeating Ventspils.
