Lietuvos krepà ¡inio lyga (LKL; ), marketed as Betsson-LKL for sponsorship reasons, is the premier men's professional club basketball league in Lithuania. It is composed of 9 teams, and it is a member of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation. The best LKL clubs are also annual participants of the top European-wide basketball competitions, including the top-tier level EuroLeague.
On April 22, 1993, the Lietuvos krepà ¡inio asociacija (LKA; ) was founded. It was the first professional sports organisation in Lithuania. Lietuvos krepà ¡inio lyga was built on the foundation of the LKA. Former basketball player à  arà «nas MarÃÂiulionis is named as the founder of the league. He was the first president of the LKL and served from 1993 to 2002. Remigijus Milaà ¡ius is the current president of the league since 2013. The league's headquarters is located in Vilnius.
A total of 28 teams have competed in the LKL since its inception. Only two teams have been crowned champions, with à ½algiris Kaunas winning the title a record 24 times and Rytas Vilnius seven times.
The league is sponsored by Betsson, the Swedish online sportsbook and casino company, which also sponsors four teams in the league. The league was previously sponsored by the company's subsidiary Betsafe until it was renamed to "Betsson-LKL" in August 2025 after a sponsorship change.
The competition format follows a quadruple round-robin format, which means that during the course of a regular season, which lasts from late September to May, each club plays every other club four times, twice at home and twice away, for a total of 44 games. Teams receive one point for a win, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the eight highest-ranked clubs at the end of the season plays the playoffs and the winner of the playoffs is crowned a champion.
A system of promotion and relegation exists between the LKL and the NKL. The lowest placed team in LKL is relegated to the NKL, and the top team from the NKL promoted to LKL. However, the process of promotion and relegation rarely works since teams from NKL are unable to meet the league requirements. In the 2021âÂÂ22 LKL season, for the first time since 2014âÂÂ15 LKL season, 11 teams played in the league, NKL winner BC Jonava joined the existing 10 teams, while in the following 2022-23 LKL season, 12 teams played for the first time since 2013 because winners of NKL, BC Gargà ¾dai, got promoted. After bankruptcies hit some of the teams, league was left with 9 teams to start the 2025-26 LKL season Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history:
à ½algiris directly enters the EuroLeague as a licensed club. The highest-placed team, apart from licensed club Zalgiris, gets an invite to play in the EuroCup. The second and third highest-placed teams, apart from licensed club, get an invite to play in the Basketball Champions League.
In the 2024âÂÂ25 season:
In 2016, LKL started LKL Academy, a program offering students an opportunity to intern with LKL projects in marketing, communication and event organisation to gain experience working in the sports industry. Students are also awarded scholarships and many go on to work in the sports industry.
The Lithuanian Basketball Association was founded on 22 April 1993, when eight of the strongest Lithuanian basketball clubs' officials met with representatives of the à  arà «nas MarÃÂiulionis basketball fund in Vilnius. The original eight teams were: à ½algiris Kaunas, Atletas Kaunas, DrobàKaunas, Statyba Vilnius, Olimpas PlungÃÂ, BC à  ilutÃÂ, Lietkabelis PanevÃÂà ¾ys and Neptà «nas KlaipÃÂda. This association would soon be renamed to Lietuvos krepà ¡inio lyga (LKL) due to legal issues, also announcing there that would start in the upcoming fall. By the end of spring, before the season started, the LKA and their new league accepted two more teams â Lavera Kaunas and NECA Kaunas.
Following the 1993âÂÂ94 season, the finalists of last season's LKAL, Sakalai Vilnius & BC à  iauliai joined the league, while DrobàKaunas decided to withdraw due to financial difficulties. The 1994âÂÂ95 season saw the league's foreign players emerge as star power, before they were more known to be role players. In the 1995âÂÂ96 season the league continued to accept the champions of the LKAL to the league, Savy Alytus joined the league. Sharpshooter Joe Vickery became the first foreigner to lead the LKL in scoring for Olimpas. League officials would start pressuring teams to play in better arenas by setting up certain criteria that were necessary to get accepted into the league. That's why no more teams were accepted until 1998 when Olimpas Plungàwent bankrupt and was replaced by BC Kraitienàbased in MarijampolÃÂ. Some of the strongest teams like à  ilutàand Atletas faded away to the bottom of the league and left the league.
During this time period, the league had been dominated by à ½algiris. They won the league's championship trophy for six consecutive years, from 1994 through 1999. Their main rival during those years was Atletas Kaunas led by Saulius à  tombergas and a young à ½ydrà «nas Ilgauskas acquired from à ½algiris' youth team. Ilgauskas was selected 20th overall in the 1996 NBA draft, making him the first NBA player coming straight from the LKL. In 1999 à ½algiris, led by Tyus Edney, became the first Lithuanian team to win the top European basketball competition, the EuroLeague title.
In the 1999âÂÂ2000 season, Lietuvos rytas shocked defending EuroLeague champions à ½algiris by ending their dominant run. That sparked most likely the biggest rivalry in Lithuanian sports, the competitiveness has brought over to politics and society between the two biggest cities in Lithuania.
2010âÂÂ11 saw à ½algiris reclaim the title, beating Lietuvos rytas 4âÂÂ1. In the finals of 2012 à ½algiris was the winner again, by sweeping Lietuvos Rytas 3âÂÂ0. During the 2013âÂÂ14 season, à ½algiris defeated Neptà «nas in the final.
