The 2020 VBA season was the fifth season of the Vietnam Basketball Association. The season was scheduled to start in May[1] but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The regular season began on 15 October 2020 and ended on 20 November. The playoffs semi-finals began on 24 November 2020 and ended on 28 November 2020. The Finals began on 2 December 2020 and ended on 8 December 2020 with the Saigon Heat defeating the Thang Long Warriors after 4 games.
| Vietnam Basketball Association | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2020 | |||||||||
| Duration | 15 October 2020 – 20 November 2020 (Regular season) 24 November 2020 - 27 November 2020 (Playoffs semi-finals) 2 December 2020 - 8 December 2020 (Finals) | |||||||||
| Number of games | 50 | |||||||||
| Number of teams | 7 | |||||||||
| Regular season | ||||||||||
| Top seed | Saigon Heat | |||||||||
| Season MVP |  Robert Crawford (Thang Long Warriors) | |||||||||
| Finals | ||||||||||
| Champions | Saigon Heat | |||||||||
| Runners-up | Thang Long Warriors | |||||||||
| Semifinalists | Cantho Catfish Hanoi Buffaloes | |||||||||
| Finals MVP | Joshua Keyes (Saigon Heat) | |||||||||
| Statistical leaders | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Records | ||||||||||
| Biggest home win | 102-60 | |||||||||
| Biggest away win | 59-90 | |||||||||
| Winning streak | 7 (Saigon Heat) | |||||||||
| Losing streak | 5 (Hochiminh City Wings) | |||||||||
← 2019 2021 → | ||||||||||
Teams edit
Venues and locations edit
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all games will be played in a bubble in Ho Chi Minh City. A stadium, nicknamed the VBA Arena, was constructed in Studio S4 on the campus of ZoOm Media.
Personnel and sponsorship edit
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cantho Catfish |  Jordan Collins |
Actee | |
| Danang Dragons |  Phan Thanh Cảnh |
Actee | |
| Hanoi Buffaloes |  Eric Weissling |
Actee | |
| Hochiminh City Wings |  Gediminas Meiliunas |
Actee | |
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Ryan Marchand |
Actee | |
| Saigon Heat | Kevin Yurkus |
Hemero | |
| Thang Long Warriors |  Predrag Lukic |
Actee |
Heritage players edit
The following is the list of Vietnamese heritage players, which had played for their respective teams at least once. Each team can register 1 heritage player. Flags indicate the citizenship/s the player holds.
| Club | Heritage | Former Heritage |
|---|---|---|
| Cantho Catfish | Tam Dinh
|
|
| Danang Dragons | Richard Nguyen
|
Chris Dierker
|
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Sang Dinh
|
|
| Hochiminh City Wings |  Vincent Nguyen
|
|
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Khoa Tran
|
|
| Saigon Heat | Christian Juzang
|
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| Thang Long Warriors | Justin Young
|
Imports edit
The following is the list of imports, which had played for their respective teams at least once. Each team can register 1 import. Flags indicate the citizenship/s the player holds.
| Club | Import | Former Imports |
|---|---|---|
| Cantho Catfish | Leon Hampton
|
|
| Danang Dragon | Tyrell Williams
|
Darrell Miller
|
| Hanoi Buffaloes | Mike Bell
|
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| Hochiminh City Wings | Raheem Watts
|
|
| Nha Trang Dolphins | Lamontray Harris
|
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| Saigon Heat | Joshua Keyes
|
|
| Thang Long Warriors | Robert Crawford
|
Managerial changes edit
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced with | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hochiminh City Wings | Predrag Lukic |
Contract expired | 18 September 2019 | Pre-season | Gediminas Meiliunas |
20 January 2020 |
| Saigon Heat | David Singleton |
