The chair of the British Basketball Federation (BBF) has dismissed fears of another 777 Partners over plans to hand control of its league to more US investors. 

The BBF had to strip the 777-owned British Basketball League (BBL) of its licence last year after the Miami-based fund ran out of money, leaving clubs facing extinction.

Nine of the teams rallied round to form a new competition, Super League Basketball (SLB), which was granted an interim licence by the BBF and is halfway through its first season.  

The BBF’s decision to name Marshall Glickman’s group preferred bidder for a long-term licence has infuriated SLB, which has now vowed to split from the federation.

But BBF chair Chris Grant insists that former NBA and EuroLeague executive Glickman’s bid has already been vetted more than 777 ever was.

“So the previous situation clearly was untenable, and that was why we took what was a difficult decision to withdraw that license [from BBL/777],” Grant told City AM. 

“I believe that the due diligence and scrutiny that has been applied to the preferred bidder in order for it to become the preferred bidder exceeds by a long way anything of that kind which has been done, certainly in my knowledge, in British basketball up to this point.”

SLB has complained that it was not consulted and it is understood to have refused to take part over concerns about the legality of the process as well as the cost.

Grant and the BBF responded to those suggestions, said it didn’t know why SLB hadn’t bid and dismissed concerns over the future of a British basketball league.