The LBA 2024-2025 season is just around the corner and promises to be even more competitive. Last season saw Olimpia Milano triumph, clinching their 31st Scudetto in four games against Virtus Bologna. Who can dethrone Ettore Messina's team in the upcoming season?
Olimpia Milano will start as the favorites despite the departure of Niccolò Melli. Key exits include players like Alex Poythress, Devon Hall, Denzel Valentine, Kevin Pangos, and Johannes Voigtmann. New arrivals feature Nenad Dimitrijevic, a playmaker formerly of Unics Kazan, and veteran guard Fabien Causeur from Real Madrid. Other acquisitions include former NBA player Leandro Bolmaro, center Ousmane Diop, and Slovenian Josh Nebo.
Virtus Bologna has replaced Abass and Lundberg with Visconti and Akele. They have also signed forward Will Clyburn from Anadolu Efes and point guard Matt Morgan from the London Lions. Daniel Hackett and Jordan Mickey are no longer part of the project and have been transferred. Reyer Venezia, Leonessa Brescia, and Reggio Emilia could be the dark horses this season. Watch out for the newly promoted Trapani Shark, returning to the LBA after thirty-four years.
Napoli and Scafati are eager to build on their excellent performances from last season. Vanoli Cremona and Pallacanestro Trieste, newly promoted to Serie A, are determined to stay. Sassari, Pistoia, Treviso, and Trento are the usual outsiders in this league, always full of surprises and upsets.
The official calendar for the 2024-2025 season has been announced. Immediately, there will be a thrilling matchup for Trapani at home against Virtus Bologna, and another for the newly promoted Trieste against Milano. On December 8, the Italian derby between Virtus and Olimpia will delight basketball fans.
The league will follow an asymmetric calendar format, with the return leg differing from the first round. The season kicks off on Sunday, September 29, following the Supercoppa, scheduled for the 21st and 22nd of the same month. The last regular season round is set for Sunday, May 11, while the first round ends on January 12. The playoff format remains unchanged, with best-of-five series. Post-season dates will be confirmed based on the participation of Italian teams in the final stages of European club competitions.
This season includes two windows dedicated to National Team activities, particularly for EuroBasket 2025 qualification matches: the first in mid-November and the second at the end of February after the Frecciarossa Final Eight 2025.