Super League Basketball season: Two key issues to be resolved before the big tip-off
Super League Basketball’s second season tips off on Friday night with two issues still to be resolved.
Firstly, who will referee the games, and secondly, where will fixtures like Sheffield Sharks’ season-opener at Bristol Flyers, be broadcast?
Referee issue unresolved
A bi-product of the league’s stand-off with the British Basketball Federation is the sanctioning of referees.
In the wake of Sharks owner Vaughn Millette’s social media attack on a prominent referee in March, tensions between the two groups were heightened with the referees initially going on strike and then the British Basketball Federation reprimanding the league for bringing in unsanctioned officials from Canada to fill the void.
With the BBF not recognising the SLB as it’s premier professional competition - amid the awarding of the licence to the external GBB League, which has now been delayed to 2027 - the referees are understood to be nervous about taking charge of games in an unsanctioned league as it may jeopardise their standing to do games at international level under the global governing body, FIBA.
A number of pre-season games involving SLB clubs have been officiated by lower-level referees.
Where can I watch SLB games?
The second issue is the broadcast deal. DAZN, which has an office in Leeds, had exclusive broadcast rights for the first season, with all games aired for free to audiences worldwide and in the United Kingdom. A one-year deal was signed last September.
DAZN has listed the weekend’s fixtures on its schedule but there has been no announcement of an extension to, or a new deal, between league and broadcaster, or the commentary line-ups. Sources in that field, though, do say that is something that is traditionally resolved at the last minute. The SLB has been approached for comment.
Delay to GBB League
Elsewhere, it was confirmed this week that Marshall Glickman’s GBB League, which was controversially awarded the licence to run the men’s professional tier from 2026, has been put back a year.
In explaining the decision, a GBB League statement read: “GBB League Ltd. (GBBL) will launch the first season of its new British basketball league in September 2027, coinciding with the anticipated first season of NBA Europe, and to provide sufficient time to work with the British Basketball Federation (BBF), the Home Country Associations and the British basketball community to prepare for the launch of a new elite academy for young players who will represent the future of the Great Britain National Team. Two NBA Europe teams – based in London and Manchester – are expected to compete in GBBL's new league.”
FIBA, meanwhile, has written to the BBF and SLB saying it has established a taskforce to try and resolve the dispute in the sport.