Before the start of the season, the league was divided into two seasons (north and south) of sixteen teams each. The season was played in the respective season in the mode "everyone against everyone" with a return game. The champions of the two seasons rose to the basketball Bundesliga 2002/03 , while the two worst teams in the final table were relegated to the respective regional leagues.
Season Notes
The BCJ Hamburg was relegated from the basketball Bundesliga 2000/01 to the northern group and ratiopharm Ulm in the southern group . In addition to WiredMinds Tübingen as southern champion, SER Rhöndorf was promoted to northern champion in 2001 . The Rhöndorfer waived their right to promotion in favor of the Regionalliga West champions Cologne 99ers . While the first division clubs approved the transfer of the Rhöndorfer first division license, the second division clubs initially refused to transfer the Cologne second division license to Rhöndorf and threatened the first division clubs with legal action in mid-July by the spokesman for the AG 2. Basketball Bundesliga . At a further meeting of the licensing committee of the second division working group two weeks later, the license application from Rhöndorf for the second division group north was granted.
Newcomers from the regional leagues were in the group north TSV Lesum Bremen and the ETB SW Essen . The SER Rhöndorf received the right to play for the champions and other climbers of the Regionalliga West Köln 99ers in a license exchange.
In the north group, the OBC Wolmirstedt continued to play as OSC Magdeburg in the north group, while the BG Wolfenbüttel and SVD 49 Dortmund withdrew from play, so that the north group finally only played with 15 teams.
Champions of the 2nd basketball league were at the end of the season: BCJ Hamburg (North) and BSG Ludwigsburg (South).
1 As a newcomer, BCJ Hamburg was refused a license for both the first and second basketball leagues and had to continue playing in the regional league the following season. 2 The SC Rist withdrew their team from the second division at the end of the season and were relegated.