Contract expired | 18 September 2019 | Kevin Yurkus |
11 June 2020 | |
| Thang Long Warriors | Matt Juranek |
Contract expired | 18 September 2019 | Predrag Lukic |
7 January 2020 |
Drafts edit
Regular season edit
Standings edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | GB | Qualification | SGH | TLW | HNB | CTC | DND | NTD | HCM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saigon Heat | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1037 | 815 | +222 | .833 | — | Advance to Playoffs | — | 62–79 | 81–62 | 102–60 | 93–60 | 88–64 | 85–68 | |
| 2 | Thang Long Warriors | 12 | 8 | 4 | 905 | 832 | +73 | .667 | 2 | 78–76 | — | 60–73 | 81–87 | 74–84 | 63–62 | 67–64 | ||
| 3 | Hanoi Buffaloes | 12 | 6 | 6 | 934 | 933 | +1 | .500 | 4 | 71–97 | 52–79 | — | 97–86 | 72–79 | 81–62 | 72–62 | ||
| 4 | Cantho Catfish | 12 | 6 | 6 | 926 | 996 | −70 | .500 | 4 | 62–92 | 61–79 | 84–81 | — | 90–98 | 70–58 | 81–83 | ||
| 5 | Danang Dragons | 12 | 5 | 7 | 962 | 1030 | −68 | .417 | 5 | 78–92 | 82–76 (OT) | 99–104 (OT) | 73–78 | — | 87–94 (OT) | 89–81 | ||
| 6 | Nha Trang Dolphins | 12 | 4 | 8 | 835 | 917 | −82 | .333 | 6 | 59–90 | 63–80 | 79–77 | 68–80 | 86–56 | — | 77–67 | ||
| 7 | Hochiminh City Wings | 12 | 3 | 9 | 882 | 958 | −76 | .250 | 7 | 74–79 | 66–89 | 65–92 | 84–87 | 90–77 | 78–63 | — |
Updated to match(es) played on 20 November 2020. Source: vba.vn
Playoffs edit
Bracket edit
| Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||||
| 1 Saigon Heat | 77 | 93 | ||||||||||||
| 4 Cantho Catfish | 67 | 80 | ||||||||||||
| 1 Saigon Heat | 59 | 70 | 65 | 73 | ||||||||||
| 2 Thang Long Warriors | 55 | 74 | 53 | 54 | ||||||||||
| 2 Thang Long Warriors | 82 | 92 | ||||||||||||
| 3 Hanoi Buffaloes | 78 | 76 | ||||||||||||
Semifinals edit
- Note: All times are ICT (UTC+7) as listed by the VBA. All games were played at the VBA Arena in Ho Chi Minh City.
(1) Saigon Heat vs. (4) Cantho Catfish edit
24 November
7:00pm |
| Saigon Heat 77, Cantho Catfish 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 16–14, 21–16, 18–28 | ||
| Pts: Joshua Keyes 20 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 18 Asts: Joshua Keyes 7 |
Pts: Dinh, Hampton 19 each Rebs: Leon Hampton 24 Asts: Leon Hampton 4 | |
| Saigon lead series, 1–0 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Le Duc Anh, Francisco Olivar, Harry Santos |
26 November
7:00pm |
| Cantho Catfish 80, Saigon Heat 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 13–20, 24–23, 14–24 | ||
| Pts: Tam Dinh 32 Rebs: Leon Hampton 15 Asts: Le Hieu Thanh 6 |
Pts: Joshua Keyes 29 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 22 Asts: Christian Juzang 9 | |
| Saigon wins series, 2–0 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Dong Hyeon-lee, Le Duc Anh, Francisco Oivar |
(2) Thang Long Warriors vs. (3) Hanoi Buffaloes edit
25 November
7:00pm |
| Thang Long Warriors 82, Hanoi Buffaloes 78 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 23–19, 25–17, 15–24 | ||
| Pts: Robert Crawford 29 Rebs: Justin Young 12 Asts: Justin Young 7 |
Pts: Mike Bell 21 Rebs: Mike Bell 26 Asts: Bell, Dinh 4 each | |
| Thang Long lead series, 1–0 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Harry Santos, Khiem Nguyen Hoang, Dong Hyeon-lee |
27 November
7:00pm |
| Hanoi Buffaloes 76, Thang Long Warriors 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 13–23, 25–29, 19–20 | ||
| Pts: Mike Bell 24 Rebs: Mike Bell 24 Asts: Bell, Tien Cong 5 each |
Pts: Robert Crawford 31 Rebs: Justin Young 20 Asts: Justin Young 9 | |
| Thang Long wins series, 2–0 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Harry Santos, Le Truong Giang, Dong Hyeon-lee |
Finals edit
- Note: All times are ICT (UTC+7) as listed by the VBA. All games were played at the VBA Arena in Ho Chi Minh City.
