WABA League

WABA League, commonly known as the Adriatic League, is a top-level regional basketball league, featuring female teams from Serbia, Montenegro, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia. Clubs from Turkey, North Macedonia, Hungary and Italy had their representatives in WABA League in past seasons. Since 2012 a Cadet WABA League and since 2014 Pionir WABA League is also played.

WABA League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023–24 WABA League
Official logo of the WABA League
SportBasketball
Founded2001
Inaugural season2001–02
No. of teams12
Country Austria
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Bulgaria
 Croatia
 Montenegro
 Serbia
 Slovenia
ContinentFIBA Europe
Most recent
champion(s)
Slovenia Cinkarna Celje
(4th title)
Most titlesCroatia Šibenik
(5 titles)
Official websitewaba-league.com

History

Formation and early years

WABA League was established in 2001 as EWWL League. In its first season, it included six teams from four countries (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). After the regular season, it held a tournament in which the three best teams played, which was won by Athlete Celje. Next season, the league expanded from six to eight teams, and the final tournament was altered so that the placement included the four top teams. At the final tournament, the winner was Željezničar Sarajevo.

Official trophy of WABA League (March 2016)

In 2003, the league changed its name to EWWL Trocal League, which lasted until 2006. During these seasons, the number of teams who played in the league varied from nine to twelve. In the period from 2004 to 2006, it had a representative from Macedonia and then one from Bulgaria in the 2006–07 season. Austrian clubs left the competition in 2004. Since 2003, the competing teams have been from Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006, the league changed its name to WABA NBL which was used until 2008. In 2006, the WABA Cup launched, which existed until 2010 and was attended by participants in the league. In 2007, the WABA Cup bore the name Vojko Herskel. In the 2008–09 season, the league was named after WABA Multipover; in 2009–10 season, it was named IWBL.

2010s

In 2010, the league changed its name to MŽRKL. The Vojko Herksel Cup was last played. In the 2012–13 season, the league included the Hungarian PEAC-Pécs, and the Belgrade Partizan achieved a record in its history, playing 32 matches in the national competitions (regional league, championship and cup) all season without suffering a defeat. In the season of 2013–14, the format of the competition changed. The twelve participating teams were divided into two groups of six teams. Four first-placed teams were placed in the quarterfinals, with the winners to the Final Four.

In the 2015-16 season, the league introduced instead of quarterfinals League 6, in which the first phase the two groups are placed by 3 teams. The League 6 transmitted the results achieved against teams from the same group in the first phase they finished the League 6. League 6 plays a dual circuit system (one game at home and one away) against teams that have qualified from the opposite group previous stage of the competition. The four best teams in League 6 advance to the Final Four.

In September 2016, the league officially changed its name to WABA League.[1] In June 2017, the league signed a sponsorship contract with tourist agency BTravel and officially changed its name to BTravel WABA League.[2]

Names in history

  • EWWL League (2001–2003)
  • EWWL Trocal League (2003–2006)
  • WABA NBL (2006–2008)
  • WABA Multipower (2008–2009)
  • IWBL (2009–2010)
  • MŽRKL (2010–2016)
  • WABA League (2016–present)

Logos

Evolution of the Adriatic League logo
2001–2010 2010–2016 2016–2017 2017–2018 2018–present
n/a without a logo n/a

Youth competition

Cadet WABA League

In the season 2012–13, the Cadet League was launched, and since it has shown a lot of success in that period, it has continued to be held.[3] The winner of the first two seasons of cadet WABA League is the team Trešnjevka 2009 from Croatia, when he beat the team of Novi Zagreb[4] and Crvena zvezda.[5] In the third seasonis the champion was the team of Triglav Kranj, Slovenia, which is defeated in the final match of Maribor.[6]

Pionir WABA League

Following the success of cadet league, a decision was made to launch the pioneering leagues.[7] In the first season, the winner of the pioneering league is team Croatia 2006 from Zagreb, Croatia, that won at the team of Jedinstvo Tuzla from Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[8]

