Basketball Super League (North America)
North American basketball league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Basketball Super League (BSL) is a professional basketball league in Canada and the United States that was formed in 2023.
| |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| First season | 2023–24 |
| Owners | Dave Magley Evelyn Magley |
| CEO | Evelyn Magley |
| President | Dave Magley |
| Commissioner | Devin Kinsella |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Countries | Canada United States |
| Continents | North America |
Most recent champion | Sudbury Five (2nd title) |
| Most titles | Sudbury Five (2) |
| Broadcasters | BeIN Sports Xtra BSL TV |
| Website | basketballsuperleague |
It was started by the ownership of The Basketball League (TBL) after the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) dissolved and left several Canadian teams without a home.
BSL teams engage in interleague play with TBL franchises, and their regular season runs from November through March.
History
For their 2021–22 season, the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) announced that they had agreed to interleague play with several teams from The Basketball League (TBL).[1] On June 18, 2022, the NBLC announced that Dave Magley, president of TBL, would work alongside NBLC commissioner Audley Stephenson in overseeing the growth of both leagues.[2]
After the dissolution of NBLC following their 2022–23 season, Dave Magley announced the formation of the Basketball Super League (BSL) to begin play in December 2023.[3] BSL teams have no salary cap and play in venues with a minimum capacity of 2,500, unlike TBL teams which have a salary cap and play in smaller venues.[4]
In April 2023, the Newfoundland Rogues of the TBL were announced as the first BSL franchise.[5] The KW Titans, London Lightning and Sudbury Five of the defunct NBLC joined in May 2023.[3] The Quebec Pioneers were originally announced as the fifth team in June 2023, but folded before the season began.[6] The Windsor Express, another former NBLC franchise, announced in August 2023 that they would also join the league.[7] Montréal Toundra, formerly of the TBL, rounded out the inaugural 2023–24 BSL season's six teams.[8]
BSL's six teams engaged in interleague play with TBL franchises in addition to their intraleague games, and the top four teams were awarded a playoff berth.[8] The London Lightning defeated the KW Titans 3–1 in their May 2024 finals series to become inaugural BSL champions.[9]
Devin Kinsella was appointed as the league's first commissioner in August 2024.[10]
American teams from TBL joined the BSL for its 2024–25 season, including the Glass City Wranglers, Jamestown Jackals, and Pontiac Pharaohs.[11][12] The Montréal Toundra announced it was taking a hiatus from the league in November 2024.[13]
The Saginaw Soul were announced as an expansion franchise for the 2025–26 season in April 2025, but announced in September 2025 they will delay joining the league until 2026.[14]
In early October 2025, the London Lightning announced that they will not be participating in the 2025-26 season.[15]
Teams
Current teams 
On hiatus teams 
Future teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KW Titans | Kitchener, Ontario | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium | 7,241[16] | 2016 | 2023 | Cliff Clinkscales |
| Lake Erie Jackals | Edinboro, Pennsylvania | Edinboro University | 3,500 | 2016 | 2024 | Raheem Singleton |
| Montréal Toundra | Montreal, Quebec | Centre Pierre Charbonneau | 2,501[17] | 2023 | 2023 | Damian Buckley |
| Sudbury Five | Greater Sudbury, Ontario | Sudbury Community Arena | 5,000[18] | 2018 | 2023 | Joey Puddister |
| Windsor Express | Windsor, Ontario | WFCU Centre | 6,900[19] | 2012 | 2023 | Bill Jones |
| On hiatus | ||||||
| London Lightning | London, Ontario | Canada Life Place | 10,000[20] | 2011 | 2023 | Jerry Williams |
Future teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joining | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saginaw Soul | Saginaw,Michigan | Buena Vista High School | 1,000 | 2025 | 2026 | Isiah Thomas |
Former teams
| Team | City | Arena | Seasons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass City Wranglers | Toledo, Ohio | Maumee Valley Country Day School | 2024 | Joined from The Basketball League, returned to the TBL following 2024 season |
| Newfoundland Rogues | St John's, Newfoundland | Mary Brown's Center | 2023-2024 | Joined from The Basketball League, returned to the TBL following 2024 season |
| Pontiac Pharoahs | Pontiac, Michigan | Pontiac High School | 2024 | Joined from The Basketball League, played 2nd half of season as travel team due to venue issues, folded after 2024 season |
| Québec Pioneers | Québec City, Québec | N/A | N/A | Announced as participating in 2023–24, but folded prior to season starting. |
Seasons
| Season | Regular season champion | Regular season MVP | Playoff champion | Playoff runner-up | Playoff MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | KW Titans | Armani Chaney (Newfoundland) | London Lightning | KW Titans | Chris Jones (London) |
| 2024–25 | Sudbury Five | Latin Davis (Windsor) | Sudbury Five | Windsor Express | JD Miller (Sudbury) |
| 2025–26 | KW Titans | Charlie Marquardt (Sudbury) | Sudbury Five | KW Titans | Duane Notice (Sudbury) |
Media coverage
All games stream live on the league's BSL TV subscription website, with many games simulcast for free on BeIN Sports Xtra.[21]