BNXT League has started
The BNXT (pronounce Be Next) has started. The BNXT is a new league that combines Dutch and Belgian teams.
On 10 December 2020, it was announced that the Belgian Pro Basketball League and Dutch Basketball League would merge to form a new multinational league. All clubs from the Dutch DBL voted for, while 9 of 10 teams in Belgium voted in favor of the decision. Serious talks about the initiative had been ongoing since fall 2019. On 20 May 2021, the new name “BNXT League” and the league’s logo were announced.
The idea is similar to other international leagues like the Adriatic League, VTB United, and the Latvian/Estonian League.
The BNXT replaces the Dutch Basketball League and the Pro Basketball League, although the format starts with a “Dutch group” and “Belgian group.” That’s the start of a rather complicated format that has four different stages.
The season starts with two national competitions, in which all teams play an equal number of games. The best five from each country come together in a Golden Group. The clubs play both at home and away against the other clubs. The teams that are not in the top 5 come together in the Silver Group and also play ten games.
The playoffs also consist of a national part. The two best clubs qualify for the semifinals of the national playoffs. The other three teams from the Golden Group compete with the best team from the Silver Group for a place in the playoff semifinals. This playoff series will result in a national champion.
The Silver Group clubs that do not qualify for the national playoffs will start with the BNXT playoffs. In each round, the losing teams of the national playoffs will enter. The winners of these series compete against the national champions at home and away. After that, the two remaining clubs compete for the BNXT League title in a home and an away matchup.
The first day of the season started with a huge upset in the Dutch group where Aris Leeuwarden beat at the buzzer: 81-80.
In a rematch of last year’s final Heroes Den Bosch beat reigning champion Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden, 72-64.