2012–13 British Basketball League season
The 2012–13 season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001. East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season. The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions, whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.
The Championship regular season commenced on 21 September 2012 with reigning Champions Newcastle Eagles beginning the defence of their title with a 72–65 victory over Glasgow Rocks. The regular season saw all teams face each other three times during the campaign, playing either two games at home and once on the road or vice versa, with the top-eight placed teams advancing to the Play-offs, which took place in April 2013. The season climaxed on 28 April with the showpiece Play-off Final, which returned to its former home at Wembley Arena, for the first time since 2002. Leicester Riders dominated the campaign, and were successful in three of the BBL's four annual competition's, claiming the League title, BBL Cup and Play-off title. Sheffield Sharks thwarted the possibility of a "clean sweep" with a victory against the odds over the Riders in the BBL Trophy Final.
Teams
| Team | City/Area | Arena | Capacity | Last season |
| Cheshire Phoenix | Chester | Northgate Arena | 1,000 | 6th |
| Durham Wildcats | Newton Aycliffe | Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre | 1,200 | 11th |
| Glasgow Rocks | Glasgow | Emirates Arena | 6,500 | 5th |
| Leicester Riders | Leicester | John Sandford Centre | 800 | 2nd |
| London Lions | London | Crystal Palace National Sports Centre | 1,500 | 9th |
| Manchester Giants | Manchester | Wright Robinson College | 900 | New |
| Mersey Tigers | Liverpool | Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park | 450 | 10th |
| Newcastle Eagles | Newcastle upon Tyne | Sport Central | 3,000 | 1st |
| Plymouth Raiders | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | 1,480 | 4th |
| Sheffield Sharks | Sheffield | English Institute of Sport | 1,200 | 7th |
| Surrey Heat | Guildford | Surrey Sports Park | 1,000 | 8th |
| Worcester Wolves | Worcester | University of Worcester | 600 | 3rd |
Notable occurrences
- New entrant Manchester Giants joined as the League's 12th franchise whilst East London Royals, who were due to become the 13th member, deferred entry to the 2013–14 season after their financial backing fell through prior to the start of the season. Reading Rockets also had a bid to join the league rejected earlier in the year.
- Although initially planning to enter as new franchises for the 2012–13 season, both BBL Birmingham and Essex Leopards postponed their entry until the 2013–14 season.
- Long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocated to London after their previous home venue was sold off by its owners, and rebranded itself as the London Lions. Initially they will use the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for home games but will eventually move to the Copper Box – built for the 2012 Summer Olympics – from 2013.
- Guildford Heat rebranded its franchise as the Surrey Heat to reflect its geographical reach in terms of fan base and community programmes.
- New rules introduced prior to the start of the season now allows team's to field only a maximum of five non-British players per game, demonstrating the League's commitment towards developing British players.
- On 10 August, Cheshire Jets owner Pete Hawkins announced that the franchise was up for sale after negotiations with a proposed new owner collapsed. With the help of a "Save the Jets" campaign ran by local newspaper the Chester Chronicle, local businessman Haydn Cook stepped-in as the new owner of the franchise just weeks before the start of the new season, ensuring the immediate future of the franchise.
- More than 5,000 fans attended Glasgow Rocks' inaugural game at their new Emirates Arena home on 7 October. Glasgow were defeated 84–106 by arch-rivals Newcastle Eagles.
- After less than a month in the role, Cheshire's James Hamilton resigned as the team's player-coach on 15 October, due to his suspension following an altercation at a junior game.
- On 30 October it was announced that the Cheshire Jets franchise had been withdrawn by the League after new-owner Haydn Cook reported severe financial difficulties and requested to postpone upcoming fixtures and make all staff and players redundant with immediate effect. The following day it was revealed that the League had reinstated the franchise and would manage its operation centrally whilst trying to find a new owner. The club was temporarily renamed Cheshire Basketball Club as previous owner Cook retained the Jets name, logo, kits and branding. A "Save the Jets" campaign led by local fans and businessmen secured the required £50,000 needed to take over the franchise within the League's deadline of 30 November, and guaranteed the immediate future of the club. Renamed as Cheshire Phoenix, the franchise will operate as a not-for-profit Community Interest Club, whilst linking up with Chester in a supporting partnership."
