The United Basketball Alliance (UBA) was the first men’s professional basketball league in India, comprising eight teams. The UBA was headquartered in Pune and had a city team, Pune Peshwas. The first UBA match was played on 17 July 2015 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad between Bengaluru Beast and Pune Peshwas. The match was won by Pune Peshwas as they pulled out an 88-81 win. This marked the first time a professional basketball league tipped off in India.
The league played out between 2015 and 2017. However, the Basketball Federation of India did not invite UBA players for national and international tournaments. UBA was replaced by Elite Pro Basketball League in 2022.
Teams
The UBA comprised eight teams which competed across two divisions: Mumbai Challengers, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Steelers and Haryana Gold in the North Division, while Chennai Slam, Pune Peshwas, Bengaluru Beast and Hyderabad Sky made the South Division.
North Division
South Division
Seasons
Season 1
UBA season 1 was held during 17–30 July 2015 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, Telangana. Chennai Slam won the UBA Championship in Season 1. Ravi Bhardwaj (Punjab Steelers) was the MVP of UBA season 1, averaging 20.3 points per game.
Each team played six games in the regular season. After the regular season, the team leading their division faced the runners-up from the other division for the semi-finals.
North Division
South Division
(* won tiebreak for 2nd place)
Season 2
UBA Season 2 was held in two legs. The first leg was during 18–28 February 2016 in Balewadi Stadium, Pune, Maharashtra. The second leg was held from 23 March to 3 April 2016 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, Telangana. Delhi Capitas bested Chennai Slam in a 3-game finals series to claim the title of season 2. Vinay Kaushik (Delhi Capitals) was awarded MVP honors, averaging 18.7 points per game.
Each team played seven games in the regular season. Five games were played in the first leg in Pune. Hyderabad leg saw the teams play two regular season games in addition to the postseason. Season 2 postseason included a play-in game for each division to determine semi-finalists between the 2nd and 3rd place team. The semifinals and finals were best-of-three series.
North Division
South Division
(* won tiebreak for 1st place) (** won tiebreak for 2nd place)
Season 3
UBA Season 3 was held in Balewadi Stadium, Pune, Maharashtra from 15 to 31 July 2016. The season 3 championship was won by Chennai Slam after they defeated Punjab Steelers in three games. Narender Grewal (Pune Peshwas) won MVP honors, averaging 31.8 points per game. Each team played 4 games in the regular season, including cross-division matches. The post-season saw a play-in game for each division and best of three semifinals and finals series.
North Division
(* won tiebreak for 2nd place)
South Division
(**- won tiebreak for 1st place) (***- won tiebreak for 3rd place)
Season 4
UBA season 4 was held in two legs, with the first leg being held at Sathyabama University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and the second leg at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Goa. Season 4 championship was won by Mumbai Challengers as they bested Bengaluru Beast in two games in the best of three finals series. Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Bengaluru Beast) won Indian MVP honors, averaging 28.3 points per game and Dermaine Crockrell (Punjab Steelers) won International MVP honors, with a league-leading 41.2 points per game. The postseason saw a play-in game for each division and a best of three semifinals and finals series. The teams played six games each in the regular season within their division. The postseason saw a play-in game for each division and best of three semifinal and final series.
North Division
South Division
(* won tiebreak for 2nd place)
Playoffs
Season 1
UBA season 1 semifinals involved Pune Peshwas, Haryana Gold, Chennai Slam and Punjab Steelers. Haryana Gold faced Pune Peshwas and Chennai Slam faced Punjab Steelers for the other semifinals. Pune defeated Haryana (81-80) and Chennai overcame Punjab (92-77). In the one-game final, Chennai defeated Pune (81-49). This marked the first and only time that two teams from the same division faced each other in the finals.