Basketball: British Federation Suspended!
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
FIBA, the world governing body of basketball, due to governance issues, has suspended the British Basketball Federation (BBF) and barred the men's team, from international competitions. These include the GB men's World Cup qualifier against Lithuania, scheduled to take place in London on 27 November 2025.
A FIBA taskforce has been set up to investigate "regulatory non-compliance" within British basketball.
The background to the suspension is as follows.
In April 2025, the BBF awarded a 15-year licence to run a new professional men's competition - the Great Britain Basketball League - to GBB League Ltd (GBBL).
GBBL, a consortium led by the American businessman Marshall Glickman, would provide £15m funding in the first two years.
However, the existing nine Super League Basketball [SLB] clubs claimed that the tender process run by BBF was "illegal and unjust" and refused to join the new League.
The clubs started legal actions against the BBF in the High Court, whilst the UK Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock, is reported to have asked the government body responsible for elite funding, UK Sport, to investigate the allegations.
FIBA stated that it had completed a "comprehensive review of the situation, including interviews and meetings with basketball stakeholders".
Under the terms of the suspension, the BBF will not be permitted to licence or recognise national men's competitions or field a men's national team in FIBA senior competitions.
The FIBA taskforce will now "engage directly with basketball stakeholders and the UK government to explore and propose an interim operational framework for the top-tier men's national competitions".
FIBA added: "These measures aim to restore regulatory integrity and promote sustainable governance of men's basketball in Great Britain as soon as possible."
Peacock stated that she was "deeply concerned by the news".
On 12 October 2025, the BBF announced that the chairman, Chris Grant, has resigned, after three years in post, for "personal reasons".
The GB women's team is not included in the FIBA suspension.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
