Baloncesto Superior Nacional

First-tier-level men's professional basketball league in Puerto Rico

This article is about the men's league. For the women's league, see Baloncesto Superior Nacional Femenino.

Basketball league

Baloncesto Superior Nacional

Founded| 1929; 95 years ago (1929)
First season| 1930 (as LPB)
Country| Puerto Rico
Federation| Puerto Rican Basketball Federation
Confederation| FIBA Americas
Number of teams| 12
Level on pyramid| 1
International cup(s)| Champions League Americas
Current champions| Criollos de Caguas
(2 titles; 2006, 2024)
Most championships| Vaqueros de Bayamón
(16 titles)
All-time top scorer| Georgie Torres (15,863)
TV partners| Telemundo Puerto Rico
DirecTV Puerto Rico
Website| www.bsnpr.com
2024 BSN season

The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation.

The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, which is played under FIBA rules, currently consists of 12[1] teams, of which the most successful has been the Vaqueros de Bayamón with 16 titles as of 2022.

The league has produced players that have distinguished themselves in the NBA, EuroLeague, Spain's ACB, and other tournaments throughout the world. Among them, Georgie Torres was the first Puerto Rican to sign an NBA contract & Butch Lee was the first BSN player to win an NBA title. Later on players including José Ortiz, Ramón Rivas, Daniel Santiago, Carlos Arroyo and J. J. Barea, started their careers playing for BSN teams and later played in the NBA.

## Competition format

[edit]

BSN games are played under the regular FIBA basketball rules. The twelve teams each play a total of four games amongst themselves, two at home and two away, for a total of 44 games during the regular season. Of the 12 participating teams, the top 8 move on to the postseason. The final two teams left will play in the La Final Brava, or the Brava Final, a basketball tournament sponsored by Brava Lubricants.

## History

[edit]

The league began in 1930, and is noted for having had several head coaches who went on to achieve international recognition later in their careers. Among those are Basketball Hall of Fame members Dr. Jack Ramsay, Tex Winter and Red Holzman, who coached the Leones de Ponce in the 1950s and 1960s, and Phil Jackson, who coached the Piratas de Quebradillas and Gallitos de Isabela in the late 1980s. Others notable coaches who have worked for BSN teams include Gene Bartow, Lou Rossini, Del Harris, P. J. Carlesimo, Bernie Bickerstaff, Herb Brown and Sergio Hernández.

During the 1980s, notable players followed in the footsteps of players such as Juan "Pachin" Vicens (1959 Santiago Chile FIBA World Championship's All-Tournament Team) and Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican and BSN player to enter the NBA. Among those are: Mario 'Quijote' Morales, Raymond Dalmau, Jose 'Piculin' Ortiz, Ramón Rivas, Jerome Mincy, Georgie Torres, Angelo Cruz, Angel Santiago, the late Federico 'Fico' Lopez, Rolando Frazer, Mario Butler, and Rubén Rodríguez, who showcased their talents to all of Puerto Rico's TV viewers and game goers.

### New Era and Renewed Interest (2019-present)

[edit]

On September 19, 2019, the BSN team owners selected Ricardo Dalmau Santana to succeed Fernando Quiñones Bodea as president of the league.[2]

In October 2020, there was a change in ownership of the Vaqueros de Bayamón, when retired professional baseball player Yadier Molina acquired his hometown team.[3] In April 2021, the league approved the return of the Cangrejeros under the ownership of Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda. Later that month, Bad Bunny joined the ownership group.[4][5] In October 2022, the Osos de Manatí returned from a short hiatus, when Puerto Rican singer Ozuna purchased the Brujos de Guayama and relocated the team to Manatí.[6][7]

In game 1 of the 2023 BSN finals, LeBron James made a surprise appearance as the Gigantes defeated the Vaqueros, 89-85, in overtime to take a 1-0 series lead.[8] On July 27 2023, the Gigantes De Carolina defeated the Vaqueros 80-60 in Game 5 of the BSN Finals, leading the Gigantes to become the 2023 BSN Champions.[9][10]

In October of 2024, Molina sold ownership of his team.

