Teams participating in the 2025 Nigerian Premier Basketball League (NPBL) have started their final preparations for the championship, which tips off on August 28 with 16 teams.
Rivers Hoopers are the defending champions of the NPBL, which has been divided into four zones of four teams each. The Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF), in a statement at the weekend, disclosed that the championship will run from August 28 to November, adding that it would be preceded by a registration period which spans from August 11 to 28.
The 2025 NBPL is structured to run in four phases (Group, Inter-Group, Playoff, and Final Four), as the 16 participating teams are divided across the Savannah and Atlantic Conferences (two groups per conference), with games to be staged at yet to be named venues.
Defending champions Rivers Hoopers have been paired alongside Delta Force, Oluyole Warriors, and Kwara Falcons in Group B of the Atlantic Conference, with Group A consisting of Comets, Police Batons, Lagos Legends, as well as Hoops & Read.
In the Savannah Conference, Nile University, Nigeria Customs, Gboko City Chiefs, and Correctional Service make up Group A, while Group B houses Kano Pillars, Plateau Peaks, Gombe Bulls, and Bauchi Nets.
Each team is expected to play six games against the other three teams during the Group stage (on a home and away basis), after which all eight teams (Group A and Group B) from each Conference will meet at a central venue for the Inter-Group Stage.
During this stage, each team will play seven games (one against each of the other teams), with the top four teams from each Conference (totalling eight teams) converging for the playoffs round to be decided in a knockout format.
“The final four teams will play each other once in a round robin format, with the team accruing the highest points tally after that, crowned 2025 NBPL champions,” the statement said.
Last season, Rivers Hoopers won their sixth league title by defeating Hoops & Read 71-54 in the playoff final of the 2024 NBPL season last November.
