The 2020-21 FIBA Basketball Champions League season is coming to beIN SPORTS fans in the U.S. this month on beIN SPORTS XTRA – the network’s free, 24/7 English-language live sports channel. The European professional basketball league brings together 32 of the sport’s leading clubs from all over Europe for 14 regular season games each. The league will begin Oct. 20, 2020 with a 2:20 p.m. EST matchup between Iberostar Tenerife (ESP) and Bakken Bears (DEN). Wake Forest power forward Tyler Cavanaugh and Tenerife take on the Bakken Bears, led by Flint, Michigan native Glenn Cosey and former Wisconsin Badger Ryan Evans.

“The FIBA Basketball Champions League is a haven for American and Canadian athletes, many of whom are former NBA and NCAA players,” said Antonio Briceño, beIN SPORTS managing director for North America. “Adding BCL to beIN SPORTS’ world-class programming lineup is just one more way we are diversifying to offer entertainment that fits the likes of every sports fan.”

“HSM is excited to bring Basketball Champions League to the U.S. alongside beIN SPORTS,” said Michael Chamblain, President of HSM. “Adding one of Europe's top competitions to a rich sports culture and providing fans with an opportunity to see more of the world's top basketball talent.” 

The league runs through May 2021 with one game per week airing on beIN SPORTS XTRA. Among the notable players are:

• Wisconsin Badger great and former Houston Rockets player Sam Dekker (currently plays for Turkey’s Türk Telekom)
• Syracuse Orange alumnus and former Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, and Toronto Raptors player Tyler Ennis (Türk Telekom)
• Newly named season MVP, Keith Langford, who played college ball at the University of Kansas (Greece’s AEK Athens) 
• The Flint, Michigan native, Thad McFadden, was just named the MVP of the BCL Final 8 as he helped Burgos of Spain become the 2019-20 BCL Champions
• The First All-League Team included Langford, as well as TaShawn Thomas, originally from Las Vegas, Nevada and who played college basketball at the University of Houston and the University of Oklahoma (currently plays for Israel’s Hapoel Jerusalem) 
• The Second All-League Team features Canadian standouts Kyle Wiltjer (Kentucky Wildcats and Gonzaga Bulldogs, currently plays for Türk Telekom), Dylan Ennis (Tyler Ennis’ brother) (Rice, Villanova and Oregon, currently plays for Casademont Zaragoza), and Dyshawn Pierre (Dayton Flyers, currently plays for Dinamo Sassari)