2024 Basketball Champions League Asia
The 2024 Basketball Champions League Asia was the first edition of the Basketball Champions League Asia, and the 29th season of the continent's top club competition. The tournament was previously known as the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, and was last held in 2019.[1] The main tournament was scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was organized by the UAE Basketball Association and Shabab Al Ahli Club.[2][3]
| 29th Basketball Champions League Asia | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United Arab Emirates |
| Dates | 9–15 June |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Lebanon (Al Riyadi's 3rd title; Lebanon's 6th title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 16 |
| MVP | Wael Arakji |
| Top scorer | James Dickey (Pelita Jaya) (25.7) |
| Top rebounds | James Dickey (Pelita Jaya) (20.0) |
| Top assists | Wael Arakji (Al Riyadi Beirut) (8.4) |
| Official website | |
| 2024 Basketball Champions League Asia | |
The tournament was held at Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall. Al Riyadi of Lebanon won their third title and they earned the right to play in the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.[4]
Qualification
The inaugural BCL Asia tournament features the top eight clubs from across the continent. Originally, champions from Japan (B. League), South Korea (KBL), China (CBA League), and the Philippines (PBA) were set for automatic qualification.[5] However, due to a busy schedule following their co-hosting of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Philippine Basketball Association opted out.[6] Their slot was filled by the tournament host, Shabab Al Ahly.[7]
To complete the eight-team field, two teams from East and Southeast Asia punched their tickets to the BCL Asia tournament through the qualifiers, with Pelita Jaya and NS Matrix Deers emerging victorious.[8] Meanwhile, the champions, Al Riyadi, and third-place finishers, Shahrdari Gorgan, from the 2023–24 FIBA West Asia Super League completed the lineup.[9]
The following teams qualified to the main tournament.[10] Years in bold denote the team won the competition.
| Team | Qualified on | Qualified as | Participations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelita Jaya | 24 April 2024[11] | First and second-placed teams of Round 2 of the qualifying rounds | Debut |
| NS Matrix Deers | 26 April 2024[8] | Debut | |
| Busan KCC Egis | 5 May 2024[12] | Winners of the 2023–24 KBL season | 1 (1998)[lower-alpha 1] |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | 22 May 2024[13] | Winners of the 2023–24 CBA season | 6 (1988, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2018)[lower-alpha 2] |
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 28 May 2024 | Winners of the 2023–24 B1 League season | Debut |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 30 May 2024[7] | Hosts | 4 (2001, 2011, 2016, 2017)[lower-alpha 3] |
| Al Riyadi | 1 June 2024 | Champions of the 2023–24 FIBA West Asia Super League[9] | 10 (1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) |
| Shahrdari Gorgan | 1 June 2024 | Third-Place in the 2023–24 FIBA West Asia Super League[9] | Debut |
- Notes
- Includes participations as "Hyundai Dynat".
- Includes participations as "Liaoning Hunters".
- Includes participations of Al Ahli and Al Shabab, which merged to form Shabab Al Ahli in 2017.