## Current teams

[edit]

Mayagüez

Ponce

Bayamón

Arecibo

Aguada

Quebradillas

San Germán

Manatí

Carolina

Guaynabo

Caguas

Santurce

class=notpageimage|

Locations of teams participating in 2024 season

Team  | Home city  | Year established  | Arena  | Capacity

|
|
|
|

Atléticos de San Germán | San Germán | 1930  | Arquelio Torres Ramírez Coliseum |

5,000

Cangrejeros de Santurce | Santurce | 1918  | Roberto Clemente Coliseum |

9,000

Capitanes de Arecibo | Arecibo | 1946  | Manuel Iguina Coliseum |

12,000

Criollos de Caguas | Caguas | 2023*  | Coliseo Roger Mendoza  |

3,000

Santeros de Aguada | Aguada | 1992  | Ismael Delgado Coliseum  |

6,000

Gigantes de Carolina | Carolina | 1971  | Guillermo Angulo Coliseum  |

5,000

Indios de Mayagüez | Mayagüez | 1956  | Palacio de Recreación y Deportes |

5,500

Leones de Ponce | Ponce | 1946  | Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium |

11,000

Mets de Guaynabo | Guaynabo | 1935  | Mario Morales Coliseum |

5,500

Osos de Manatí | Manatí | 2014  | Juan Cruz Abreu Coliseum  |

8,000

Piratas de Quebradillas | Quebradillas | 1926  | Raymond Dalmau Coliseum |

5,500

Vaqueros de Bayamón | Bayamón | 1930  | Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum |

12,000

## Defunct teams

[edit]

* Atenienses de Manatí (2014–2017); played their home games at the Juan Cruz Abreu Coliseum
* Avancinos de Villalba (1996–1998); played their home games at the José Ibem Marrero Coliseum
* Conquistadores de Aguada (1994–1998)
* Gallitos de Isabela; played their home games at the Jose Abreu Coliseum
* Grises de Humacao (2005–2023); Marcelo Trujillo Panisse Coliseum
* Indios de Canóvanas; played their home games at Coliseo Carlos Miguel Mangual
* Maratonistas de Coamo (1985–1996, 1999–2015); played their home games at Edwin "Puruco" Nolasco Coliseum
* Polluelos de Aibonito (1977–2001); played their home games at Cancha Marron Aponte
* Taínos de Cabo Rojo (1989–1993); played their home games at Rebekah Colberg Cabrera Coliseum
* Tiburones de Aguadilla (1990s–1998); played their home games at the Luis T. Diaz Coliseum
* Titanes de Morovis (1977–2006); played their home games in the José Pepe Huyke Coliseum
* Toritos de Cayey (2002–2004); played their home games at the Cayey Municipal Coliseum

## Championships

[edit]

Main article: List of BSN Champions

### Number of championships won by teams

[edit]

