Baloncesto Profesional Colombiano

Baloncesto Profesional Colombiano (Professional Colombian Basketball), currently known as the Liga WPlay de Baloncesto for sponsorship reasons, is the premier professional basketball championship in Colombia.

Liga Wplay de Baloncesto
SportBasketball
Founded1988
First season1988
No. of teams10
CountryColombia
ContinentFIBA Americas (Americas)
Most recent
champion(s)
Titanes de Barranquilla (8th title)
(Clausura 2023)
Most titlesTitanes de Barranquilla
(8 titles)
TV partner(s)DirecTV, Canal Capital, Canal 13, Telecaribe, Telepacífico, TRO, Teleantioquia, Telecafé, Teleislas

The championship was established in 1992 and is organized by the Federación Colombiana de Baloncesto (in English: Colombian Basketball Federation). The first national semi-professional championship was called Copa Sprite, sponsored by the eponymous soda trademark. This led the participating clubs to the creation of the División Mayor del Baloncesto Colombiano.[1] This way the first championship was created, called Copa Sprite Profesional. In this version the following teams participated: Bogotá-Doria Promasa, Valle-Sensus 2, Antioquia-Sprite, Santander-Terpel, Barranquilla-Junior y Caldas-Ron Viejo de Caldas.[2]

League format edit

The championship consists of three rounds:[3]

  • Round Robin: The teams play 24 games each. The four top teams in the end reach the playoffs.
  • The playoffs: in a best-of-7 format, the first seed plays against the fourth, and the second seed against the third. The two winning teams play the finals.
  • The Finals: The two finalist teams play a best-of-seven-games series.

Teams edit

Current teams edit

The following teams played in the 2022-I season:

Team City Arena Capacity
Búcaros de Bucaramanga Bucaramanga Coliseo Vicente Díaz Romero 5,000
Cafeteros de Armenia Armenia Coliseo del Café 5,000
Caribbean Storm Islands San Andrés Coliseo Genie Bay 5,000
Corsarios de Cartagena Cartagena Coliseo Bernardo Caraballo 5,000
Team Cali Cali Coliseo Evangelista Mora 5,000
Titanes de Barranquilla Barranquilla Coliseo Elías Chegwin 2,500
Guerreros Bogotá Coliseo El Salitre 7,000
Tigrillos Medellín Medellín Coliseo Universidad de Medellín 6,000

Former teams edit

Team City Arena Capacity
Águilas Tunja Coliseo Municipal de Tunja 2,500
Bambuqueros Neiva Coliseo Álvaro Sánchez Silva 5,000
Caimanes Barranquilla Coliseo Elías Chegwin 5,000
Caribbean Heat San Andrés Coliseo Genie Bay 5,000
Cimarrones Quibdó Coliseo Municipal de Quibdó 4,000
Cóndores Tocancipá Coliseo Municipal de Tocancipá 4,000
Cangrejeros Cartagena Coliseo Bernardo Caraballo 5,000
Guerreros Bogotá Coliseo El Salitre 7,000
Indervalle Cali Coliseo Evangelista Mora 3,340
Islanders San Andrés Coliseo de San Luis 3,000
Halcones Cúcuta Coliseo Toto Hernández 5,000
Sabios Manizales Coliseo Jorge Arango Uribe 5,000
Llaneros Villavicencio Coliseo Alvaro Mesa Amaya 4,000
Los Pastos Pasto Coliseo Sergio Antonio Ruano 4,000
Marinos Cartagena Coliseo Bernardo Caraballo 5,000
Once Caldas Manizales Coliseo Jorge Arango Uribe 5,000
Centauros Villavicencio Coliseo Alvaro Mesa Amaya 4,000
Expreso Azul Sibaté Coliseo XIUA 3,000
Patriotas Tunja Coliseo Municipal de Tunja 2,500
Piratas Bogotá Coliseo El Salitre 7,000
Pijaos Ibagué Coliseo Enrique Triana Castilla 3,000

Champions list edit

Semi-professional era (1988–1991) edit

Year Champion Tournament
1988 Cali Sport - JGB I Copa Sprite
1989 Caldas Bancafetero Aces II Copa Sprite
1990 Antioquia - Sprite III Copa Sprite
1991 Valle - Sensus IV Copa Sprite

Profesional era (1992–present) edit

Year Champion Runners-up
1992 Valle - Sensus
1993 Paisas - Pilsen
1994 Leopardos de Bucaramanga
1995 Caimanes de Barranquilla
1996 Paisas - Pilsen (2)
1997 Caimanes de Barranquilla (2)
1998 Caimanes de Barranquilla (3)
1999 Piratas de Bogotá
2000 Sabios de Caldas
2001 Paisas - Pilsen (3)
2002 Cancelled
2003 Piratas de Bogotá (2)
2004 Piratas de Bogotá (3)
2005 Cancelled[4]
2006 Búcaros de Santander[5]
2007 Búcaros de Santander[6]
2008 Cúcuta-Norte
2009 Cúcuta-Norte
2010 Arrieros de Antioquia
2011 Búcaros de Santander
2012 Búcaros de Santander
Apertura 2013 Bambuqueros de Neiva
Clausura 2013 Guerreros de Bogotá
Apertura 2014 Cimarrones de Choco
Clausura 2014 Piratas de Bogotá (4)
Apertura 2015 Aguilas de Tunja Academia de La Montana
Clausura 2015 Búcaros de Bucaramanga Piratas de Bogotá
2016 Academia de la Montaña Búcaros de Bucaramanga
2017 Cimarrones del Choco (2) Fast Break del Valle Bogota
2018 Titanes de Barranquilla (1) San Andrés Warriors
2019 Titanes de Barranquilla (2) Fast Break del Valle Bogota
2020 Titanes de Barranquilla (3) Team Cali
Apertura 2021 Titanes de Barranquilla (4) Tigrillos Medellin
Clausura 2021 Titanes de Barranquilla (5) Cimarrone del Choco
Apertura 2022 Titanes de Barranquilla (6) Cafeteros de Armenia
Clausura 2022 Titanes de Barranquilla (7) Caribbean Storm Islands
Apertura 2023 Caribbean Storm Islands (1) Cafeteros de Armenia
Clausura 2023 Titanes de Barranquilla (8) Cafeteros de Armenia

References edit

  1. ^ BALONCESTO: CREADA LA DIVISIÓN MAYOR - ANDRES CAVELIER CASTRO - Redacción El Tiempo
  2. ^ LA SPRITE, AHORA SÍ PROFESIONAL - NULLVALUE - Redacción El Tiempo
  3. ^ Sistema de Torneo - Elkin Vargas - Redacción El Tiempo
  4. ^ "No va más el baloncesto nacional - Universia". Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  5. ^ Bucaros es campeón - Universia
  6. ^ Bucaros bicampeón en Copa Salud-Coop de baloncesto - Caracol Radio[permanent dead link]

Further reading edit