Korisliiga

See Naisten Korisliiga for women's top basketball league in Finland.

Korisliiga

Founded	1939
Country	Finland
Confederation	FIBA Europe
Number of teams	12
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	I-division A
Domestic cup(s)	Finnish Basketball Cup
International cup(s)	Champions League FIBA Europe Cup
Current champions	BC Nokia (1st title) (2023–24 season)
Most championships	Pantterit (14 titles)
TV partners	Elisa Viihde
Website	korisliiga.fi
2023–24 Korisliiga

The Korisliiga is the top-tier professional basketball league in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In its current format, each team plays all other teams two times in the regular season, once at home and once away, for a total of 22 regular season games. The top six teams advances continues to upper stage and the bottom six teams plays lower stage after 22 games, 5 games at home and 5 games at away versus all other teams in stage. The best two teams from lower group joins to playoffs with upper group teams. Playoffs are played best of seven format, except the quarter-finals which are played best of 5 format. Pantterit holds the record for the most league titles won, with 14. The top level Finnish league for women is the Naisten Korisliiga.

Logos

• 
  The official Korisliiga logo used until the 2015–16 season

Teams

Current teams

Team	City	Home arena	Founded	Head coach
Helsinki Seagulls	Helsinki	Töölön kisahalli	2013	Vesa Vertio
Joensuun Kataja	Joensuu	Motonet Areena	1949	Petri Virtanen
Kauhajoen Karhu	Kauhajoki	IKH Areena	1910	Janne Koskimies
Kobrat	Lapua	Kobra-Areena	1989	Ville Turja
Korihait	Uusikaupunki	Uusikaupunki Areena	1974	Darko Mihajlovic
Kouvot	Kouvola	MLL Areena	1964	Jyri Lehtonen
KTP-Basket	Kotka	Steveco Areena	1927	Michael Pounds
Lahti Basketball	Lahti	Lahti Energia Areena	2015	Kristian Palotie
BC Nokia	Nokia	Harjuniityn palloiluhalli	1997	Greg Gibson
Salon Vilpas	Salo	Salohalli	1908	Jussi Savolainen
Tampereen Pyrintö	Tampere	Pyynikin palloiluhalli	1896	Tero Vasell
Bisons Loimaa	Loimaa	Loimaan liikuntahalli	1964	Konsta Mastomäki

