The 2018–19 Slovenian Basketball League (also known as Liga Nova KBM for sponsorship reasons) was the 28th season of the Premier A Slovenian Basketball League, the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Slovenia. The season ran from 11 October 2018 to 24 May 2019, with 10 teams competing in 154 total games. KK Olimpija (Petrol Olimpija) entered as the defending champions.
Format
The season was structured in three phases. In the regular season, all ten teams played a home-and-away round-robin (18 games each). The top six teams advanced to the championship group, where they played another home-and-away round-robin (10 games each) starting from scratch. The bottom four teams entered a relegation group (9 games each), with the top two advancing to the playoffs and the last-placed team (Ilirija) being relegated. Eight teams ultimately qualified for the playoffs, which consisted of best-of-three quarterfinals and semifinals, and a best-of-five final series.
Teams
| Club | Location | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helios Suns | Domžale | Komunalni center Hall | 2,500 |
| Hopsi Polzela | Polzela | ŠD Polzela | 1,800 |
| Krka | Novo Mesto | ŠD Leona Štuklja | 2,500 |
| Ilirija | Ljubljana | Tivoli Hall | 4,000 |
| Petrol Olimpija | Ljubljana | Arena Stožice | 12,500 |
| Rogaška | Rogaška Slatina | ŠD Rogaška Slatina | 800 |
| Šenčur | Šenčur | ŠD Šenčur | 800 |
| Sixt Primorska | Koper | Arena Bonifika | 5,000 |
| Šentjur | Šentjur | Dvorana OŠ Hruševec | 700 |
| Zlatorog Laško | Laško | Tri Lilije Hall | 2,500 |
Regular Season Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sixt Primorska | 18 | 13 | 5 | 1,525 | 1,330 | +195 | 31 |
| 2 | Krka | 18 | 12 | 6 | 1,466 | 1,374 | +92 | 30 |
| 3 | Rogaška | 18 | 11 | 7 | 1,454 | 1,468 | −14 | 29 |
| 4 | Petrol Olimpija | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1,422 | 1,426 | −4 | 28 |
| 5 | Hopsi Polzela | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1,465 | 1,390 | +75 | 28 |
| 6 | Helios Suns | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1,342 | 1,342 | 0 | 27 |
| 7 | Zlatorog Laško | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1,392 | 1,433 | −41 | 27 |
| 8 | Šentjur | 18 | 8 | 10 | 1,397 | 1,427 | −30 | 26 |
| 9 | Šenčur | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1,416 | 1,445 | −29 | 25 |
| 10 | Ilirija | 18 | 1 | 17 | 1,381 | 1,625 | −244 | 19 |
Championship Group Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sixt Primorska | 10 | 10 | 0 | 818 | 650 | +168 | 20 |
| 2 | Petrol Olimpija | 10 | 7 | 3 | 726 | 677 | +49 | 17 |
| 3 | Hopsi Polzela | 10 | 5 | 5 | 727 | 763 | −36 | 15 |
| 4 | Krka | 10 | 4 | 6 | 766 | 751 | +15 | 14 |
| 5 | Rogaška | 10 | 3 | 7 | 740 | 833 | −93 | 13 |
| 6 | Helios Suns | 10 | 1 | 9 | 691 | 794 | −103 | 11 |
Relegation Group Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Šenčur | 15 | 10 | 5 | 1,213 | 1,141 | +72 | 25 | Playoffs |
| 2 | Zlatorog Laško | 15 | 9 | 6 | 1,199 | 1,119 | +80 | 24 | Playoffs |
| 3 | Šentjur | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1,133 | 1,180 | −47 | 23 | |
| 4 | Ilirija | 15 | 3 | 12 | 1,149 | 1,254 | −105 | 18 | Relegated |
Playoffs
Quarterfinals (best-of-three):
- Sixt Primorska defeated Zlatorog Laško 2–0 (98–74, 89–68)
- Petrol Olimpija defeated Šenčur 2–1 (79–77, 70–73, 85–73)
- Helios Suns defeated Hopsi Polzela 2–0 (95–82, 80–78)
- Krka defeated Rogaška 2–0 (77–73, 80–74)
Semifinals (best-of-three):
- Sixt Primorska defeated Krka 2–0 (85–74, 88–76)
- Petrol Olimpija defeated Helios Suns 2–0 (74–60, 68–49)
Finals (best-of-five):
- Sixt Primorska defeated Petrol Olimpija 3–0 (79–61, 76–75, 68–63)
Champions
Sixt Primorska won its first Slovenian League title, sweeping Petrol Olimpija in the finals. Marjan Čakarun was named both Season MVP and Finals MVP.
Awards
- Regular Season MVP: Davor Konjević (Šentjur)
- Season MVP: Marjan Čakarun (Sixt Primorska)
- Finals MVP: Marjan Čakarun (Sixt Primorska)
All-League Team: Jan Špan (Petrol Olimpija), Blaž Mahkovic (Helios Suns), Donovon Jack (Hopsi Polzela), Marko Jagodić-Kuridža (Sixt Primorska), Marjan Čakarun (Sixt Primorska)
Statistical Leaders
- Points per game: Davor Konjević (Šentjur) – 19.96
- Rebounds per game: Matur Maker (Zlatorog Laško) – 9.59
- Assists per game: Žan Mark Šiško (Sixt Primorska) – 6.83
- Performance Index Rating: Davor Konjević (Šentjur) – 22.37
