From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Top French men's basketball league
Basketball league
The
LNB Elite
, currently known for sponsorship reasons as
Betclic
Elite
,
[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
(LNB) has governed the league.
Formerly known as the
LNB Pro A
, each season consists of 18 teams. 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 league are crowned the French national champions.
Competition format
[
edit
]
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 the 2014?15 season.
Current teams
[
edit
]
Team
|
City
|
Arena
|
Capacity
|
ADA Blois Basket 41
|
Blois
|
Jeu de Paume
|
2,525
|
AS Monaco Basket
|
Fontvieille, Monaco
|
Salle Gaston Medecin
|
3,700
|
ASVEL Basket
|
Lyon
-
Villeurbanne
|
Astroballe
|
5,556
|
BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque
|
Gravelines
|
Sportica
|
3,043
|
Cholet Basket
|
Cholet
|
La Meilleraie
|
5,191
|
Elan Chalon
|
Chalon-sur-Saone
|
Le Colisee
|
4,540
|
ESSM Le Portel
|
Le Portel
|
Le Chaudron
|
3,500
|
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
|
Antares
|
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
|
Adidas Arena
|
8,000
|
Roanne Basket
|
Roanne
|
Halle Andre Vacheresse
|
5,020
|
Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball
|
Saint-Quentin
|
Palais des Sports Pierre Ratte
|
3,800
|
SIG Strasbourg
|
Strasbourg
|
Rhenus Sport
|
6,200
|
SLUC Nancy Basket
|
Nancy
|
Jean Weille
|
6,027
|
Arena rules
[
edit
]
Currently, LNB Pro A clubs must play in arenas that seat at least 3,000 people.
French League history
[
edit
]
- 1920?21 to 1948?49
Excellence
- 1949?50 to 1962?63
Nationale
- 1963?64 to 1964?65
Premiere 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 Elite
(title sponsorship took effect in the later stages of the 2017?18 season)
[6]
- 2021?22 to present:
Betclic Elite
[3]
Title holders
[
edit
]
Performance by club
[
edit
]
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 Francais
|
2
|
1920?21, 1926?27
|
CAUFA Reims
|
2
|
1931?32, 1932?33
|
CAM
|
2
|
1934?35, 1936?37
|
SCPO
|
2
|
1935?36, 1937?38
|
Metro
|
2
|
1938?39, 1941?42
|
Grenoble
|
2
|
1942?43, 1943?44
|
Etoile Charleville-Mezieres
|
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
|
Elan Chalon
|
2
|
2011?12, 2016?17
|
AS Monaco
|
2
|
2022?23, 2023-24
|
ICAM Lille
|
1
|
1921?22
|
Ecole 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
[
edit
]
Historical players
[
edit
]
Players with the most French League championships won
[
edit
]
French basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions
[
edit
]
Individual awards
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes and references
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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2023?24 teams
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Seasons
| |
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Other competitions
| |
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Awards
| |
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Other
| |
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Basketball in France
|
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|
National Teams
| |
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League Competitions
| |
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Cup Competitions
& Miscellaneous
| |
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