From 2000s, Korisliiga in timeline

2000– 2001

2001– 2002

2002– 2003

2003– 2004

2004– 2005

2005– 2006

2006– 2007

2007– 2008

2008– 2009

2009– 2010

2010– 2011

2011– 2012

2012– 2013

2013– 2014

2014– 2015

2015– 2016

Pyrbasket

Pyrintö

KTP

Kouvot

Kataja

Namika Lahti

Vilpas

Korihait

Karhu

LrNMKY

N. Lpr

Espoon Honka

Tapiolan Honka

Tarmo

LoKoKo

ToPo

Seagulls

Kobrat

FoKoPo

T. Comp.

Pussihukat

Aura Basket

Huima

BC Jyväskylä

BC Nokia

SäyRi

Pantterit

Title holders

• 1938–39 Ylioppilaskoripalloilijat
• 1939–40 Eiran Kisa-Veikot
• 1940–41 Kadettikoulu
• 1941–43 Not held due to WWII
• 1943–44 Kiri-Veikot
• 1944–45 Kiri-Veikot
• 1945–46 NMKY Helsinki
• 1946–47 NMKY Helsinki
• 1947–48 Kiri-Veikot
• 1948–49 HOK-Veikot
• 1949–50 HOK-Veikot
• 1950–51 HOK-Veikot
• 1951–52 HOK-Veikot
• 1952–53 Pantterit
• 1953–54 Pantterit
• 1954–55 Pantterit
• 1955–56 Pantterit
• 1956–57 Pantterit
• 1957–58 KTP
• 1958–59 Pantterit
• 1959–60 Torpan Pojat
• 1960–61 Helsingin Kisa-Toverit
• 1961–62 Helsingin Kisa-Toverit
• 1962–63 Helsingin Kisa-Toverit
• 1963–64 Helsingin Kisa-Toverit
• 1964–65 Helsingin Kisa-Toverit
• 1965–66 Torpan Pojat
• 1966–67 KTP
• 1967–68 Espoon Honka
• 1968–69 Espoon Honka
• 1969–70 Espoon Honka
• 1970–71 Espoon Honka
• 1971–72 Espoon Honka
• 1972–73 Turun NMKY
• 1973–74 Espoon Honka
• 1974–75 Turun NMKY
• 1975–76 Espoon Honka
• 1976–77 Turun NMKY
• 1977–78 Torpan Pojat
• 1978–79 Espoon Honka
• 1979–80 Pantterit
• 1980–81 Torpan Pojat
• 1981–82 Turun NMKY
• 1982–83 Torpan Pojat
• 1983–84 NMKY Helsinki
• 1984–85 NMKY Helsinki
• 1985–86 Torpan Pojat
• 1986–87 NMKY Helsinki
• 1987–88 KTP
• 1988–89 NMKY Helsinki
• 1989–90 Uudenkaupungin Urheilijat
• 1990–91 KTP
• 1991–92 NMKY Helsinki
• 1992–93 KTP
• 1993–94 KTP
• 1994–95 Kouvot
• 1995–96 Torpan Pojat
• 1996–97 Torpan Pojat
• 1997–98 Torpan Pojat
• 1998–99 Kouvot
• 1999-00 Namika Lahti
• 2000–01 Espoon Honka
• 2001–02 Espoon Honka
• 2002–03 Espoon Honka
• 2003–04 Kouvot
• 2004–05 Lappeenrannan NMKY
• 2005–06 Lappeenrannan NMKY
• 2006–07 Espoon Honka
• 2007–08 Espoon Honka
• 2008–09 Namika Lahti
• 2009–10 Tampereen Pyrintö
• 2010–11 Tampereen Pyrintö
• 2011–12 Bisons Loimaa (Nilan)
• 2012–13 Bisons Loimaa (Nilan)
• 2013–14 Tampereen Pyrintö
• 2014–15 Kataja
• 2015–16 Kouvot
• 2016–17 Kataja
• 2017–18 Kauhajoki Karhu
• 2018–19 Kauhajoki Karhu
• 2019–20 None
• 2020–21 Salon Vilpas
• 2021–22 Kauhajoki Karhu
• 2022–23 Helsinki Seagulls
• 2023–24 BC Nokia

