VTB United League

The VTB United League (Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian professional club basketball. Therefore, the highest placed Russian team in the league can also be named the Russian national champions. The league is sponsored by Russian state-owned VTB Bank. In 2009 CSKA Moscow won VTB United League Promo-Cup, but this competition does not count as official VTB title. CSKA has dominated the league, having won majority of titles its existence. The VTB United League also holds a youth competition, the VTB United Youth League.

History
The first step in the creation of the league was a competition named the VTB United League Promo-Cup held in Moscow in December 2009. The final of the Promo-Cup was played on December 22, 2009, and was won by CSKA Moscow, who defeated Khimki 70–66. Kyiv ended third.

Unification with the Russian PBL
In May 2012, all the PBL clubs gathered to decide which format would be used for the next season, and some club's directors raised the possibility of uniting with the VTB United League, to produce greater competition between the Russian basketball clubs. They suggested that the new league be named the Eastern European Professional Basketball League.

In July 2012, the Council of VTB United League decided that the PBL league would continue for one more year, with some games of the VTB United League that took place between two Russian clubs being counted as PBL games. The first tier Russian clubs then replaced the PBL with the VTB United League as their new national domestic league, starting with the 2013-14 season.

The VTB United League was recognized by FIBA Europe in September 2013. The league was then officially recognized by FIBA World in October 2014. The league needed to be recognized by both bodies, because it contains clubs that come from countries that are part of both the European and Asian FIBA zones.

The honorary head of the league is Sergei Ivanov and its official sponsor is Pavel Vrublevsky of ChronoPay.

Formats
In its inaugural 2009–10 season, the VTB United League featured clubs from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine. For the 2010–11 season, teams from Belarus, Finland, and Poland were added to the league. The 2011–12 season featured 18 teams, with new teams being added from the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan. In the 2012–13 season, the number of teams increased to 20. The number of teams decreased to 16 for the 2014–15 season, and the teams from Lithuania and Ukraine dropped out of the league.

During the 2021–22 season, ten teams were left to compete after the Polish and Estonian clubs withdrew from the league in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Arena rules
In order for clubs to play in the VTB United League, they must have a home arena that has a seating capacity of at least 3,000 seats.

Results

 * The whole 2008 tournament was staged in Moscow, including the Final Four.

2008 tournament does not count as official VTB title.

Major awards

 * Hall of Fame
 * Most Valuable Player
 * Playoffs MVP
 * Coach of the Year
 * Young Player of the Year
 * Sixth Man of the Year
 * Defensive Player of the Year

Awards by nationality

 * Top Belarusian player
 * Top Estonian player
 * Top Kazakh player
 * Top Latvian player
 * Top Russian player

Statistical awards

 * Scoring leader
 * Rebounding leader
 * Assist leader
 * Steals leader
 * Block leader
 * Free throw percentage leader

Sponsorship
Andrey Kostin's VTB Bank has been a long-term league sponsor. However, it recorded losses of connected to other sponsorships (FC Dynamo Moscow and HC Dynamo Moscow) and contributions to charities. This led to the Bank of Moscow joining as main sponsor.

Predecessor leagues

 * USSR Premier League: (1923–1992)
 * Russian Super League 1 (1st-tier): (1992–2010)
 * Russian Professional League: (2010–2013)