| 1988–89 BBL season | |
| League: | British Basketball League |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| No Of Teams: | 11 |
| Playoffs: | Roll of Honour |
| Conf1: | BBL |
| Conf1 Champ: | Glasgow Rangers |
| Conf2: | Play-off's |
| Conf2 Champ: | Glasgow Rangers |
| Conf3: | National Cup |
| Conf3 Champ: | Bracknell Tigers |
| Conf4: | BBL Trophy |
| Conf4 Champ: | Bracknell Tigers |
| Seasonslist: | List of British Basketball League seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | British Basketball League |
| Prevseason Year: | 1987–88 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1989–90 |
The 1988–89 BBL season was the second season of the British Basketball League (known as the Carlsberg League for sponsorship reasons) since its establishment in 1987. The season featured a total of 11 teams, playing 20 games each. The league had suffered in the 1989 close season because Portsmouth was wound up followed by Calderdale Explorers and Birmingham Bullets both dropping out of the league. Bolton and Bury Giants became the Olympic City Giants and Kingston moved north of the border playing as Glasgow Rangers. The new season was supposed to feature 12 teams, however Oldham Celtics dropped out of the league and into the National League (Tier 2) after just one game, due to financial difficulties.
The season was dominated by the success of the league's two Scottish teams Glasgow Rangers and Livingston, who finished the regular season in first and second place respectively.[1] Glasgow's Kevin Cadle and Alan Cunningham were also named as the league's Coach and Player of the year, however the Scottish dominance was broken by Bracknell Tigers who were victorious in the League Trophy against Livingston in the Final.
Below the Carlsberg League in the National League Division 1, it came as no surprise that Oldham Celtics sealed the title bearing in mind that they had originally planned to play in the top tier.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Rangers | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0.900 | 36 | |
| 2 | Livingston | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0.800 | 32 | |
| 3 | Bracknell Tigers | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0.750 | 30 | |
| 4 | Leicester City Riders | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0.700 | 28 | |
| 5 | Manchester Eagles | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0.650 | 26 | |
| 6 | Sunderland 76ers | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0.600 | 24 | |
| 7 | Hemel Royals | 20 | 9 | 11 | 0.450 | 18 | |
| 8 | Olympic City Giants | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0.200 | 8 | |
| 9 | Solent Stars | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0.200 | 8 | |
| 10 | Derby Rams | 20 | 3 | 17 | 0.150 | 6 | |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 20 | 2 | 18 | 0.100 | 4 |
| = League winners | ||
| = Qualified for the play-offs |
(1) Glasgow Rangers vs. (8) Olympic City Giants
(2) Livingston vs. (7) Hemel Royals
(3) Sunderland 76ers vs. (6) Bracknell Tigers
(4) Leicester City Riders vs. (5) Manchester Eagles
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | % | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham Celtics | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0.850 | 34 | |
| 2 | Brixton Topcats | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0.850 | 34 | |
| 3 | Birmingham Bullets | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0.800 | 32 | |
| 4 | Worthing Bears | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0.750 | 30 | |
| 5 | Gateshead Vikings | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0.700 | 28 | |
| 6 | Plymouth Raiders | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0.500 | 20 | |
| 7 | Oxford Park | 20 | 8 | 12 | 0.400 | 16 | |
| 8 | Cheshire Jets | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0.300 | 12 | |
| 9 | Corby Flyers | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0.200 | 8 | |
| 10 | Stockport Giants | 20 | 3 | 17 | 0.150 | 6 | |
| 11 | Tower Hamlets | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0.000 | 0 |
| = League winners |
+ Derby expelled after match was abandoned following a scuffle
North Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Glasgow Rangers | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2. Livingston | 16 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0.800 | |
| 3. Manchester Eagles | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 | |
| 4. Olympic City Giants | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 | |
| 5. Sunderland 76ers | 4 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 | |
| 6. Oldham Celtics | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0.000 |
South Group
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bracknell Tigers | 18 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0.900 | |
| 2. Leicester City Riders | 14 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 | |
| 3. Solent Stars | 12 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0.600 | |
| 4. Derby Rams | 6 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 | |
| 5. Hemel Royals | 6 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 | |
| 6. Crystal Palace | 4 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 |
Despite dropping out of the Carlsberg League and into the National League after just one game of the season, Oldham Celtics continued their schedule in the League Trophy.
Glasgow Rangers vs. Olympic City Giants
Livingston vs. Manchester Eagles
Bracknell Tigers vs. Derby Rams
Leicester City Riders vs. Solent Stars
Glasgow Rangers vs. Livingston
Bracknell Tigers vs. Leicester City Riders