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The World's Best Basketball Leagues.

The NBA is seen as the pinnacle of club/franchise basketball in the world & many of the world's best players have played there but there are leagues that have their own benefits where basketball players can be as big a star as NBA players. Below are four basketball leagues & an intercontinental championship  that I feel are overlooked & underrated that are potentially as good as the NBA.

Many may not think the Brazilian Novo Basquete Brasil league is as good but judging from the talent that comes from there, I'd say it's one of the better leagues in the world. It would be worth a watch as an alternative to the NBA or Euroleague. 

The Euroleague is a favourite of mine & many others, it includes teams like Baskonia, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahce, Zalgiris, CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid, Barcelona & Bayern Munich. This is widely considered as the next best league after the NBA with some claiming it may even be better. I've watched Euroleague basketball & it has very good technical players & players who have played in the NBA. Some of the best players in the NBA come from the Euroleague. Players like Luka Doncic, Jokic, Giannis Antetoukounmpo, Thanasis Antetoukounmpo, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Facundo Campazzo, Dennis Schröder & the Wagner brothers - Moritz & Franz have all been in the Euroleague. As the Euroleague is continental, teams have to do well in their national leagues to qualify. Euroleague has teams from well established leagues like the Turkish league, Liga Endesa of Spain, French basketball league, Serbian, Russian, Lithuanian, Greek & German Basketball Bundesliga leagues. The great Kobe Bryant started playing basketball in Europe because his father played professional basketball in Italy. 

Liga Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto of Spain.


The Chinese basketball league is seen as a league where bench players from the NBA go to get playing time. It's one of the better paying leagues in the world & the fact that it can attract NBA players shows that it's not that bad a league. NBA players who have played in the Chinese league include Devin Booker & Tacko Fall.

The FIBA Intercontinental Cup is where the champions of club/franchise basketball are crowned. I'm not sure of the prize money or who gets to qualify but in the most recent edition, Al Ahly (BAL Champions) got to participate & came out fourth after being beaten by a Chinese team. Historical champions of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup include Real Madrid, Zalgiris & Flamengo of Brazil. 
 

The Basketball Africa League was formed in association with the NBA & FIBA from the Afroleague continental basketball club competition. Simply put, it has the best players in Africa & some players sourced from the NCAA league & G-League in the USA basketball league system as well as some sourced from local African leagues. I feel that it's slowly becoming one of the best basketball competitions in the world & attracting sponsors.


FIBA Intercontinental Cup Champions 2023: Sesi Franca of Brazil.

And this is life outside the NBA as a player & a fan, not as well funded but if you love basketball, you'll love it wherever it's played & played well. 

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