FBA
Current season or competition: 2023–24 FBA Season | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| Inaugural season | 2018 |
| No. of teams | 30 |
| Nation(s) |
 Floria |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dragonmoor Lakers (2022–23) |
| Most titles |
Coldley Clippers Eastern State Warriors Dragonmoor Lakers(2) |
| TV partner(s) | ESN |
| Related competitions | MBF Club World League |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | N/A |
The Florian Basketball Association (FBA) is a men's professional basketball league in Apollonia. Composed of 30 teams in the Confederate States of Floria. It is considered to be one of the premier men's professional basketball leagues in the world. The FBA is an active member of Florian Basketball, the governing body of Basketball in the Confederate States of Floria. The league is one of the major professional sports leagues in Floria, with the FBA being the most popular indoor one. The league alongside Super League Football is one of the fastest-growing leagues in Floria due to the sport of basketball being more accessible than other sports.
The FBA's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing games. The league's playoff tournament extends into June. Selected teams also compete in the MBF Club World League.
The Coldley Clippers, Dragonmoor Lakers and the Eastern State Warriors are tied for the most FBA Championships with two each. The Lakers are the most recent champions beating the Bridgemoor Cavaliers in the 2023 FBA Finals by a series score of 4-1.
History
Foundation
Rise to popularity
Eastern State and Laker dynasties
Teams
They are a total number of 30 teams. Teams are divided into two conferences. Like the FFL, these teams are split into a ‘Apollonian’ and ‘National’ Conference.
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northcliff Celtics | Northcliff | Florian National Indoor Sports Complex | 35,000 | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian |
| Northcliff Knicks | Northcliff | Northcliff Arena | 20,000 | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian |
| Northcliff Raptors | Northcliff | The International Centre | 19,800 | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian |
| Northcliff Magic | Northcliff | The International Centre | 19,800 | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian |
| Coldley Rockets | Coldley | Stationary Centre | 2017 | 2018 | National | |
| Coldley Clippers | Coldley | Stationary Centre | 2017 | 2018 | National | |
| Newmarsh Suns | Newmarsh | Suns Arena | 18,055 | 2017 | 2018 | National |
| Newmarsh Bucks | Newmarsh | Wonders Arena | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian | |
| Birmingham Kings | Birmingham | Kings Centre | 2017 | 2018 | National | |
| Birmingham Bulls | Birmingham | Smith Centre | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian | |
| Meadowedge Heat | Meadowedge | The Firebowl | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian | |
| Meadowedge Mavericks | Meadowedge | Maverick Centre | 19,200 | 2017 | 2018 | National |
| Stonehall Wolves | Stonehall | Target Centre | 2017 | 2018 | National | |
| Stonehall Pistons | Stonehall | Pistons Arena | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian | |
| Bridgemoor Cavaliers | Bridgemoor | Quick Loans Arena | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian | |
| Bridgemoor Hornets | Bridgemoor | The Hornets Nest | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian | |
| Dragonmoor Lakers | Dragonmoor | Florian Airlines Arena | 21,300 | 2017 | 2018 | National |
| Dragonmoor Spurs | Dragonmoor | RB Arena | 2017 | 2018 | National | |
| Oldhaven Thunder | Oldhaven | Energy Arena | 18,203 | 2017 | 2018 | National |
| Oldhaven Wizards | Oldhaven | Florian Bank Arena | 20,356 | 2017 | 2018 | Apollonian |
| Las Andreas Nets | Las Andreas | Las Andreas Indoor Coliseum | 19,800 | 2019 | 2019 | Apollonian |
| Echo City Blazers | Echo City | Echo Arena | 19,300 | 2019 | 2019 | National |
| Northsilver Grizzlies | Northsilver | Leaf Square Garden | 18,000 | 2019 | 2019 | National |
| Vice City Jazz | Vice City | Palace Arena | 19,000 | 2019 | 2019 | National |
| Eastham Hawks | Eastham | Eastham Arena | 21,000 | 2019 | 2019 | Apollonian |
| Victoria Pacers | Victoria | Predator Arena | 15,100 | 2019 | 2019 | Apollonian |
| Eastern State Warriors | San Alexandria | Dash Centre | 18,604 | 2019 | 2019 | National |
| Southcliff City Pelicans | Southcliff | Smoothie Centre | 21,000 | 2019 | 2019 | National |
| Port Richard 99ers | Port Richard | Cargo Centre | 20,500 | 2019 | 2019 | Apollonian |
| Diamond Harbor Nuggets | Diamond Harbor | DrinX Centre | 20,000 | 2019 | 2019 | National |
Regular season
During the regular season, each team plays 82 games. Finally, each team plays all the teams in the other conference twice apiece (30 games). The FBA alongside the SLB and SLF is a league which has all teams playing every other team during the regular season unlike the FFL.
The FBA is the only sports league in the world that schedules games on Christmas Day and these games are seen as a tradition for every sports fan in Floria celebrating the festivities.
Playoffs
The FBA playoffs begin in April after the conclusion of the regular season with the top eight teams in each conference, regardless of divisional alignment, competing for the league's championship title, the Lewis James Championship Trophy. Seeds are awarded in strict order of regular-season record (with a tiebreaker system used as needed).
The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays an opponent in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. All but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the FBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the first- and eighth-seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the fourth- and fifth-seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the second- and seventh-seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the third- and sixth-seeded teams. In every round, the best-of-7 series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 home-court pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6.
The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the FBA Finals and is held annually in June. The winner of the FBA Finals receives the Lewis James Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor—including coaches and the general manager—on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards the Ian Daniels FBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award to the best performing player of the series.
Championships
| Teams | Win | Loss | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coldley Clippers | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Eastern State Warriors | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2019–20, 2020–21 | |
| Dragonmoor Lakers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2021–22, 2022–2023 |
Media coverage
The FBA is nationally covered by ESN whilst local games are televised by various regional broadcasters. The FBA are the only major Florian league to be covered on regional TV as all SLF and FFL games are broadcast nationally.