Teams  | Finals  | Championships  | Runners-up  | Years won  | Years runners-up

|
|
|
|
|

Vaqueros de Bayamón | 26 | 16 | 10 | 1933, 1935, 1967, 1969, 1971,
1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981,
1988, 1995, 1996, 2009, 2020, 2022 | 1930, 1934, 1970, 2001, 2002,
2005, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2023
Atléticos de San Germán | 26 | 14 | 12 | 1932, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942,
1942-1943, 1947, 1948, 1949,
1950, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1997 | 1931, 1933, 1936*, 1938*, 1940,
1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1965,
1986, 2022
Leones de Ponce | 25 | 14 | 11 | 1952, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1964,
1965, 1966, 1990, 1992, 1993,
2002, 2004, 2014, 2015 | 1949, 1958, 1963, 1967, 1989,
1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2013, 2019
Cangrejeros de Santurce | 14 | 8 | 6 | 1962, 1968, 1998, 1999, 2000,
2001, 2003, 2007 | 1942, 1942–1943, 1951, 1952,
1964, 2006
Capitanes de Arecibo | 19 | 8 | 11 | 1959, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2021 | 1932, 1946, 1948, 1961, 1966,
1992, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017
Cardenales de Río Piedras | 15 | 6 | 9 | 1946, 1955, 1956, 1957,1963,
1976 | 1941, 1947, 1959, 1960, 1962,
1968, 1969, 1971, 1977
Piratas de Quebradillas | 18 | 6 | 12 | 1970, 1977, 1978, 1979, 2013, 2017 | 1937, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976,
1980, 1982, 1999, 2000, 2009,
2011, 2020
Capitalinos de San Juan | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1930, 1931, 1940, 1945, 1958 | 1943, 1944, 1950, 1974
Mets de Guaynabo | 10 | 3 | 7 | 1980, 1982, 1989 | 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1990,
1993, 2021
Vega Baja | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1934, 1937 | 1935, 1939
Gallitos de la UPR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1944, 1951 | 1945
Indios de Canóvanas | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1983, 1984 | 1988
Club Náutico San Juan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1936 | —
Polluelos de Aibonito | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1986 | 1987
Titanes de Morovis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1987 | —
Criollos de Caguas | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2006, 2024 | —
Indios de Mayagüez | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2012 | —
Santeros de Aguada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2019 | \-
Gigantes de Carolina | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2023 | 1979, 1997, 2008
Brujos de Guayama | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | 1991, 1994
Gallitos de Isabela | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 1984
Maratonistas de Coamo | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 2004

* *These titles are from Farmacia Martin, a team that later merged with the Atléticos de San Germán

[11]

## BSN awards and leaders

[edit]

Main article: Baloncesto Superior Nacional MVP

Main article: Baloncesto Superior Nacional Scoring Champion

### League records

[edit]

Rubén Rodríguez established most of the early long-standing records in the BSN. He broke both the single-season points record with 810 in 1978 and the highest career points record with 11,549. The current holder of the career mark is Georgie Torres, who broke it before retiring in 2001 with 15,863 points in 679 games, playing his first 7 years before the establishment of the three-point line.[12] Rodríguez also holds the mark for most rebounds in a career with 6,178. He also held the single-season rebound record with 380 in 1978, which stood until Lee Benson broke it in 2008. Currently, Neftalí Rivera holds the record for most points in a game in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional when he scored 79 points on May 22, 1974. In that game he achieved the record by making 34 field goals (all of them 2-pointers as 3-pointers were not adopted back then) and 11 free throws.[13] In 1989, Pablo Alicea of the Gigantes de Carolina established a record for most assists in one game with 25.[14] The record stood for over two decades until May 1, 2012, when Jonathan García of the Caciques de Humacao broke it recording 33 assists against the Brujos de Guayama. García's mark is an unofficial world record pending the approval of Guinness World Records, since there is no higher number recorded in any amateur or professional international league or in FIBA competition.[15] During this game, the Caciques also established the team points record for a single game with 130 and for most scored during a single (10-minute) quarter with 46. The Vaqueros de Bayamón hosted the game with highest attendance in the league, with 17,621 fans attending a home game against Río Piedras on September 8, 1969. This bested the previous top of 16,564 in a game between Ponce and Santurce. The Vaqueros also hold the record for most consecutive championships, winning five from 1971 to 1975.

### BSN statistical leaders

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: These tables are five years old. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (May 2020)

|

^  | Active player

|

*  | Inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame

### BSN all-time scoring leaders

[edit]

Rank  | Player  | Position(s) | Nationality  | Years  | Total points | Games
played  | Points
per game
average

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Georgie Torres |

|  Puerto Rico | 1975–2001  |

15,863

679

23.4

| Mario Morales |

|  Puerto Rico | 1975–1998  |

15,293

675

22.7

| Mario Butler |

|  Panama | 1980–2008  |

12,252

779

15.7

| Rolando Frazer |

|  Panama | 1980–2001  |

12,096

603

20.1

| Raymond Dalmau |

|  Puerto Rico | 1966–1985  |

11,592

537

21.6

| Rubén Rodríguez |

|  Puerto Rico | 1969–1991  |

11,549

631

18.3

| Roberto Ríos |

|  Puerto Rico | 1978–2000  |

11,312

681

16.6

| Ángel Santiago |

|  Puerto Rico | 1973–1996  |

11,287

617

18.3

| José Quiñones |

|  Puerto Rico | 1976–1995  |

11,012

579

| Christian Dalmau |

|  Puerto Rico | 1992–2003, 2009–2017  |

10,570

639

16.5

### BSN all-time rebounding leaders

[edit]