Format
The eight teams play in two round-of-robin groups of four, with each playing three games. The top two teams advance to the final phase, where they play single-elimination games for final classification.[14]
Draw
The draw was held on 31 May 2024 in the Dubai Sports Council.[7]
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Group stage
All times are local (UTC+04:00)
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Riyadi | 3 | 3 | 0 | 328 | 251 | +77 | 6 | Semi-finals |
| 2 | Shabab Al Ahli | 3 | 2 | 1 | 277 | 243 | +34 | 5 | |
| 3 | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 3 | 1 | 2 | 234 | 308 | −74 | 4 | |
| 4 | NS Matrix Deers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 257 | 294 | −37 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) Tournament points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Head-to-head points difference; 4) Head-to-head points scored; 5) Overall points difference 6) Overall points scored; 7) Random draw
9 June 18:30 |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | 75–118 | Al Riyadi |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–37, 12–28, 19–35, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: Liu 21 Rebs: Zhang C. 8 Asts: Yan 5 |
Pts: Kikanović 27 Rebs: Gyokchyan 11 Asts: Lofton 9 | |
10 June 21:30 |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 92–76 | NS Matrix Deers |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 26–12, 18–17, 23–24 | ||
| Pts: Georges-Hunt 24 Rebs: Thibodeaux 12 Asts: Georges-Hunt 4 |
Pts: Murry 20 Rebs: Zimmerman 8 Asts: Zimmerman, Tolbert 4 | |
11 June 18:30 |
| NS Matrix Deers | 93–94 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 17–17, 28–22, 17–27 | ||
| Pts: Murry 35 Rebs: Tolbert, Chun 9 Asts: Murry 4 |
Pts: Rice 30 Rebs: Zhang C. 11 Asts: Rice 4 | |
11 June 21:30 |
| Al Riyadi | 102–88 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 29–20, 23–12, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Arakji 26 Rebs: Maker 6 Asts: Arakji 7 |
Pts: Thibodeaux 23 Rebs: Thibodeaux 12 Asts: Alajmani 12 | |
12 June 18:30 |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | 65–97 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–26, 16–23, 15–24, 19–24 | ||
| Pts: Cong 16 Rebs: Zhang C. 12 Asts: Li 3 |
Pts: Alshabebi 25 Rebs: Alshabebi 14 Asts: Thibodeaux 8 | |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shahrdari Gorgan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 286 | 257 | +29 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | Semi-finals |
| 2 | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 3 | 2 | 1 | 274 | 240 | +34 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Pelita Jaya | 3 | 2 | 1 | 264 | 267 | −3 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 4 | Busan KCC Egis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 247 | 307 | −60 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) Tournament points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Head-to-head points difference; 4) Head-to-head points scored; 5) Overall points difference 6) Overall points scored; 7) Random draw
Notes:
- Head-to-head points difference: Shahrdari Gorgan +6, Hiroshima Dragonflies +4, Pelita Jaya -10
9 June 12:30 |
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 86–69 | Pelita Jaya |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–14, 22–15, 24–16, 14–24 | ||
| Pts: Kamisawa 20 Rebs: Evans 13 Asts: Blackshear 7 |
Pts: Brownlee 12 Rebs: Dickey 9 Asts: Dickey, Saudale 3 | |
9 June 15:30 |
| Shahrdari Gorgan | 102–79 | Busan KCC Egis |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 22–14, 28–24, 28–21 | ||
| Pts: Young 33 Rebs: Kazemi 10 Asts: Kazemi 7 |
Pts: Heo 18 Rebs: McKinne, Thompson 5 Asts: Choi 7 | |
10 June 15:30 |
| Busan KCC Egis | 77–107 | Hiroshima Dragonflies |
| Scoring by quarter: 17–33, 15–21, 22–26, 23–27 | ||
| Pts: Lee G.H 22 Rebs: Thompson 8 Asts: Choi, Lee H.H. 3 |
Pts: Evans 24 Rebs: Kawata 9 Asts: Evans 4 | |
10 June 18:30 |
| Pelita Jaya | 97–90 | Shahrdari Gorgan |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 27–21, 20–21, 27–24 | ||
| Pts: Dickey 40 Rebs: Dickey 17 Asts: Dickey 5 |
Pts: Cherry 24 Rebs: Monji 15 Asts: Vahedi, Sheikhi 4 | |
11 June 15:30 |
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 81–94 | Shahrdari Gorgan |
| Scoring by quarter: 23–17, 23–28, 20–29, 15–20 | ||
| Pts: Evans 29 Rebs: three players 8 Asts: three players 3 |
Pts: Young 34 Rebs: Kazemi 9 Asts: Young, Sheikhi 4 | |
Final round
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| 14 June | ||||||
| Al Riyadi | 121 | |||||
| 15 June | ||||||
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 89 | |||||
| Al Riyadi | 122 | |||||
| 14 June | ||||||
| Shabab Al Ahli | 96 | |||||
| Shahrdari Gorgan | 71 | |||||
