National Basketball Union
| National Basketball Union (NBU) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | June 23, 1997 |
| Inaugural Season | 1997 |
| Commissioner | Arseni Volkov |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Country | Slavic Union |
| Most Recent Champion(s) | Zhukovgrad Cavalry (1) |
| Most titles | Adrikagorod Monarchs (7) |
| Current Season | 2021-22 NBU Season |
The National Basketball Union is a professional basketball league in the Slavic Union. The league is composed of 18 teams in two conferences.
The league was founded in Osipovgrad (Renamed Adrikagorod in 2021) in 1997 after the merging of the Basketball Association of the Slavic Union (BASU) and the Slavic Basketball League (SBL). The NBU's regular season runs from November to April, with each team playing 66 games. The league's playoff tournament extends into June.
The Zhukovgrad Cavalry are the defending league champions, as they defeated the Kalyov Behemoths 4-1 in the 2021 Union Super Series.
History
Basketball only game to the Slavic Union in the 1920s, and early on it struggled to gain traction, with multiple pro leagues competing for supremacy while most high level players were poached by foreign leagues. The golden age of Slavic basketball began in the 1980s, when the pro leagues whittled themselves down to the BASU and SBL, which competed for viewership.
In 1997, with both leagues on the verge of bankruptcy they merged into the NBU In the leagues first year the 35 year old Volkov won MVP, with the Monarchs and Charms matching up in the first ever Union Super Series Volkov dominated, winning Series MVP, and had a 42 point 13 rebound performance in game 6 of the finals He would win two more championships with Adrikagorod before retiring in 2003, the NBU logo being changed to honor him soon after The league has grown in popularity since, on pace to become the most popular league in the SU.
Teams
| Division | Team | Location |
|---|---|---|
| National League | ||
| Southern | Adrikagorod Monarchs | Adrikagorod |
| Roksa Fire | Roksa | |
| Korogarsk Steel | Korogarsk | |
| Oceanic | Noyalensk Noise | Noyalensk |
| Lodrov Midniters | Lodrov | |
| Zhukovgrad Cavalry | Zhukovgrad | |
| Western | Tuvodsk Wheels | Tuvodsk |
| Kydrov Bears | Kydrov | |
| Chetsk Swashbucklers | Chetsk | |
| Slavic League | ||
| Central | Adrikagorod Warlocks | Adrikagorod |
| Kalyov Behemoths | Kalyov | |
| Ivavo Baskets | Ivavo | |
| Northwestern | Ivanovgrad Oxen | Ivanovgrad |
| Noyalensk Cosmonauts | Noyalensk | |
| Wodrov Champions | Wodrov | |
| Southwestern | Khizny Charms | Khizny |
| Sosovrov Warships | Sosovrov | |
| Kololya Destroyers | Kololya | |
Regular Season
During the regular season, each team plays 66 games, 33 each home and away. A team faces opponents in it's own divisions six times a year (12 games), they play the other 6 teams from their conference six times a year as well (36 games), and every team from the other conference twice (18 games).
In February, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual NBU All-Star Game. Fans vote online and the top vote-getters in each conference are named captains. Fan votes determine the rest of the all-star starters. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars.
Around the middle of April, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary, league-wide, post-season teams. The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player deemed the most valuable for (his team) that season.
Also voted on is the All-NBU team and the All-Defense team, there are two All-NBU teams consisting of the best players at every season.