Basketball in Slovenia is governed by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia (Košarkarska zveza Slovenije). Slovenia is participating in the international basketball as an independent nation since 1991, when the country gained independence from SFR Yugoslavia.
History
Although in some parts of Yugoslavia basketball was played from the twenties onwards, it came to the territories that are today part of Slovenia only during the Second World War. First club was founded in Ljubljana as a basketball section of ŽŠK Hermes in 1943, when the city was under Italian administration. After the war basketball was promoted mostly by students who came from Belgrade Sports Institute and new clubs soon were soon founded in Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Celje and Lendava. First postwar public match was played in February 1946 and the first Championship was held later that year, with Svoboda winnig the first title. Slovenian champion had the opportunity of competing for the Yugoslav Championship on the final tournament until 1949, when with the formation of Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia all-season federal league was established. It was joined by two best Slovenian teams Enotnost and Železničar, who later both played a major role in yugoslav basketball. Enotnost, renamed Olimpija, won yugoslav league six times, while Železničar won one cup title.
After the Independence of Slovenia in 1991 national League and Cup competitions were formed on the basis of old republic structures. Slovenia became official member of FIBA on 10. January 1992 and Slovenia national basketball team played their first official match against Croatia in May that year.
