Wikipedia
LNB Pro A
The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite,[3] is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. The bottom two placed teams from each season are relegated to the second tier level Pro B. The winner of the play-offs of the Pro A is crowned the French national champion.
| Current season, competition or edition: 2022–23 Pro A season | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1921 |
| Administrator | LNB |
| No. of teams | 18 |
| Countries | France (17 teams) Monaco (1 team) |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) | LDLC ASVEL (21st title) (2021–22) |
| Most titles | ASVEL (21 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | La Chaîne L'Equipe Sport en France Fanseat (select foreign markets)[1] NBA App[2] |
| Sponsor(s) | Betclic |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| Relegation to | Pro B |
| Domestic cup(s) | French Cup Leaders Cup |
| International cup(s) | EuroLeague EuroCup Champions League FIBA Europe Cup |
| Official website | LNB Pro A |
Competition format
All 18 Pro A League teams play each other twice during the regular season. At the end of the regular season, the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs. The two teams with the worst regular season records are relegated to the 2nd-tier Pro B.
Through the 1985–86 season, the league championship was determined by a one-off final, or solely by league play. Since then, the format for the league finals has changed many times:[4]
- 1987–1992: Best-of-3 series
- 1993: Best-of-5
- 1994: Best-of-3
- 1995–1996: Best-of-5
- 1997–2004: Best-of-3
- 2005–2012: Single match (at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris)
- 2013–present: Best-of-5
- 2021 only: Single match due to COVID-19 issues[5]
From the 2003–04 season, through the 2006–07 season, the Pro A League had 18 teams. Through the wild-card system, it will have 18 teams again from 2014–15 season. From the 2023–24 season, the league will be reduced to 16 teams.[6]
Current teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADA Blois Basket 41 | Blois | Jeu de Paume | 2,525 |
| AS Monaco Basket | Fontvieille, Monaco | Salle Gaston Médecin | 3,700 |
| ASVEL Basket | Lyon - Villeurbanne | Astroballe | 5,556 |
| BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque | Gravelines | Sportica | 3,043 |
| Cholet Basket | Cholet | La Meilleraie | 5,191 |
| Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez | Pau | Palais des Sports de Pau | 7,707 |
| ESSM Le Portel | Le Portel | Chaudron | 3,500 |
| Fos Provence Basket | Fos-sur-Mer | Complexe sportif Parsemain | 2,000 |
| JDA Dijon Basket | Dijon | Palais des Sports Jean-Michel Geoffroy | 4,628 |
| JL Bourg Basket | Bourg-en-Bresse | Ekinox | 3,548 |
| Le Mans Sarthe Basket | Le Mans | Antarès | 6,023 |
| Limoges CSP | Limoges | Beaublanc | 5,516 |
| Metropolitans 92 | Levallois-Perret | Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan | 3,051 |
| Nanterre 92 | Nanterre | Palais des Sports | 3,000 |
| Paris Basketball | Paris | Halle Georges Carpentier | 5,009 |
| Roanne Basket | Roanne | Halle André Vacheresse | 5,020 |
| SIG Strasbourg | Strasbourg | Rhénus Sport | 6,200 |
| SLUC Nancy Basket | Nancy | Jean Weille | 6,027 |
Arena rules
Currently, LNB Pro A clubs must play in arenas that seat at least 3,000 people.