| Shabab Al Ahli | 73 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| 15 June | ||||||
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 81 | |||||
| Shahrdari Gorgan | 76 | |||||
Semi-finals
14 June 15:30 |
| Shahrdari Gorgan | 71–73 | Shabab Al Ahli |
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 22–20, 14–15, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Vahedi 24 Rebs: Kazemi 15 Asts: Kazemi 4 |
Pts: Alshabebi 20 Rebs: Georges-Hunt, Thibodeaux 9 Asts: Georges-Hunt, Pointer 5 | |
Third-place game
15 June 15:30 |
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 81–76 | Shahrdari Gorgan |
| Scoring by quarter: 29–20, 14–22, 21–14, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Yamazaki 18 Rebs: Blackshear, Evans 9 Asts: Evans 7 |
Pts: Vahedi 21 Rebs: Kazemi 10 Asts: Kazemi, Cherry 4 | |
Final ranking
| Rank | Team | Record | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Riyadi | 5–0 | Qualified for the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup | |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 3–2 | ||
| Hiroshima Dragonflies | 3–2 | ||
| 4th | Shahrdari Gorgan | 2–3 | |
| 5th | Pelita Jaya | 2–1 | |
| 6th | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 1–2 | |
| 7th | NS Matrix Deers | 0–3 | |
| 8th | Busan KCC Egis | 0–3 |
Statistics
Individual statistic leaders
| Category | Player | Team(s) | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | James Dickey | Pelita Jaya | 25.7 |
| Rebounds per game | 14.3 | ||
| Assists per game | Wael Arakji | Al Riyadi | 8.4 |
| Steals per game | Rayvonte Rice | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 2.7 |
| Blocks per game | Thon Maker | Al Riyadi | 2.2 |
| Minutes per game | James Dickey | Pelita Jaya | 35.7 |
| FG% | Wael Arakji | Al Riyadi | 75.5% |
| 3P% | 71.4% | ||
| FT% | Kerry Blackshear Jr. | Hiroshima Dragonflies | 96.8% |
Individual game highs
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | James Dickey | Pelita Jaya | 40 |
| Rebounds | 26 | ||
| Assists | Wael Arakji | Al Riyadi | 14 |
| Steals | John Murry | NS Matrix Deers | 6 |
| Sina Vahedi | Shahrdari Gorgan | ||
| Blocks | Thon Maker | Al Riyadi | 4 |
| Yanyu Liu | Liaoning Flying Leopards | ||
| Three pointers | seven players | 6 | |
Awards
| 2024 Basketball Champions League Asia |
|---|
Al Riyadi 3rd title |
| Most Valuable Player |
|---|
| Wael Arakji |
All-Star Five
| Pos | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| G | Wael Arakji (MVP) | Al Riyadi |
| G | Sina Vahedi | Shahrdari Gorgan |
| C | Travin Thibodeaux | Shabab Al Ahli |
| F | Marcus Georges-Hunt | Shabab Al Ahli |
| F | Thon Maker | Al Riyadi |
References
- "Mongolia, Indonesia to host BCL Asia Qualifying rounds". FIBA. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- Bacnis, Justine (29 February 2024). "FIBA's Champions Cup gets a makeover as Basketball Champions League Asia". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- "Dubai to host first-ever Basketball Champions League Asia". FIBA.basketball. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- "Wael Arakji leads Al Riyadi to a dominating title in first-ever BCL Asia". FIBA. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- Terrado, Reuben (29 March 2024). "PBA given outright spot in Fiba's Basketball Champions League Asia". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- Bacnis, Justine (3 May 2024). "PBA begs off from BCL Asia inaugurals". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- "Basketball Champions League Asia 2024 Draw explained". FIBA.basketball. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- "Pelita Jaya Basketball, NS Matrix Deers qualify for Basketball Champions League Asia". FIBA. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- "Al Riyadi, Shahrdary Gorgan complete inaugural BCL Asia cast". FIBA. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- "Inaugural Basketball Champions League Asia schedule confirmed". FIBA. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- "Day 2: Pelita Jaya seal ticket to BCL Asia proper; Taishaun Johnson keep NS Matrix in the hunt". FIBA.basketball. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- "Busan KCC Egis crowned KBL champions, beating Sonicboom 4-1". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- "Liaoning wins third consecutive CBA championship". Xinhua.net. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- "Competition Format". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- "Basketball Champions League Asia 2024 – Tournament Summary" (PDF). FIBA. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- "FIBA Competitions Reports - Basketball Champions League Asia". 2024-06-22.
- "Players statistics of the Basketball Champions League Asia 2024". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 17 June 2024.