- Worthing Thunder – of the English Basketball League – became the first ever non-BBL team to progress past the 1st Round of the BBL Trophy after an 84–64 win at home to Mersey Tigers on 6 January 2013.
- Leicester Riders won their first silverware in 12 years on 13 January, with an 85–80 victory over Newcastle Eagles in the BBL Cup Final. Jay Cousinard, who scored 17 points, was named as the game's MVP.
- Leicester's 84–59 regular season victory over Manchester Giants on 19 February made the Riders only the fifth team in League history to go unbeaten for a whole year, having last been defeated on 25 February 2012.
- Sheffield Sharks claimed the BBL Trophy after a narrow two-point win over Leicester in front of over 5,000 fans at Glasgow's Emirates Arena, on 9 March. Sheffield's 71–69 victory prevented Leicester from winning a Cup-Trophy double, whilst it was Sharks' first Trophy final win for 15 years.
- Mersey Tigers secured the record for the longest losing-sreak in League history on 22 March. Their 92–79 defeat to Plymouth Raiders was their 31st consecutive loss, having last won a game against Milton Keynes on 15 April 2012.
- Leicester Riders were crowned League Champions for the first time in their history following their 93–70 home victory over Durham Wildcats on 31 March.
- Riders finished the campaign with a historic 65-57 win over Newcastle in the Play-off Final at a packed-out Wembley Arena on 28 April.
BBL Championship (Tier 1)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Leicester Riders | 33 | 30 | 3 | 0.909 | 60 |
| 2 | Newcastle Eagles | 33 | 25 | 8 | 0.758 | 50 |
| 3 | Glasgow Rocks | 33 | 21 | 12 | 0.636 | 42 |
| 4 | Surrey Heat | 33 | 21 | 12 | 0.636 | 42 |
| 5 | Worcester Wolves | 33 | 20 | 13 | 0.606 | 40 |
| 6 | Plymouth Raiders | 33 | 19 | 14 | 0.576 | 38 |
| 7 | Sheffield Sharks | 33 | 17 | 16 | 0.515 | 34 |
| 8 | London Lions | 33 | 13 | 20 | 0.394 | 26 |
| 9 | Manchester Giants | 33 | 12 | 21 | 0.364 | 24 |
| 10 | Durham Wildcats | 33 | 10 | 23 | 0.303 | 20 |
| 11 | Cheshire Phoenix | 33 | 10 | 23 | 0.303 | 20 |
| 12 | Mersey Tigers | 33 | 0 | 33 | 0.000 | 0 |
The Play-offs
Quarter-finals
Leicester Riders vs. London LionsNewcastle Eagles vs. Sheffield Sharks
Glasgow Rocks vs. Plymouth Raiders
Surrey Heat vs. Worcester Wolves
Semi-finals
Leicester Riders vs. Plymouth RaidersNewcastle Eagles vs. Surrey Heat
Final
EBL">English Basketball League">EBL National League Division 1 (Tier 2)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Reading Rockets | 26 | 22 | 4 | 0.846 | 44 |
| 2 | Bristol Academy Flyers | 26 | 18 | 8 | 0.692 | 36 |
| 3 | Team Northumbria | 26 | 17 | 9 | 0.654 | 34 |
| 4 | Tees Valley Mohawks | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0.615 | 32 |
| 5 | Leeds Carnegie | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0.615 | 32 |
| 6 | Essex Leopards | 26 | 16 | 10 | 0.615 | 32 |
| 7 | Worthing Thunder | 26 | 13 | 13 | 0.500 | 26 |
| 8 | Leicester Warriors | 26 | 12 | 14 | 0.462 | 24 |
| 9 | Medway Park Crusaders | 26 | 12 | 14 | 0.462 | 24 |
| 10 | Hemel Storm | 26 | 11 | 15 | 0.423 | 22 |
| 11 | Bradford Dragons | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0.385 | 20 |
| 12 | Westminster Warriors | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0.385 | 20 |
| 13 | Derby Trailblazers | 26 | 6 | 20 | 0.231 | 12 |
| 14 | Brixton TopCats | 26 | 3 | 23 | 0.115 | 6 |
EBL">English Basketball League">EBL National League Division 2 (Tier 3)
Final standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts |
| 1 | Newham Neptunes | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0.773 | 34 |