French League history
- 1920–21 to 1948–49 Excellence
- 1949–50 to 1962–63 Nationale
- 1963–64 to 1964–65 Première Division
- 1965–66 to 1986–87 Nationale 1
- 1987–88 to 1991–92 Nationale 1A
- 1992–93 Nationale A1
- 1993–94 to 2017–18 Pro A
- 2017–18 to 2020–21 Jeep Élite (title sponsorship took effect in the later stages of the 2017–18 season)[7]
- 2021–22 to present: Betclic Elite[3]
Title holders
- 1920–21: Stade Français
- 1921–22: Lille
- 1922–23: École Normale Arras
- 1923–24: FAM
- 1924–25: FAM
- 1925–26: FAM
- 1926–27: Stade Français
- 1927–28: FAM
- 1928–29: FAM
- 1929–30: FAM
- 1930–31: FAM
- 1931–32: CAUFA Reims
- 1932–33: CAUFA Reims
- 1933–34: Olympique Lillois
- 1934–35: CAM
- 1935–36: SCPO
- 1936–37: CAM
- 1937–38: SCPO
- 1938–39: Métro
- 1939–41: Not held due to WWII
- 1941–42: Métro
- 1942–43: Grenoble
- 1943–44: Grenoble
- 1944–45: Championnet Sports
- 1945–46: ESSMG Lyon
- 1946–47: PUC
- 1947–48: Union athlétique de Marseille
- 1948–49: ASVEL
- 1949–50: ASVEL
- 1950–51: Racing Club de France
- 1951–52: ASVEL
- 1952–53: Racing Club de France
- 1953–54: Racing Club de France
- 1954–55: ASVEL
- 1955–56: ASVEL
- 1956–57: ASVEL
- 1957–58: Étoile Charleville-Mézières
- 1958–59: Chorale Mulsant
- 1959–60: Étoile Charleville-Mézières
- 1960–61: Alsace de Bagnolet
- 1961–62: Alsace de Bagnolet
- 1962–63: PUC
- 1963–64: ASVEL
- 1964–65: Denain Voltaire
- 1965–66: ASVEL
- 1966–67: Alsace de Bagnolet
- 1967–68: ASVEL
- 1968–69: ASVEL
- 1969–70: Olympique Antibes
- 1970–71: ASVEL
- 1971–72: ASVEL
- 1972–73: Berck
- 1973–74: Berck
- 1974–75: ASVEL
- 1975–76: ASPO Tours
- 1976–77: ASVEL
- 1977–78: Moderne
- 1978–79: Moderne
- 1979–80: ASPO Tours
- 1980–81: ASVEL
- 1981–82: Moderne
- 1982–83: Limoges CSP
- 1983–84: Limoges CSP
- 1984–85: Limoges CSP
- 1985–86: Orthez
- 1986–87: Orthez
- 1987–88: Limoges CSP
- 1988–89: Limoges CSP
- 1989–90: Limoges CSP
- 1990–91: Olympique Antibes
- 1991–92: Pau-Orthez
- 1992–93: Limoges CSP
- 1993–94: Limoges CSP
- 1994–95: Olympique Antibes
- 1995–96: Pau-Orthez
- 1996–97: PSG Racing
- 1997–98: Pau-Orthez
- 1998–99: Pau-Orthez
- 1999–00: Limoges CSP
- 2000–01: Pau-Orthez
- 2001–02: ASVEL
- 2002–03: Pau-Orthez
- 2003–04: Pau-Orthez
- 2004–05: SIG Strasbourg
- 2005–06: Le Mans Sarthe
- 2006–07: Chorale Roanne
- 2007–08: SLUC Nancy
- 2008–09: ASVEL
- 2009–10: Cholet
- 2010–11: SLUC Nancy
- 2011–12: Élan Chalon
- 2012–13: JSF Nanterre
- 2013–14: Limoges CSP
- 2014–15: Limoges CSP
- 2015–16: ASVEL
- 2016–17: Élan Chalon
- 2017–18: Le Mans Sarthe
- 2018–19: LDLC ASVEL
- 2019–20: No championship awarded (COVID-19)
- 2020–21: LDLC ASVEL
- 2021–22: LDLC ASVEL
Performance by club
| Club | Champions | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| ASVEL | 21 | 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1980–81, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 |
| Limoges CSP | 11 | 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2013–14, 2014–15 |
| Pau-Lacq-Orthez | 9 | 1985–86, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04 |
| FAM | 7 | 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31 |
| Le Mans Sarthe | 5 | 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 2005–06, 2017–18 |
| Racing Paris | 4 | 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1996–97 |
| Alsace de Bagnolet | 3 | 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67 |
| Olympique Antibes | 3 | 1969–70, 1990–91, 1994–95 |
| Stade Français | 2 | 1920–21, 1926–27 |
| CAUFA Reims | 2 | 1931–32, 1932–33 |
| CAM | 2 | 1934–35, 1936–37 |
| SCPO | 2 | 1935–36, 1937–38 |
| Métro | 2 | 1938–39, 1941–42 |
| Grenoble | 2 | 1942–43, 1943–44 |
| Étoile Charleville-Mézières | 2 | 1957–58, 1959–60 |
| PUC | 2 | 1946–47, 1962–63 |
| Berck | 2 | 1972–73, 1973–74 |
| ASPO Tours | 2 | 1975–76, 1979–80 |
| Chorale Roanne | 2 | 1958–59, 2006–07 |
| SLUC Nancy | 2 | 2007–08, 2010–11 |
| Élan Chalon | 2 | 2011–12, 2016–17 |
