Serie A (basketball)

Infobox sports league
title=Italian League
Lega A Basket
current_season=Serie A (basketball) 2008-09
logo=Lega basket.jpeg
pixels=180px
caption=Lega Basket
sport=Basketball
founded=1920
folded=
fame=
motto =
teams=18
continent=flagicon|EU Europe
country=flagicon|Italy Italy
champion =Montepaschi Siena
website= [http://www.legabasket.it/ LegaBasket.it]
ceo =
TV=

In Italian professional basketball, the Serie A or Lega A Basket is the highest level club competition where play determines the national champion. A national basketball league was first organized for play in 1920.

Today, eighteen teams compete in the highest level of play. The first title was won by SEF Costanza Milano, and the team holding the record for title championships is Olimpia Milano, who have won 25 championships. Since 1992, however, Benetton Treviso has dominated the league, winning their 5th title in 2006 as a result. Fortitudo Bologna (currently sponsored as UPIM Bologna) made the league's final series every year but one from 1996 to 2006, although they had only two titles to show for it. Twenty teams have won the championship since its inception.

The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 34 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarter-finals and semifinals series are best-of-five, final series is best-of-seven. The bottom two clubs are relegated, and replaced by the top team from the regular-season phase and the eight-team playoff round winner of the second-level LegADue.

Famous basketball players who play, or have played, in the league include: Radivoj Korac, Bill Bradley, Aldo Ossola, Manuel Raga, Dino Meneghin, Bob Morse, Drazen Dalipagic, Pierluigi Marzorati, Bob McAdoo, Kresimir Cosic, Renato Villalta, Dragan Kicanovic, Larry Wright, Roberto Brunamonti, Walter Szczerbiak, George Gervin, Aleksandar Petrovic, Clarence Kea, Antonello Riva, Joe Arlauckas, Roberto Premier, Corny Thompson, Mike D'Antoni, Oscar Schmidt, Joe Barry Carroll, Riccardo Pittis, Dino Radja, Michael Ray Richardson, Toni Kukoc, Johnny Rogers, Jurij Zdovc, Aleksandar Djordjevic, Vincenzo Esposito, Vinnie Del Negro, Anthony Bowie, Alexander Volkov, Petar Naumoski, Arijan Komazec, Ferdinando Gentile, Predrag Danilovic, Stefano Rusconi, Dejan Bodiroga, Zan Tabak, Carlton Myers, Zeljko Rebraca, Henry Williams, Gregor Fucka, Zoran Savic, Orlando Woolridge, Hugo Sconochini, Gianmarco Pozzecco, David Rivers, Antoine Rigaudeau, Dominique Wilkins, Radoslav Nesterovic, Marcelo Nicola, Arturas Karnisovas, Warren Kidd, Zarko Paspalj, Stojko Vrankovic, Christian Welp, Sasa Obradovic, Roberto Chiacig, Saulius Stombergas, Daniel Santiago, Emanuel Ginobili, Melvin Booker, Denis Marconato, Eurelijus Zukauskas, Marko Jaric, Louis Bullock, Matjaz Smodis, Nikos Ekonomou, Marcus Brown, David Andersen, Tyus Edney, Mike Batiste, Sasha Vujacic, Anthony Parker, Mindaugas Zukauskas, Jorge Garbajosa, Milan Tomic, Maurice Evans, Carlos Delfino, Alphonso Ford, Bostjan Nachbar, Charles Smith, Vlado Scepanovic, Michalis Kakiouzis, Gianluca Basile, David Vanterpool, Vrbica Stefanov, Beno Udrih, Trajan Langdon, Nikolaos Zisis, Rimantas Kaukenas, Scoonie Penn, Erazem Lorbek, Lynn Greer, Mirsad Turkcan, Travis Best, Milos Vujanic, Bootsy Thornton, Ramunas Siskauskas, Andrew Nicholas, Sani Becirovic, Yakhouba Diawara, Roko Ukic, Earl Boykins, Andrea Bargnani, Terrell McIntyre, Marco Belinelli, Primoz Brezec, Ksystof Lavrinovic, Danilo Gallinari and many others.

Until the 2000s the Italian Championship was the most important league in Europe, but now the Spanish ACB League is considered to be stronger than Serie A. Nonetheless, the league is still considered to be one of the four premiere European pro basketball leagues along with the Spanish ACB, the Russian Super League, and the Greek A1 League.

2008-09 teams

History

ee also

*Italian Basketball Federation
*Italian Cup
*Italian Supercup

External links

* [http://www.legabasket.it/ Official Website]