| 2 | Manchester Magic | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0.682 | 30 |
| 3 | Eastside Eagles | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0.636 | 28 |
| 4 | Derbyshire Arrows | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0.591 | 26 |
| 5 | Loughborough University | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0.545 | 24 |
| 6 | PAWS London Capital + | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0.773 | 22 |
| 7 | Glamorgan Gladiators | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0.455 | 20 |
| 8 | Mansfield Giants | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0.364 | 16 |
| 9 | London Westside | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
| 10 | London United | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0.318 | 14 |
| 11 | Team Solent | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0.182 | 8 |
| 12 | Birmingham Mets | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0.136 | 6 |
+ PAWS London Capital deducted twelve points for fielding an ineligible player during the 2011-12 season.
BBL Cup
The winners of the four 1st Round matches were joined by Newcastle Eagles, Leicester Riders, Plymouth Raiders and Worcester Wolves in the Quarter-finals, who received byes for finishing in the top four BBL Championship positions last season. The Final was played on 13 January 2013 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.1st round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Plymouth Raiders vs. Newcastle EaglesSheffield Sharks vs. Leicester Riders
Final
BBL Trophy
The 12 BBL clubs were joined by Essex Leopards and Reading Rockets of the English Basketball League and Edinburgh Kings of the Scottish Basketball League to form a straight knock-out competition. Following the withdrawal of East London Royals prior to the start of the competition, Worthing Thunder from the English Basketball League were invited to take their place and play Mersey Tigers in the 1st Round. The first two rounds featured one-off games whilst the Semi-finals took place over two legs. The Final was held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow and saw Sheffield Sharks claim their first Trophy in 15 years, after 71-69 victory over Leicester Riders.1st round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Cheshire Phoenix vs. Sheffield SharksLeicester Riders vs. Worcester Wolves
Final
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Stat |
| Points per game |  Chez Marks | 22.8 |
| Rebounds per game | Kareem Maddox | 10.7 |
| Assists per game |  Ralph Bucci | 5.5 |
| Steals per game | Travis Holmes | 3.0 |
| Blocks per game | Alif Bland | 2.4 |
| Field goal percentage | Demetrius Jemison | 61.0% |
| Free throw percentage | B.J. Holmes | 88.3% |
| Three-point field goal percentage |  Arnas Kazlauskas | 44.6% |
Monthly awards
| Month | Coach | Player |
| October |  Rob Paternostro |  Colin O'Reilly |
| November | Sterling Davis | Kareem Maddox |
| December | Fabulous Flournoy | Ralph Bucci |
| January | Rob Paternostro | Ralph Bucci |
| February | Paul James | Kareem Maddox |
| March | Atiba Lyons | Travis Holmes |
Seasonal awards
- Molten Most Valuable Player: Andrew Sullivan
- Molten Coach of the Year: Rob Paternostro
- Molten Team of the Year:
- *Travis Holmes
- *Andrew Sullivan
- *Jay Cousinard
- *Matt Schneck
- *Kareem Maddox
- Molten Defensive Team of the Year:
- *Andrew Sullivan
- *Kareem Maddox
- *Chavis Holmes
- *Jay Cousinard
- *Zaire Taylor
- Molten British Team of the Year:
- *Andrew Sullivan
- *Mike Tuck
- *Sam Cricelli
- *Orlan Jackman
- *Anthony Rowe