Balkan International Basketball League
The Balkan International Basketball League (BIBL), also known as the Balkan League, is a multinational professional basketball league that features pro clubs from the Balkans. The league includes teams from the countries of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and Israel. The most recent league champion is Hapoel Holon from Israel. Purpose. The purpose of the Balkan International Basketball League is to provide competitive international play for clubs in the Balkans that would otherwise be unable to participate in international basketball. The league achieves this by providing financial support to all participating clubs in order to  ease the costs that make international play difficult. Among other milestones, the league is also the first international league of its kind to include teams from Kosovo. Format. As of the 2017-2018 season, the Balkan International Basketball League has introduced a new, simplified competition format. As per the new format, the competition will involve 8 teams playing each other in a double round robin (home and away) for a total of around 14 games. The changes to the league format include a new playoff format. The first and second place teams automatically qualify for playoffs, while teams placed 3rd  to 6th will play each other home and away to make it to the final four (3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5). Winning teams will advance to the finals to play for the championship. At the start of the 2020-2021 season, 12 teams from Israel joined the league in order to participate in competitive league play during the COVID-19 era.