1997–98 British Basketball League season 1997–98 British Basketball League season The 1997–1998 BBL season was known as the Budweiser League for sponsorship reasons. The league featured the same 13 teams as the previous year, playing 36 games each. The only change saw the Hemel Royals renamed the Watford Royals. Greater London Leopards clinched their second successive Budweiser League title only by virtue of an overtime win in their final game of the season against Sheffield Sharks. Leopards' 102–106 victory in Sheffield meant they finished level on points with title-rivals Birmingham Bullets, but were crowned Champions due to a better head-to-head record over the Midlands team.
Canadian Elite Basketball League city of the forthcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League, playing out of the Sleeman Centre. On November 7, 2017, Fraser Valley Professional Basketball Club was announced, playing out of the Abbotsford Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia. On November 22, the CEBL announced a team in Niagara playing out of the Meridian Centre would also be joining the league, which would later be confirmed as the Niagara River Lions then of the National Basketball League of Canada. At the same time, the CEBL also announced the creation of their launch committee: Mike Morreale, Glenn Young, Carman Adair, Sebastien Chevrier, Mardig Sevadijan, Noelvi