Finals

Year Host Final Third and fourth place
Winner Score Runner-up Third place Fourth place
2001–02
Details
 Croatia (Šibenik) Slovenia
Merkur Celje
2:1 Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Željezničar Sarajevo
N / A
2002–03
Details
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo) Bosnia and Herzegovina
Željezničar Sarajevo
84:78 Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
Slovenia
Merkur Celje
Croatia
Gospić Industrogradnja
2003–04
Details
 Croatia (Gospić) Croatia
Gospić Industrogradnja
59:58 Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
Croatia
Croatia 2006
Serbia and Montenegro
Univerziteti Priština
2004–05
Details
 Croatia (Šibenik) Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
82:66 Croatia
Gospić Industrogradnja
Serbia and Montenegro
Vojvodina NIS
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Željezničar Sarajevo
2005–06
Details
 Serbia and Montenegro (Novi Sad) Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
68:55 Serbia and Montenegro
Vojvodina NIS
Slovenia
Merkur Celje
Croatia
Gospić Croatia Osiguranje
2006–07
Details
 Bulgaria (Sofia) Bulgaria
CSKA Sofia
73:67 Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
Croatia
Gospić Croatia Osiguranje
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Željezničar Sarajevo
2007–08
Details
 Croatia (Gospić) Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
72:66 Croatia
Gospić Croatia Osiguranje
Croatia
Ragusa Dubrovnik
Montenegro
Budućnost Podgorica
2008–09
Details
 Montenegro (Bijelo Polje) Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
69:63 Montenegro
Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje
Croatia
Gospić Croatia Osiguranje
Slovenia
Merkur Celje
2009–10
Details
 Croatia (Gospić) Croatia
Gospić
73:65 Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
Slovenia
Merkur Celje
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mladi Krajišnik
2010–11
Details
 Croatia (Šibenik) Croatia
Šibenik Jolly JBS
20:0 Croatia
Gospić
Slovenia
Merkur Celje
Serbia
Partizan
2011–12
Details
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Zenica) Serbia
Partizan Galenika
74:65 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Čelik Zenica
Serbia
Voždovac
Serbia
Hemofarm Štada
2012–13
Details
 Serbia (Novi Sad) Serbia
Partizan Galenika
70:45 Serbia
Radivoj Korać
Hungary
Peac-Pécs
Serbia
Vojvodina NIS
2013–14
Details
 Montenegro (Podgorica) Serbia
Radivoj Korać
87:83 Serbia
Crvena zvezda
Slovenia
Athlete Celje
Montenegro
Budućnost Volcano
2014–15
Details
 Slovenia (Celje) Italy
Umana Reyer Venezia
69:52 Serbia
Radivoj Korać
Montenegro
Budućnost Volcano
Slovenia
Athlete Celje
2015–16
Details
 Montenegro (Podgorica) Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
74:58 Croatia
Medveščak
Serbia
Radivoj Korać
Croatia
Kvarner
2016–17
Details
 Montenegro (Podgorica) Slovenia
Athlete Celje
61:57 Bulgaria
Beroe
Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
Bulgaria
Montana 2003
2017–18
Details
 Bulgaria (Montana) Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
71:68 Slovenia
Cinkarna Celje
Bulgaria
Montana 2003
Serbia
Crvena zvezda
2018–19
Details
 Slovenia (Celje) Bulgaria
Beroe
65:64 Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
Slovenia
Cinkarna Celje
Serbia
Crvena zvezda
2019–20
Details
 Bulgaria (Stara Zagora) Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
the final four was not played Slovenia
Cinkarna Celje
Bulgaria
Montana 2003
Bulgaria
Beroe
2020–21
Details
 Bulgaria (Stara Zagora) Bulgaria
Beroe
66:56 Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
Bulgaria
Montana 2003
Slovenia
Cinkarna Celje
2021–22
Details
 Montenegro (Podgorica) Slovenia
Cinkarna Celje
58:51 Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Orlovi
Bulgaria
Montana 2003
2022–23
Details
 Montenegro (Podgorica) Slovenia
Cinkarna Celje
66:64 Montenegro
Budućnost Bemax
Serbia
Vojvodina 021
Bulgaria
Montana 2003

Champions

Team Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Croatia Šibenik
5
5
2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010
Slovenia Cinkarna Celje
4
2
2002, 2017, 2022, 2023 2018, 2020
Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica
3
4
2016, 2018, 2020 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
Croatia Gospić
2
3
2004, 2010 2005, 2008, 2011
Bulgaria Beroe
2
1
2019, 2021 2017
Serbia Partizan
2
2012, 2013
Serbia Radivoj Korać
1
2
2014 2013, 2015
Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar Sarajevo
1
2003
Bulgaria CSKA Sofia
1
2007
Italy Umana Reyer Venezia
1
2015
Serbia Vojvodina
1
2006
Montenegro Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje
1
2009
Bosnia and Herzegovina Čelik Zenica
1
2012
Serbia Crvena zvezda
1
2014
Croatia Medveščak
1
2016

Notable person's

Former players

 Belarus
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
  • Lucie Conkova
 North Macedonia
 
 Montenegro
 Serbia
 
 Slovenia
 United States
 

Former coaches

Awards

Sponsors

Title sponsor
  • BTravel (Croatian tourist agency) (June 2017 - 2018)

See also

References

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