Lebanon's basketball league is called the Lebanese Basketball League. Big city clubs like Sagesse, Riyadi and Champville have huge fan groups who drum, sing and chant through whole games. The atmosphere is closer to a football stadium than to most basketball halls - in a country where indoor sports are usually quiet, Lebanese basketball is the noisy exception.
The national team has had its proudest moments at the Asian Cup, where Lebanon has reached the final three times. At the 2006 Basketball World Cup, Lebanon beat France in the group stage - a result still celebrated by Lebanese fans.
Lebanese children learn basketball at school, in church youth clubs, and on open courts in city parks. Many courts have no nets - just a metal hoop and a faded backboard - but games still go on every afternoon. A 1.5 metre tall 10-year-old can dribble past you in a flash.
Lebanon punches above its weight in basketball partly because the country is small. The pool of players is tiny compared to a country like the USA, but a high percentage of children give the sport a serious try. When the national team plays, half the country watches.

