Heavenfall Basketball League
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
Current season, competition or edition: 2175-76 HBL season | |
 | |
| Formerly | Refugee Basketball Community (2063-2065) Heavenfall Refugee Basketball (2065-2079) |
|---|---|
| Association | Heavenfall Assocation of Professional Basketball |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 7 March 2063 (112 years ago), New Brooklyn, Heavenfall |
| Commissioner | Big Abrines (since 2166) |
| No. of teams | 45 |
| Country | Heavenfall |
| Most recent champion(s) | Mizunoma Cherry Blossoms (6th title) (2174-75) |
| Most titles | New Brooklyn Knicks (14 titles) |
| Sponsor(s) | Freud Entertainment |
The Heavenfall Basketball League (HBL), known colloquially as the HeavensLeague, is a professional basketball league in Heavenfall composed of 45 teams divided equally between the Land, Air, and Sea conferences. Since its founding, it has been the most popular sports league in Heavenfall and is considered among the "big six" of Heavenfall sports.
The HBL was founded on 7 March 2063 as the Refugee Basketball Community (RBC) before renaming itself as Heavenfall Refugee Basketball (HRB) in 2065. Following a reorganization and professionalization in 2079, the league renamed itself to the Heavenfall Basketball League for the 2080 season after a merger with the Basketball Association of Heavenfall.
The New Brooklyn Knicks have the most HeavensLeague championships with 14. The Mizunoma Cherry Blossoms are the reigning champions, their 6th championship, having defeated the Krungtheph Titans in the 2175 HeavensLeague Finals.
History
Punks' and Cherry Blossoms' Dynasties (2158–2170)
Following the 2157-58 HeavensLeague lockout, two teams came to dominate for over a decade. The Punktown Punks, coached by Jojette Macfadyen, and the Mizunoma Cherry Blossoms, coached by Kasuga Kinsuke, combined to win 10 championships over 12 seasons, facing off against each other 3 times in that span. The Punks won the 2159 and 2160 championships led by "Polar Bear and Boulder Bear" duo Tershawn Winns and Robbie Riggs. The 2161 and 2162 championships were won by the Cherry Blossoms, nicknamed the "Breezing Blossoms" for their quick passes and efficient ball movement, defeating the Punks both times. The Cherry Blossoms would go on to win three more consecutive championships to complete a five-peat, defeating the Punks for a third time in a 2165 Angel's Series dubbed the "Last Tango on Hardwood".
Following the end of the 2164-65 season, the Cherry Blossoms' roster broke up. The Punks would go on to win the 2166, 2169, and 2170 championships, with the 2167 and 2168 championships taken by the Freud District Don Juans and Porte-Liberte 39ers respectively.
Teams
Regular season
The HeavensLeague regular season begins in early September. During the regular season, each team plays 66 games, 33 each home and away. A team faces opponents in its own division four times (16 games) and other teams in its conference two times (20 games). Among teams in other conferences, a team faces 5 teams twice (10 games) and 5 teams once (5 games) per conference, adding up to 30 total interconference games.
Autumn's Tournament
The Autumn's Tournament, officially the Green Valley Autumn's Tournament, is the first of two HeavensLeague in-season tournaments, taking place in November. Every team in the league is seeded based on record and participates in a single-elimination tournament bracket to become the "Autumn's Champion". The Autumn's Champion team is granted an automatic playoff berth unless it finishes in the bottom half of its conference.
Bell Cup
The Bell Cup Tournament, named after former Commisioner Devante Bell, is the second of two HeavensLeague in-season tournaments, taking place in late February. The top 8 teams in the HeavensLeague, the top 8 teams in the Heavenfall Women's Basketball League, and the top 16 teams in college basketball, as determined by point differential, participate in a single-elimination tournament bracket with matchups decided randomly. The two teams to reach the Bell Cup Finals play a best-of-three series, with the winner being awarded the Devante Bell Cup and being granted an immediate playoff berth in its respective league unless it finishes in the bottom half of its conference.
Playoffs
Championships
| History |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Politics |
| ||||||||
| Geography |
| ||||||||
| Culture | |||||||||
| People |
| ||||||||
 Category (48 pages) | |||||||||
