The league began in 1930, and is noted for having had several head coaches who went on to achieve international recognition later in their careers. Among those are
Basketball Hall of Fame members
Dr. Jack Ramsay,
Tex Winter and
Red Holzman, who coached the
Leones de Ponce in the 1950s and 1960s, and
Phil Jackson, who coached the
Piratas de Quebradillas and
Gallitos de Isabela in the late 1980s. Others notable coaches who have worked for BSN teams include
Gene Bartow,
Lou Rossini,
Del Harris,
P. J. Carlesimo,
Bernie Bickerstaff,
Herb Brown and
Sergio Hernández. During the 1980s, notable players followed in the footsteps of players such as
Juan "Pachin" Vicens (
1959 Santiago Chile FIBA World Championship's
All-Tournament Team) and Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican and BSN player to enter the
NBA. Among those are:
Mario 'Quijote' Morales,
Raymond Dalmau,
Jose 'Piculin' Ortiz,
Ramón Rivas,
Jerome Mincy,
Georgie Torres,
Angelo Cruz, Angel Santiago, the late
Federico 'Fico' Lopez,
Rolando Frazer,
Mario Butler, and
Rubén Rodríguez, who showcased their talents to all of Puerto Rico's TV viewers and game goers.
New Era and Renewed Interest (2019-present) On September 19, 2019, the BSN team owners selected Ricardo Dalmau Santana to succeed Fernando Quiñones Bodea as president of the league. In October 2020, there was a change in ownership of the
Vaqueros de Bayamón, when retired professional baseball player
Yadier Molina acquired his hometown team. In April 2021, the league approved the return of the
Cangrejeros under the ownership of Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda. Later that month,
Bad Bunny joined the ownership group. In October 2022, the
Osos de Manatí returned from a short hiatus, when Puerto Rican singer
Ozuna purchased the
Brujos de Guayama and relocated the team to Manatí. In game 1 of the 2023 BSN finals,
LeBron James made a surprise appearance as the
Gigantes defeated the
Vaqueros, 89-85, in overtime to take a 1-0 series lead. On July 27 2023, the Gigantes De Carolina defeated the Vaqueros 80-60 in Game 5 of the BSN Finals, leading the Gigantes to become the 2023 BSN Champions. In October of 2024, Molina sold ownership of his team. ==Current teams==