(1) Saigon Heat vs. (2) Thang Long Warriors edit
2 December
7:00pm |
| Saigon Heat 59, Thang Long Warriors 55 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–12, 12–13, 13–18, 11–12 | ||
| Pts: Christian Juzang 21 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 25 Asts: Minh An, Phu Vinh 3 each |
Pts: Dang Thai Hung 19 Rebs: Justin Young 13 Asts: Justin Young 6 | |
| Saigon lead series, 1–0 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Francisco Olivar, Le Truong Giang, Harry Santos |
4 December
7:00pm |
| Saigon Heat 70, Thang Long Warriors 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–13, 20–21, 11–21, 18–19 | ||
| Pts: Christian Juzang 30 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 15 Asts: Joshua Keyes 4 |
Pts: Robert Crawford 28 Rebs: Robert Crawford 13 Asts: Justin Young 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Dong Hyeon-lee, Le Truong Giang, Harry Santos |
6 December
7:00pm |
| Thang Long Warriors 53, Saigon Heat 65 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–15, 13–14, 13–19, 16–17 | ||
| Pts: Dang Thai Hung 18 Rebs: Robert Crawford 12 Asts: Justin Young 4 |
Pts: Johua Keyes 20 Rebs: Johua Keyes 21 Asts: Christian Juzang 5 | |
| Saigon lead series, 2–1 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Harry Santos, Le Duc Anh, Francisco Olivar |
8 December
7:00pm |
| Thang Long Warriors 54, Saigon Heat 73 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 10–23, 19–8, 11–20, 14–22 | ||
| Pts: Crawford, Van Hung 14 each Rebs: Robert Crawford 10 Asts: Nguyen Phu Hoang 5 |
Pts: Vo Kim Ban 31 Rebs: Joshua Keyes 22 Asts: Christian Juzang 8 | |
| Saigon wins series, 3–1 | ||
VBA Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Referees: Francisco Olivar, Le Truong Giang, Harry Santos |
Statistics edit
Individual statistic leaders edit
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Robert Crawford | Thang Long Warriors | 26.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Leon Hampton | Cantho Catfish | 22.2 |
| Assists per game | Christian Juzang | Saigon Heat | 5.8 |
| Steals per game | Khoa Tran | Nha Trang Dolphins | 3.0 |
| Blocks per game | Leon Hampton | Cantho Catfish | 3.9 |
| Turnovers per game | Le Hieu Thanh | Cantho Catfish | 5.8 |
| Fouls per game | Nguyen Van Hung | Danang Dragons | 4.0 |
| Minutes per game | Tam Dinh | Cantho Catfish | 38.9 |
| FG% | Nguyen Huynh Phu Vinh | Saigon Heat | 56.3 |
| 3FG% | Le Quang | Saigon Heat | 52.9 |
Team statistic leaders edit
| Category | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Hanoi Buffaloes | 77.0 |
| Rebounds per game | Saigon Heat | 42.7 |
| Assists per game | Hanoi Buffaloes | 17.0 |
| Steals per game | Two teams | 9.5 |
| Blocks per game | Cantho Catfish | 4.5 |
| Turnovers per game | Hanoi Buffaloes | 18.5 |
| FG% | Thang Long Warriors | 38.6% |
| FT% | Saigon Heat | 74.4% |
| 3FG% | Hanoi Buffaloes | 30.0% |
Awards edit
Yearly awards edit
- Moment of the Year: Phạm Quang Minh
- Handle of the Year: Christian Juzang (Saigon Heat)
- Assist of the Year: Sang Dinh (Hanoi Buffaloes)
- Buzzer Beater of the Year: Võ Huy Hoàn (Hochiminh City Wings)
- Block of the Year: Joshua Keyes (Saigon Heat)
- Dunk of the Year: Raheem Watts (Hochiminh City Wings)
- Favorite Player of the Year: Christian Juzang (Saigon Heat)
- Rookie of the Year: Lê Quang (Saigon Heat)
- Most Improved Player of the Year: Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn (Danang Dragons)
- Sportsmanship of the Year: Mike Bell (Hanoi Buffaloes)
- Sixth Man of the Year: Nguyễn Tiến Dương (Hanoi Buffaloes)
- Defensive Player of the Year: Leon Hampton (Cantho Catfish)
- Local Player of the Year: Lê Ngọc Tú (Hochiminh City Wings)
- Heritage Player of the Year: Christian Juzang (Saigon Heat)
- Coach of the Year: Kevin Yurkus (Saigon Heat)
- Most Valuable Player of the Year: Robert Crawford (Thang Long Warriors)
MVP of the Week edit
| For week ending | Player | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 October 2020 | Leon Hampton (1/1) | Cantho Catfish | 1 |
| 11 November 2020 | Joshua Keyes (1/1) | Saigon Heat | 2 |
| 18 November 2020 | Christian Juzang (1/1) | Saigon Heat | 3 |
References edit
- ^ "Vietnam pro basketball league to start in May with extra team". vnexpress.net. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Vietnam basketball league postponed to year end". vnexpress.net. Retrieved 6 October 2020.