List of Indonesian Basketball League Champions explained

The Indonesian Basketball League awards a championship trophy (or cup) to the winning team at the end of each year (league).

The most recent team that won the championship in the 2023 season is Prawira Bandung. After they last won a championship in the year 1998 beating Aspac Jakarta 55-45, precisely 25 years ago.

History[1]

Indonesia Muda and Halim Kediri (Early Years)

Indonesia Muda (IM) was the team to win the championship in the first year of Kobatama, making they're team a powerhouse in the early years of the league. Halim Kediri was their main rival.[2]

ASABA Jakarta (Start of a Dynasty)

But the rivals changed as ASABA Jakarta was founded. A club that would later change names to Aspac Jakarta and then Stapac Jakarta, gained attention to these teams. ASABA went on to being the best team in 1988 and 1989 season.[3]

Pelita Jaya (The Bakrie Team)

But then Pelita Jaya Jakarta came to the map, and they successfully won championships three years in a row, which is 1990 till 1992. But after that, ASABA went on to stop them being the champions in the 1993 season.[4]

Panasia Indosytec Bandung (First Appearance)

Panasia Indosytec Bandung went on winning championships in the 1994, 1997, and 1998 season. And Aspac on 1995 and 1996.[5]

Satria Muda (Erick Thohir)

In 1999, Satria Muda Jakarta appeared that was bought by Erick Thohir from Dudi Gambiro. And later on went to winning the championship on the same year.[6]

Interestingly enough, Satria Muda Jakarta won that championship even after having a bad season in 1998.

Aspac then won the Kobatama in 2000 till 2002. But, Satria Muda was the main competitor playing against them in the 2001 and 2002 Final.

The IBL Era

After the Kobatama era ended, in 2002, there is a strong desire among Indonesian basketball people to form a more independent and professional league.

Then, in 2003, Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) was born. This is the first time that the management of the basketball competition has been handed over to an independent operator.

Aspac then, won the championship in some IBL edition. After doing so in 2003, the club won the trophy again in 2005 after losing to Satria Muda in the 2004 final.

After 2005, Satria Muda was unstoppable. They were able to become champions in the 2006 to 2009 edition and Aspac remained the main challenger.

Only Panasia's reincarnated club, Garuda Bandung, is able to disrupt the dualism of Satria Muda and Aspac. Having a line of great players such as Kelly Purwanto, I Made Sudiadnyana, Denny Sumargo, and others, they challenged Satria Muda in the final, even though they ultimately lost.

DBL Era

Overall, the IBL era went poorly to the point that changing operators was considered normal. The excitement of the competition has waned in recent years.

Finally, 10 participating clubs came to the company that usually organizes inter-high school basketball competitions, PT Deteksi Basket Lintas (DBL) Indonesia. The club believes that DBL Indonesia can revive the passion for Indonesian basketball competitions. The reason is, they are able to turn competition between schools into an industry.

DBL Indonesia also agreed to take over the competition. Then, they rebranded and changed the name of the competition from IBL to NBL Indonesia.[7] Indonesian basketball fans call the Indonesian NBL era the most beautiful period in the history of Indonesian basketball competitions.

The audience's enthusiasm returned to the Kobatama era and the early years of IBL. The clubs that qualified for the final were more varied, as the number of participants increased to 12. The final between Satria Muda and Aspac has only occurred twice in the Indonesian NBL, respectively in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014.

CLS Knights Indonesia and Pelita Jaya succeeded in disrupting the dominance of these two clubs. CLS reached the final of the 2011-2012 NBL, while Pelita Jaya, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015. Unfortunately, the title of champion is still contested by Satria Muda and Aspac. Satria Muda dominated NBL 2010-2011, 2011-2012, and 2014-2015. Aspac lifted the trophy the following two seasons.

In this way, from Kobatama 1999 to NBL Indonesia 2014-2015, only Satria Muda and Aspac were able to emerge as champions. This record seems to emphasize the rivalry between the two teams which is said to be the greatest in national basketball history.

Return of IBL (IBL Reborn)

In the middle of the 2015 NBL Indonesia competition, PT DBL Indonesia confirmed that it would not extend its contract as manager of the professional league. Thus, the end of the Indonesian NBL which made a big impression on the minds of Indonesian basketball fans. At the end of 2015, PERBASI entered into a collaboration with a new operator, Starting5 Sports and Entertainment.[8] IBL returned to the name of the competition. The first year of IBL reborn produced something that many people were waiting for, namely the birth of champions outside of Satria Muda and Aspac.

At the 2016 season, CLS Knights Surabaya successfully won the championship.[9] The opponents they faced in the final were not Satria Muda or Aspac, but Pelita Jaya. Using the best of three system, CLS won with a series score of 2-1. This title is the only one for the club based in Surabaya.[10]

Pelita Jaya finally managed to break they're title drought since winning Kobatama 1991-1992. The team, which at that time was coached by Panasia legend, Johannis Winar, beat Satria Muda in the final.

Meanwhile, in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, two rulers once again dominated the national basketball competition. Satria Muda smothered Pelita Jaya, 2-1.

Aspac, which changed its name to Stapac after the merger with Stadium Jakarta, dominated the 2018-2019 IBL season.

One of the breakthroughs in the second IBL era was the return of foreign players being allowed. This makes competition more even. Clubs that previously had mediocre status, such as NSH Jakarta and Pacific Caesar Surabaya, were able to move up in class. Both of them advanced to the top four of the 2018-2019 IBL season. Don't forget Hangtuah, who was finally able to reach the semifinals in the 2017-2018 IBL.

Unfortunately, the second era of IBL was marred by problems. One of them is the financial crisis that hit the Starting5.

