BK Liepāja
Latvian basketball club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BK Liepāja, known as Betsafe/Liepāja for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club in Liepāja, Latvia playing in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League and Latvian Basketball League.
Baltika/Kaija
BK Liepāja
Līvu alus/Liepāja
Liepājas Lauvas
Betsafe/Liepāja
BK Liepāja
| BK Liepāja | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Leagues | Latvian–Estonian Basketball League Latvian Basketball League | ||
| Founded | 1991 | ||
| History | Liepājas Metalurgs Baltika/Kaija BK Liepāja Līvu alus/Liepāja Liepājas Lauvas Betsafe/Liepāja BK Liepāja | ||
| Arena | Liepāja Olympic Center | ||
| Capacity | 2542 | ||
| Location | Liepāja, Latvia | ||
| Team colors | Dark blue, white and red | ||
| President |  Āris Ozoliņš | ||
| Team manager | Normunds Atvars | ||
| Head coach | Gundars Vētra | ||
| Website | liepajasbasketbols.lv | ||
|
| |||
Liepāja team's greatest achievement in Latvian Basketball League came in 1997 when it won second place. It has also come in third in 2000, 2011, 2012, and 2023.[1]
History
Basketball team named “Sarkanais metalurgs” from the city of Liepāja first won Latvian SSR championship in 1963.[2] During the years teams changed names, since 1991, after Latvia regained independence from Soviet Union, according to sponsorships. Previous team names were Liepājas Metalurgs, Baltika/Kaija, BK Liepāja, Līvu alus/Liepāja, Liepājas Lauvas, Liepāja/Triobet.
In May 2018, the team was reorganized into Liepājas Basketbols with the goal of creating a unified basketball system for Liepāja for junior and professional player development.[3] The team announced the beginning of its sponsorship by Betsafe following Betsson's decision to merge the Triobet brand, which previously sponsored BK Liepāja, into that brand.[1]
Since 2020, with the hiring of Latvian National team assistant and 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship silver medalist Artūrs Visockis-Rubenis as their head coach, BK Liepāja focuses on building teams around new talents.
In 2021/2022 season BK Liepāja made their international debut, competing in newly founded European North Basketball League. Liepāja won one of five games and finished the tournament at 5th place.
During the 2022/2023 season Liepāja won the bronze medal in Latvian league. Many players established themselves for the next level. After an excellent season with Liepāja, Kārlis Šiliņš signed in German Bundesliga. Renārs Birkāns signed with 10-time Latvian champion BK Ventspils.
Players
Current roster
| BK Liepāja roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Updated: August 13, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
Squad changes for the 2026–27 season
InNote: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
|
OutNote: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
|
Historical rosters
| 2025-26 season roster | ||||
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Left team during season |
| C | #17 Henriks Bajārs | #14 Edgars Lieķis | #00 Iļja Kurucs | |
| PF |  #11 Vitalii Shymanskyi | #6 Kristians Feierbergs | ||
| SF | #77 Helmuts Petrovičs | #7 Rinalds Timma | #32 Matīss Ozoliņš-Pese |  #53 Xavier Dusell |
| SG | #1 Edvards Egle | #10 Kristiāns Šulcs | #2 Edvards Jonaitis | |
| PG | #8 Emīls Krūmiņš C | #5 Reds Martinsons | ||
| 2024-25 season roster | |||
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | #15 Klāvs Dubults | #88 Rinalds Mālmanis | #17 Henriks Bajārs |
| PF | #8 Rodijs Mačoha | #7 Roberts Freimanis C | #12 Vitalii Kuznetsov |
| SF | #22 Kristaps Miglinieks | #33 Rihards Kuksiks | #10 Kristiāns Šulcs |
| SG | #35 Kristaps Ķilps | #3 Mārtiņš Kilups | |
| PG | #25 Edgars Lasenbergs | #1 Ričards Vitoļskis | #5 Reds Martinsons |
Season by season
| Season | League | Regional | Europe | Latvian Cup | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Latvian League Quarter-finals |
Latvian–Estonian League 11th place |
did not participate | Latvian Cup Quarter-finals |
Artūrs Visockis-Rubenis |
Notable players
Coaches
Coaches
Gundars Vētra 2026-- Artūrs Visockis-Rubenis 2020-2026