| ICAM Lille | 1 | 1921–22 |
| École Normale Arras | 1 | 1922–23 |
| Olympique Lillois | 1 | 1933–34 |
| Championnet Sports | 1 | 1944–45 |
| ESSMG Lyon | 1 | 1945–46 |
| Marseille | 1 | 1947–48 |
| Denain Voltaire | 1 | 1964–65 |
| SIG | 1 | 2004–05 |
| Cholet | 1 | 2009–10 |
| Nanterre 92 | 1 | 2012–13 |
Finals
Historical players
- Alexis Ajinça
- David Andersen
- Ron Anderson
- Roger Antoine
- Eddie Basden
- Nicolas Batum
- Rodrigue Beaubois
- Louis Bertorelle
- Éric Beugnot
- Jean-Paul Beugnot
- Jim Bilba
- Yann Bonato
- Bruce Bowen
- Michael Brooks
- Marcus Brown
- André Buffière
- Robert Busnel
- Jacques Cachemire
- Fabien Causeur
- René Chocat
- Don Collins
- Richard Dacoury
- Frederic Forte
- Nando de Colo
- Jean Degros
- Boris Diaw
- Yakhouba Diawara
- Alain Digbeu
- Bobby Dixon
- Maxime Dorigo
- Hervé Dubuisson
- Zaza Enden
- Morris Finley
- Laurent Foirest
- Evan Fournier
- Lawrence Funderburke
- Pierre Galle
- Ken Gardner
- Didier Gadou
- Mickaël Gelabale
- Alain Gilles
- Rudy Gobert
- Henri Grange
- Ricardo Greer
- Udonis Haslem
- Thomas Heurtel
- Edwin Jackson
- Keith Jennings
- Cyril Julian
- İlkan Karaman
- Frank Kendrick
- Tarence Kinsey
- Joffrey Lauvergne
- John Linehan
- Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
- Ian Mahinmi
- Marko Milič
- Bo McCalebb
- Conrad McRae †
- Sammy Mejia
- Jérôme Moïso
- Robert Monclar
- Gheorghe Mureșan
- François Németh
- Carl Nicks
- Frank Ntilikina
- Hugues Occansey
- Stéphane Ostrowski
- Tony Parker
- Žarko Paspalj
- Johan Petro
- Jean Perniceni
- Jacques Perrier
- Mickaël Piétrus
- Florent Piétrus
- Micheal Ray Richardson
- J.R. Reid
- Antoine Rigaudeau
- Stéphane Risacher
- David Rivers
- Delaney Rudd
- Marc Salyers
- Thabo Sefolosha
- Will Solomon
- Blake Schilb
- Laurent Sciarra
- Kevin Séraphin
- Moustapha Sonko
- Jean-Pierre Staelens
- Philip Szanyiel
- Axel Toupane
- Ronny Turiaf
- Mirsad Türkcan
- Roko Ukić
- Graylin Warner
- Frédéric Weis
- Léo Westermann
- Rickie Winslow
- Michael Young
Players with the most French League championships won
| Player | Club(s) | Number of Titles Won |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Dacoury | Limoges CSP (8), Racing Paris (1) | 9 |
| Alain Gilles | ASVEL | 8 |
| Frédéric Fauthoux | Pau-Lacq-Orthez | 7 |
| Didier Gadou | Pau-Lacq-Orthez | 7 |
| Henri Grange | ASVEL | 7 |
| Jean-Michel Sénégal | ASVEL (2), ASPO Tours (2), Limoges CSP (3) | 7 |
| André Buffière | Éveil Lyon (1), Marseille (1), ASVEL (4) | 6 |
| Laurent Foirest | Olympique Antibes (2), Pau-Lacq-Orthez (3), ASVEL (1) | 6 |
| Raymond Sahy | ASVEL | 6 |
French basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions
Individual awards
D. J. Cooper receiving the Most Valuable Player award in 2017
In each Pro A season, individual honors are given to players and head coaches in the Pro A Awards ceremony who performed well during a given season. The awards that are handed out include:
LNB All-Star Game
See also
Notes and references
- ^ "French Basketball League". fanseat.com. Spring Media. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "NBA APP TO STREAM ALL LNB GAMES WITH TOP DRAFT PROSPECT VICTOR WEMBANYAMA FOR FREE". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ a b "Betclic nouveau partenaire et namer du championnat de France Élite". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "2006–07 French League". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- ^ "La Phase Finale de la Saison de Jeep® ÉLITE 2020-21 Officialisée" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Basket. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Basket : La Jeep Elite réduite à seize clubs en 2023-2024". Eurosport (in French). 27 September 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ "La PRO A devient la Jeep® ELITE" [The PRO A becomes the Jeep® ELITE]. Msb.fr. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
External links
- Official website
- Eurobasket.com League Page