Finals

Season	Champion	Runner-up	Finals score	Bronze medal
1980–81	Torpan Pojat	Tampereen Pyrintö	3–0	Hyvinkään Tahko
1981–82	Turun NMKY	Pantterit	3–2	KTP Basket
1982–83	Torpan Pojat	Pantterit	3–2	Turun NMKY
1983–84	Helsingin NMKY	Tapiolan Honka	3–0	KTP Basket
1984–85	Helsingin NMKY	KTP Basket	3–1	UU
1985–86	Torpan Pojat	KTP Basket	3–1	Helsingin NMKY
1986–87	Helsingin NMKY	KTP Basket	3–0	UU
1987–88	KTP Basket	Helsingin NMKY	3–2	Torpan Pojat
1988–89	Helsingin NMKY	HoNsU	3–2	Pantterit
1989–90	UU	KTP Basket	3–1	Helsingin NMKY
1990–91	KTP Basket	HoNsU	3–2	Torpan Pojat
1991–92	Helsingin NMKY	Pantterit	4–2	UU
1992–93	KTP Basket	Torpan Pojat	3–0	HoNsU
1993–94	KTP Basket	Torpan Pojat	3–2	Forssan Koripojat
1994–95	Kouvot	Korihait	3–1	Torpan Pojat
1995–96	Torpan Pojat	Namika Lahti		Espoon Honka
1996–97	Torpan Pojat	Kouvot		Espoon Honka
1997–98	Torpan Pojat	Kouvot		Espoon Honka
1998–99	Kouvot	Espoon Honka	3–1	Turun NMKY
1999–00	Namika Lahti	Torpan Pojat	3–2	Espoon Honka
2000–01	Espoon Honka	Tampereen Pyrintö	3–0	Namika Lahti
2001–02	Espoon Honka	Namika Lahti	3–2	Kataja
2002–03	Espoon Honka	Kataja	3–1	Pussihukat
2003–04	Kouvot	Namika Lahti	3–1	KTP Basket
2004–05	Lappeenrannan NMKY	Pussihukat	3–2	Kataja
2005–06	Lappeenrannan NMKY	Kataja	3–2	Espoon Honka
2006–07	Espoon Honka	Namika Lahti	3–0	Kataja
2007–08	Espoon Honka	Kouvot	3–1	Lappeenrannan NMKY
2008–09	Namika Lahti	Kataja	3–0	Tampereen Pyrintö
2009–10	Tampereen Pyrintö	Torpan Pojat	3–2	Kouvot
2010–11	Tampereen Pyrintö	Kataja	3–2	KTP Basket
2011–12	Bisons Loimaa	Kataja	3–1	Torpan Pojat
2012–13	Bisons Loimaa	KTP Basket	3–2	Kataja
2013–14	Tampereen Pyrintö	Kataja	3–1	Bisons Loimaa
2014–15	Kataja	Bisons Loimaa	3–2	KTP
2015–16	Kouvot	Tampereen Pyrintö	4–1	BC Nokia
2016–17	Kataja	Salon Vilpas	4–2	Helsinki Seagulls
2017–18	Kauhajoki Karhu	Salon Vilpas	4–2	Helsinki Seagulls
2018–19	Kauhajoki Karhu	Kouvot	4–1	KTP
2019–20	Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21	Salon Vilpas	Kauhajoki Karhu	4–2	Helsinki Seagulls
2021–22	Kauhajoki Karhu	Salon Vilpas	3–1	Helsinki Seagulls
2022–23	Helsinki Seagulls	Kauhajoki Karhu	4–2	Kataja Basket
2023–24	BC Nokia	Helsinki Seagulls	4–3	Kauhajoki Karhu

Performance by club

Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence.

Korisliiga winners by club

Club	Wins	Seasons won
Pantterit	14	1944, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1980
Espoon Honka	13	1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1979, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008
Torpan Pojat	9	1960, 1966, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1996, 1997, 1998
Helsingin NMKY	7	1946, 1947, 1984, 1985,1987, 1989, 1992
KTP	6	1958, 1967, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994
HKT	5	1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
Turun NMKY	4	1973, 1975, 1977, 1982
Kouvot	4	1995, 1999, 2004, 2016
Pyrintö	3	2010, 2011, 2014
Kauhajoki Karhu	3	2018, 2019, 2022
Lappeenrannan NMKY	2	2005, 2006
Namika Lahti	2	2000, 2009
Bisons Loimaa	2	2012, 2013
Kataja	2	2015, 2017
Ylioppilaskoripalloilijat	1	1939
Eiran Kisa-Veikot	1	1940
Kadettikoulu	1	1941
Korihait	1	1990
Salon Vilpas	1	2021
Helsinki Seagulls	1	2023
BC Nokia	1	2024

Records

All-time table of teams

Updated after the 2021–22 season.