Rank  | Player  | Pos | Years  | Reb | GP | RPG

|
|
|
|
|
|

| Mario Butler |

| 1980–2008  | 8,236  | 779  | 10.6

| Rubén Rodríguez |

F/C

| 1969–1991  | 6,178  | 631  | 9.8

| Rolando Frazer |

| 1980–2001  | 6,153  | 603  | 10.2

| Raymond Dalmau |

F/C

| 1966–1985  | 5,673  | 537  | 10.6

| Mario Morales |

G/F

| 1975–1998  | 5,665  | 675  | 8.4

| José Ortíz |

| 1980–2006  | 5,314  | 505  | 10.5

| Carlos Bermúdez  |

| 1970–1984  | 4,884  | 422  | 11.6

| Edgar de León |

F/C

| 1981–2001  | 4,837  | 493  | 9.8

| Teófilo Cruz*  |

| 1957–1982  | 4,672  | 584  | 8

| Ángel Santiago |

| 1973–1996  | 4,447  | 617  | 7.2

### BSN all-time assists leaders

[edit]

Rank  | Player  | Position(s)  | Years  | Total AST | GP  | APG

|
|
|
|
|
|

| James Carter |

| 1987–2006  | 3,025  | 543  | 5.6

| Christian Dalmau |

PG/SG

| 1992–2003, 2009–2017  | 2,931  | 639  | 4.6

| Pablo Alicea |

| 1987–2006  | 2,762  | 503  | 5.5

| Javier Antonio Colón |

| 1987–2008  | 2,748  | 555  | 5.0

| Federico López |

| 1981–1997  | 2,440  | 446  | 5.5

| Wilfredo Pagan |

| 1992–2018  | 2,367  | 652  | 3.6

| Roberto Ríos |

G/F

| 1978–2000  | 2,315  | 681  | 3.4

| Raymond Dalmau |

F/C

| 1966–1985  | 2,302  | 537  | 5.1

| Bobby Joe Hatton |

| 1994–2012  | 2,235  | 489  | 4.6

| George Torres |

G/F

| 1975–2001  | 2,203  | 679  | 3.2

### BSN all-time block leaders

[edit]

Rank  | Player  | Position(s) | Nationality  | Total blocks | Games
played  | Blocks
per game
average

|
|
|
|
|
|

| Kleon Penn |

|  Puerto Rico
British Virgin Islands |

755

300

| Jeffrion Aubry  |

|  Puerto Rico |

642

| Peter John Ramos |

|  Puerto Rico |

527

| Carmelo Lee |

|  Puerto Rico |

414

| Jorge Brian Diaz |

|  Puerto Rico |

314

| JaJa Richards |

|  United States Virgin Islands |

314

| Luis 'PelaCoco' Hernández |

C/F

|  Puerto Rico |

295

| Ricardo Sanchéz |

C/PF

|  Puerto Rico |

278

| Nathanael Davis |

|  United States |

268

| Alphonse Dyer |

|  United States |

255

Last Updated July 26, 2023

## See also

[edit]

* Puerto Rico national basketball team

## References

[edit]