The 2014âÂÂ2015 season saw the introduction of the 'four wheel system', where all the teams have to play 40 games with no exceptions for teams competing in international competition like in the past. This year à ½algiris was able to finished 1st, but not before a dramatic win against Lietuvos rytas in the last game of the season 82âÂÂ81.
à ½algiris continued to dominate in the playoffs sweeping rivals Lietuvos rytas once again in the final. Despite a familiar ending, the season was marked by the growing competitiveness of the league, Neptà «nas joined à ½algiris and Lietuvos rytas as a powerhouse and this edition saw a couple of upsets and close games from teams such as Pieno à ¾vaigà ¾dÃÂs and Juventus Utena. Although a strong competitor Prienai had an underwhelming season. However, the final saw a two usual suspects once again - à ½algiris and Lietuvos Rytas. The Greens once again took the trophy back home by beating rivals 4âÂÂ0. Team from Kaunas was led by all around sharpshooters in James Anderson and Artà «ras Milaknis who averaged 15.3 and 14.3 points a piece. The latter was named the MVP of the finals.
Six 2015âÂÂ16 LKL season teams participated in the European tournaments: à ½algiris (EuroLeague), Lietuvos rytas and Neptà «nas (EuroCup), Juventus, Pieno à ¾vaigà ¾dÃÂs, à  iauliai (FIBA Europe Cup). Lietkabelis, Vytautas and NevÃÂà ¾is competed in the Baltic Basketball League. Dzà «kija was the only LKL club not participating in any European or regional tournaments. The off-season moves by teams such as the rebranded Prienai (Vytautas PrienaiâÂÂBirà ¡tonas), Lietkabelis and the continued work from last season's playoff seeds gave fans hope for one of the most competitive seasons in league history. During the season, à ½algiris won 1st place in the regular season, over Lietuvos rytas. In the playoffs, Neptà «nas shocked everyone, by beating Rytas in the semifinals, and reaching the finals for the second time in club history. In the finals, à ½algiris beat Neptà «nas 4âÂÂ1 to win again.
The 2016âÂÂ17 LKL season off-season saw the rise of Lietkabelis, as tensions between FIBA and the EuroLeague resulted into them receiving a wild card as replacement in the EuroCup and greatly improving their roster which included signing the Lavrinoviàtwins (Darjuà ¡ and Kà ¡yà ¡tof). A record of 8 Lithuanian teams competed in a European tournament that season, which added to the ever-improving competitiveness of the league. Consequently, the LKL achieved the average attendance record, with more than 2,000 spectators per game, during the regular season. Only Lietkabelis was able to fight defending champion à ½algiris, as à ½algiris easily defeated other top contenders Lietuvos rytas and Neptà «nas. In the LKL semifinals, Lietkabelis beat Lietuvos rytas 3âÂÂ1, to advance to the finals for the first time - they lost to à ½algiris 4âÂÂ1. Rytas won the third place over Neptà «nas.
In the 2018âÂÂ19 LKL season, Dainius Adomaitis, the coach of the Lithuania men's national basketball team, joined the renamed BC Rytas as the new head coach. During the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification, happening during the season, many LKL players debuted in the national team to play the games. BC Vytautas was renamed as BC SkyCop Prienai, signing veteran players like the Lavrinoviàtwins, Mindaugas Lukauskis and others. The team played improved basketball and reached the playoffs. Rytas won the King Mindaugas Cup, while BC Neptà «nas finished the regular season in second place, earning home-court advantage for the semifinals for the first time in club history. à ½algiris once again won 1st place in the regular season. In the playoffs, while à ½algiris and Lietkabelis beat their opponents in sweeps, Rytas struggled against BC Juventus, 2âÂÂ1, while Neptà «nas defeated SkyCop 2âÂÂ1. In the semifinals, à ½algiris easily swept Lietkabelis 2âÂÂ0, while Rytas shocked Neptà «nas with an even easier 2âÂÂ0 sweep, even without home-court advantage. Setting up rematches from the previous year, the results remained the same - Neptà «nas once again defeated Lietkabelis 3âÂÂ0 in the 3rd place series, while à ½algiris easily defeated Rytas 3âÂÂ0 in the finals.
During the 2019âÂÂ20 season, the LKL board ended the season prematurely due to the coronavirus outbreak and crowned à ½algiris champions.
In the 2020âÂÂ21 LKL season the LKL has reached a historic agreement - LKL will be broadcast in foreign countries for the first time since its establishment. During the 2020âÂÂ21 LKL season, it was decided that in the next 2021âÂÂ22 LKL season, 11 teams will participate in the tournament again after 6 years. BC Jonava joined the other 10 existing LKL teams by winning the 2020âÂÂ21 NKL season. For the 2022âÂÂ23 season, the number of teams was further increased to 12, with the addition of the 2021âÂÂ22 NKL champions Gargà ¾dai-SC.
During 2022âÂÂ23 LKL season it was announced that the new team 2022âÂÂ23 NKL season runner-up Maà ¾eikiai M Basket will join other existing teams in LKL. Maà ¾eikiai M Basket will take place of Labas Gas because they finished in last place in 2022âÂÂ23 LKL season and were relegated to NKL.