Winners

KOBATAMA Champions

Below is a list KOBATAMA champions from the first edition in 1982 to the last edition in 2002.

width=8%Yearwidth=30%ChampionsFinals Resultwidth=30%Runners-upReference
1982Indonesia Muda Jakarta83-79
1983Indonesia Muda Jakarta108-71
1984-1985Halim Kediri54-49
1988Asaba Jakarta79-71
1989Asaba Jakarta52-51
1990Pelita JayaAsaba Jakarta
(walkout)
1991-1992Pelita Jaya60-53Halim Kediri
1992-1993Asaba Jakarta56-33
1994Hadtex Bandung57-54
1995Aspac Jakarta73-70
1996Aspac Jakarta100-69
1997 Panasia Indosyntec Bandung 89-73
1998Hadtex Bandung55-45
1999Mahaka Satria Muda57-46
2000Aspac Jakarta75-66
2001Aspac Jakarta87-72
80-61
2002Aspac Jakarta67-53
68-51

2003–2009: IBL early years

width=8%Yearwidth=30%ChampionsFinals Resultwidth=30%Runners-upReference
2003Aspac Jakarta2-0 (best-of-3)Satria Muda BritAma[11]
2004Satria Muda BritAma2-0 (best-of-3)Aspac Jakarta[12]
2005Aspac Jakarta2-0 (best-of-3)Satria Muda BritAma[13]
2006Satria Muda BritAma2-0 (best-of-3)Aspac Jakarta[14]
2007Satria Muda BritAma3-2 (best-of-5)Aspac Jakarta[15]
2008Satria Muda BritAma3-1 (best-of-5)Garuda Bandung[16]
2009Satria Muda BritAma3-1 (best-of-5)Aspac Jakarta[17]
Italic indicates the club is withdrew or no longer play.

2010–2015: NBL era

YearChampionsFinal Score (Single Game)Runners-upReference
2010–11Satria Muda BritAma67-50CLS Knights[18]
2011–12Satria Muda BritAma59-42Aspac Jakarta[19]
2012–13Aspac Jakarta63-50Pelita Jaya Jakarta
2013–14Aspac Jakarta83-67Satria Muda BritAma
2014–15Satria Muda BritAma62-54Pelita Jaya Jakarta
Italic indicates the club is withdrew or no longer play.

2016–present: Back to IBL

YearChampionsFinals ResultRunners-upFinals MVP
2016CLS Knights Surabaya2-1 (best-of-3)Pelita Jaya Energi Mega PersadaJamarr Johnson
2017Pelita Jaya Energi Mega Persada2-1 (best-of-3)Satria Muda Pertamina JakartaMartavious Irving
2018Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta2-1 (best-of-3)Pelita Jaya Energi Mega PersadaJamarr Johnson
2019Stapac Jakarta2-0 (best-of-3)Satria Muda Pertamina JakartaSavon Goodman
2020No Champion
2021Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta2-1 (best-of-3)Pelita Jaya Bakrie JakartaHardianus Lakudu
2022Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta2-0 (best-of-3)Pelita Jaya Bakrie JakartaBrachon Griffin
2023Prawira Harum Bandung2-0 (best-of-3)Pelita Jaya Bakrie JakartaMuhammad Reza Guntara
2024Pelita Jaya Bakrie Jakarta2-1 (best-of-3)Satria Muda PertaminaAnthony Beane
Italic indicates the club is withdrew or no longer play.

Notes and References

  1. News: BOLA BASKET UTAMA (KOBATAMA). 1 January 2024 . min2ternate.
  2. News: Sejarah Klub: Halim Kediri, Kejayaan Tinggal Kenangan. 1 January 2024 . iblindonesia.
  3. News: Mengenang 20 Tahun Berpulangnya Boedyharto Angsono, ASABA Basketball Club Gelar Angsono Cup 2023. 1 January 2024 . internationalmedia.
  4. News: Sejarah Klub: Pelita Jaya Pelopor Manajemen Profesional Olahraga. 1 January 2024 . iblindonesia.
  5. News: MVP Final Kobatama 1998 Ikut Gembira Prawira Juara. 1 January 2024 . iblindonesia.
  6. News: Tak Bisa Lupakan Satria Muda Era 1999, Erick Thohir Sebut Sejumlah Pemain Terbaik SM. 1 January 2024 . sport.republika.id.
  7. News: DBL Resmi Kendalikan IBL. 1 January 2024 . bola.net.
  8. News: Starting Five Jadi Operator Baru IBL. 1 January 2024 . inilah.com.
  9. News: CLS Juara IBL 2016. 1 January 2024 . sport.detik.com.
  10. News: Menolak Lupa: CLS Knights Surabaya Juara IBL Reborn 2016. 1 January 2024 . iblindonesia.
  11. Web site: Aspac Unbeatable on 2003 IBL. May 30, 2010. Detik.com. id.
  12. Web site: Satria Muda Won 2004 IBL. id.
  13. Web site: Aspac Set Record. May 30, 2010. Detik.com. id.
  14. Web site: SM Won 2006 IBL. May 30, 2010. Republika. id. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723015723/http://www.arsip.net/id/link.php?lh=A1xTC1IHBQBU#. 2011-07-23. dead.
  15. Web site: SM Defended The Title. May 30, 2010. Detik.com. id.
  16. Web site: SM Won 2008 IBL. May 30, 2010. Detik.com. id. 19 September 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080919080906/http://www.detiksport.com/index.php/detik.read/tahun/2008/bulan/05/tgl/25/time/202905/idnews/944823/idkanal/78. dead.
  17. Web site: SM Won 2009 IBL. May 30, 2010. Detik.com. id.
  18. Web site: 2010-11 NBL Final Score. March 13, 2011. NBL Indonesia.
  19. Web site: 2011-12 NBL Final Score. July 4, 2012. NBL Indonesia.