We’re nearing the halfway point for the Turkish Basketball League (TBL) season and that means it’s time for a little refresher on the Istanbul teams. Not only are these teams impressive — the TBL is the 6th best basketball league in the world, and some of the Turkish teams even compete in the highest European tournaments — but you find the same rivalries in Turkish basketball as those in football (and then some). Plus, no matter what your parents or little league coaches told you, we all know sports aren’t really about fun. It’s about competition, specifically watching your team beat the teams you don’t like and then living vicariously through their accomplishments, like you’re a champion too.
With that said, here’s a list of all of Istanbul’s TBL teams and some info about them. Now you can argue why Fenerbahçe or Galatasaray suck the next time you’re at the bar with your friends, or at the very least pretend that you’re not a fair-weather fan.
Anadolu Efes (11-4, 1st Place): Led by 20-year-old Dario Saric, who’s currently the #1 NBA prospect outside the U.S., Efes is currently riding a 5 game winning streak in league play. Recently they took down rival Beşiktaş by 1 point on the road and dismantled another rival in perennial league champion Fenerbahçe with a score of 85-67 at home. They have yet to lose a game by more than 2 points in TBL action. They’re currently 1st in the league in blocks and steals, as well as being in the top half of the league in all other major statistical categories. They have also moved on to the next round of the Euroleague Championships (the equivalent of the Champions League for European basketball) where they will have home games against the other top teams in Europe, such as CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barcelona. If you want to catch a game, you can see them at Abdi Ipekçi Arena, which they share with Galatasaray, in Zeytinburnu where tickets start at 25 TL and go up to around 125 TL depending on the matchup. The stadium seats about 12,000 and is the 2nd largest basketball complex in Istanbul, which means the atmosphere is lively and it’s still hard to find a bad seat in the house.
Darüşşafaka Doğus (11-4, 2nd Place): In only their first year back in the top level of Turkish basketball, Darüşşafaka is doing away with the traditional hierarchy of Istanbul and Turkish basketball teams. Jamon Gordon captains the team with the 2nd highest total offense and the best 3 point shooting in the league this year. If they continue with this momentum, the team is on their way to a potential spot in the Euroleague Championships. They play at a blistering pace that you can witness at Ayhan Sahenk Stadium. It seats about 2,000 with tickets starting at 10 TL, so here there’s really not a bad place to sit and you won’t break the bank doing it. The stadium is also a 5 minute walk off the Darüşşafaka exit on the M2 metro line, making it easily accessible from the Taksim area.
Fenerbahçe Ülker (11-4, 3rd Place): The traditional big money basketball team out of Turkey, defending league champion, and winner of 5 of the last 8 league titles is keeping up appearances like years past. With a wealth of talent that includes former NBA players Jan Vesely and Andrew Goudelock, the team looks poised to make another trip to the finals, and maybe even another title. Much to the chagrin of every European side squad, Fenerbahçe has replaced last year’s best player, Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic, who made the switch to the NBA, with this year’s jack-of-all-trades Serbian forward Bogdan Bogdanovic (no relation). These players, along with Nemanja Bjelica and recent addition, Nikos Zisis from Greece, are leading Fenerbahçe to the #1 offense in the league this year in scoring and efficiency. They play their home games at the Ülker Arena in Ataşehir, which is the largest basketball arena in Turkey with a capacity of 15,000. When they aren’t hosting TBL matchups, they also play home games at Ülker Arena as part of the Euroleague Championships. If there’s a game you know you want to see make sure you do it early because big ones do sell out here, and they’re slightly more expensive than the other teams in the city.
Beşiktaş Integral Forex (10-5, 4th Place): Another one of Istanbul’s classic sports clubs finds itself in the top 4 of the league. Winners of 6 of their last 7, they’re led by Americans Hilton Armstrong, JaJuan Johnson and John Holland. This team is tied for the 2nd best record, but find themselves 4th based on point differential. A balanced team that is top 5 in nearly all statistical categories on offense and defense, they also find themselves playing in the Eurocup (2nd highest European basketball competition) where last year they lost in the quarterfinals. They play their home games at BJK Arena, which was completed in 2004 and seats 3,200 people. Tickets will run you about the same as those at Abdi Ipekçi, but with a smaller space you are guaranteed to get a good view of the action.
Galatasaray Liv Hospital (8-7, 7th Place): With a particularly rabid fan base that is comparable to the likes of Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe, the atmosphere at Galatasaray matches are exciting, if not a little intense as well. The atmosphere tends to make up for their middling performance this year. It’s a long season though, and point guard and ageless former NBAer Carlos Arroyo (famous for leading the Puerto Rican National Team over the Dream Team at the 2004 Olympics) is in the top 7 in the league in points and assists and was instrumental in their playoff run last year. Two reasons to believe this season isn’t over for Galatasaray is the fact that a solid showing in the Euroleague this year could guarantee them a spot next year. Secondly, Patric Young, a recent graduate of University of Florida, was signed about a month ago and has been steadily averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds a game since coming over and solving Galatasaray’s interior defense woes. You can catch them at Abdi Ipekçi in Zeytinburnu.
İstanbul BSB (5-10, 14th Place)– Finally there’s Istanbul BSB. They haven’t wowed so far this year, but they did win their last three games to hopefully make a late season surge. They are anchored by arguably the league’s best player in Alex Stepheson with 14.5 points and about 10 rebounds a game. Last week they also made a big signing with long time Laker Sasha Vujacic who scored 14 points in his debut. They have the very new Cebecı Spor Salonu, completed in 2012, in Sultangazi that seats 1,250.
There you go. Now get your butt out to a game or, if that’s too much for you, flip your TV on to Lig TV or Lig TV 3 to see how the season shakes out.
David Jaques is a contributor to Yabangee