Rank	Team	Seasons	GP	W	L	D	W%
1.	KTP-Basket	65	2215	1245	969	1	56.2	6	7	12
2.	Torpan Pojat	51	1663	995	662	6	59.8	9	9	7
3.	Tampereen Pyrintö	55	1853	935	909	9	50.5	3	5	1
4.	Pantterit	54	1284	695	582	7	54.1	14	4	3
5.	Kouvot	29	1241	676	565	0	54.5	4	4	1
6.	Kataja Basket	27	1144	662	482	0	57.9	2	6	4
7.	Helsingin NMKY	48	1191	645	543	3	54.2	7	3	8
8.	Namika Lahti	35	1249	639	610	0	51.2	2	4	1
9.	Korihait	38	1474	633	841	0	42.9	1	1	3
10.	Tapiolan Honka 00ers	36	1089	600	489	0	55.1	6	5	5

All-time leaders

Category	Player	Total
Games	Jarkko Tuomala	623
Points	Gerald Lee, Sr.	12,552
Rebounds	Jonathan Moore	4,414
Assists	Petri Virtanen	1,653
Steals	Gerald Lee, Sr.	1,145
Blocks	Sami Lehtoranta	551

Source: Basket.fi

Single game records

Category	Player	Record	Season
Points	Joe Wright	79	1991–92
Rebounds	Garcia Hopkins	42	1985–86
Assists	Petri Niiranen	23	1991–92
Efficiency	Larry Pounds	70	1985–86
Steals	Gerald Lee, Sr.	12	1988–89
Blocks	Damon Vance	14	1987–88

Source: Basket.fi

Individual player records

As of after the 2021–22 season.

• Most points scored in a game:
  • 79 by Joe Wright on February 12, 1992 in Turku NKMY 117–145 Panterit
• Highest efficiency score in a game
  • 70 by Larry Pounds on November 24, 1985 in Kotka Työväe's Ballers 100–73 Säynätsalo Riento
• Most 2-point field goals made in a game
  • 24 by Herbert Crook on March 11, 1993 in Helsingin NMKY 132–111 Turun NMKY
• Most 3-point field goals made in a game
  • 14 by Adonis Jordan on October 17, 1999 in Espoon Honka 98–84 Pussihukat
• Most free throws made in a game
  • 27 by Ville Kaunisto on April 12, 2004 in Kouvot 96–71 Namika Lahti
• Most rebounds in a game
  • 32 by Garcia Hopkins on February 16, 1986 in Tampereen Pyrintö 131–80 Säynätsalon Riento

Awards

• MVP – One for domestic players and another for foreign ones.
• Finals MVP
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Rookie of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Sixth Man of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Referee of the Year
• Finnish Basketball Hall of Fame

Attendance

Averages

Season	Avg
1985–1986	248
1986–1987	546
1987–1988	550
1988–1989	367
1989–1990	609
1990–1991	686
1991–1992	643
1992–1993	571
1993–1994	588
1994–1995	660
1995–1996	719
1996–1997	668
1997–1998	793
1998–1999	809
1999–2000	785
2000–2001	736
2001–2002	790
2002–2003	728
2003–2004	808
2004–2005	850
2005–2006	863
2006–2007	918
2007–2008	883
2008–2009	911
2009–2010	905
2010–2011	868
2011–2012	949
2012–2013	776
2013–2014	861
2014–2015	938
2015–2016	1,024
2016–2017	1,017
2017–2018	874
2018–2019	907
2019–2020	830
2020–2021	144
2021–2022	640
2022–2023	879

Records

Attendance	Game	Year
7,420	Torpan Pojat – Espoon Honka	2005
6,580	Torpan Pojat – Kouvot	1998
6,500	Turun NMKY – Forssan Koripojat	1990
5,450	Espoon Honka – Namika Lahti	2002
5,128	Espoon Honka – Piiloset	2000
4,630	Namika Lahti – Kouvot	2004
4,097	Torpan Pojat – Karkkilan Urheilijat	1998
3,900	Kataja Basket — Salon Vilpas	2017

See also

• Finnish Basketball Cup

External links

• Finnish Basketball Association / Korisliiga