1. ^ BSNPR (6 April 2021). "Los Atenienses de Manatí y Cangejeros de Santurce jugarán la temporada 2021". BSNPR.
2. ^ "Ricardo Dalmau es electo nuevo presidente del BSN".
3. ^ "Yadier Molina Buys Basketball Team – Latino Sports". 16 October 2020.
4. ^ "Los Cangrejeros de Santurce regresan al BSN de la mano de Noah Assad, manejador de Bad Bunny" (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
5. ^ Jessica Ruiz (18 May 2021). "Bad Bunny Is Now the Co-Owner Of Puerto Rican Basketball Team Los Cangrejeros de Santurce". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
6. ^ "Ozuna Ventures into the World of Sports by Acquiring Ownership of Puerto Rican Basketball Team". Billboard.
7. ^ Vega, Giovanny (8 April 2021). "Sobre la mesa la adición de un tercer refuerzo". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 May 2021.
8. ^ "LeBron James makes young fan's day during Puerto Rican basketball game". CBS Sports. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
9. ^ "¡El BSN es del "calentón"! Los Gigantes de Carolina se coronan campeones". 27 July 2023.
10. ^ "Los Gigantes de Carolina celebran su primer campeonato en el BSN".
11. ^ "Estadísticas : Campeonatos - Baloncesto Superior Nacional Puerto Rico". bsnpr.com.
12. ^ "ADENDI". adendi.com.
13. ^ "40 años de la increíble gesta de Neftalí Rivera". El Nuevo Día. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
14. ^ "JONATHAN GARCIA ROMPE RECORD DE PABLITO ALICEA | Tiro al Blanco". Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
15. ^ "Jonathan García: nuevo rey de asistencias". Primera Hora. 3 May 2012.

## External links

[edit]

* Official site (in Spanish)
* Puerto Rican league on Latinbasket.com (in English)

* v
* t
* e

Baloncesto Superior Nacional

Clubs|

* Atléticos de San Germán
* Cangrejeros de Santurce
* Capitanes de Arecibo
* Criollos de Caguas
* Gigantes de Carolina
* Indios de Mayagüez
* Leones de Ponce
* Mets de Guaynabo
* Osos de Manatí
* Piratas de Quebradillas
* Santeros de Aguada
* Vaqueros de Bayamón

Former Clubs|

* Brujos de Guayama
* Caciques de Humacao
* Cariduros de Fajardo
* Grises de Humacao
* Gallitos de Isabela
* Indios de Canóvanas
* Maratonistas de Coamo
* Polluelos de Aibonito
* Titanes de Morovis

Seasons|

* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

League Champions|

* BSN champions

Awards|

* MVP
* Scoring Champion

Management|

* President: Ricardo Dalmau

* v
* t
* e

Men's basketball leagues

* FIBA
* FIBA Intercontinental Cup
* National Basketball Association
* NBA vs. international teams
* NBA vs. EuroLeague

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* 2nd
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Central African Republic
* Comoros
* Egypt
* Guinea
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Nigeria
* 2nd
* Rwanda
* 2nd
* Senegal
* 2nd
* Seychelles
* South Africa
* BNL
* National
* Tanzania
* Tunisia
* 2nd
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Americas|

* Argentina
* 2nd
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* 2nd
* Canada
* NBA G League
* BSL
* CEBL
* Chile
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic (Torneo Superior de Baloncesto)
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Asia|

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Europe|

* Albania
* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd – RS
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 2nd
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* 4th
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* 2nd
* 3rd
* Sweden
* 2nd
* 3rd
* Switzerland
* 2nd
* Turkey
* 2nd
* 3rd
* Ukraine
* 2nd

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

International
tournaments|

| Africa|

* Basketball Africa League
* Arab Club Basketball Championship

|

Americas|

* FIBA Champions League Americas
* FIBA South American League

Asia|

* Basketball Champions League Asia
* East Asia Super League
* West Asia Super League
* Arab Club Basketball Championship
* AsiaBasket

Europe|

* EuroLeague
* EuroCup
* FIBA Champions League
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* Adriatic League
* 2nd
* Alpe Adria Cup
* Balkan League
* Caucasus Basketball League
* European North Basketball League
* Latvian–Estonian Basketball League
* Liga Unike
* VTB United League

Defunct
tournaments|

| Africa|

* FIBA Africa Basketball League

|

Americas|

* FIBA Americas League
* Pan American Championship
* South American Championship
* Torneo InterLigas
* Argentina
* Brazil
* Chile
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Asia|

* ABA Club Championship
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* bj league
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Europe|

* SuproLeague
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* 2nd

* Category

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