LNB Pro A

The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite,[2] 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.

LNB Pro A
Current season, competition or edition:
2021–22 Pro A season
SportBasketball
Founded1921 (1921)
No. of teams18
CountriesFrance (17 teams)
Monaco (1 team)
ConfederationFIBA Europe
Most recent
champion(s)		LDLC ASVEL (20th title)
(2020–21)
Most titlesASVEL (20 titles)
TV partner(s)La Chaîne L'Equipe
Sport en France
Fanseat (select foreign markets)[1]
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toPro B
Domestic cup(s)French Cup
Leaders Cup
International cup(s)EuroLeague
EuroCup
Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Official websiteLNB Pro A

Logos
Logos
Until 2017 2017–18 2018–21 2021–Present

Competition format

All 16 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:[3]

  • 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[4]

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.

Current teams
Team City Arena Capacity
AS Monaco Basket Fontvieille, Monaco Salle Gaston Médecin 3,700
ASVEL Basket Lyon - Villeurbanne Astroballe 5,556
BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque Gravelines Sportica 3,043
Champagne Basket Châlons / Reims Complexe René-Tys / Pierre de Coubertin 3,000 / 2,791
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
Orléans Loiret Basket Orléans Palais des Sports 3,222
Paris Basketball Paris Halle Georges Carpentier 5,009
Roanne Roanne Halle André Vacheresse 5,020
SIG Strasbourg Strasbourg Rhénus Sport 6,200
Notes

    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)[5]
    • 2021–22 to present: Betclic Elite[2]

    Title holders

    Performance by club
    Club Champions Winning years
    ASVEL 20 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
    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
    Season Home court advantage Result Home court disadvantage 1st of Regular Season Record
    1987–88 Limoges CSP 2–0 Cholet Limoges CSP 26–4
    1988–89 Limoges CSP 2–0 Orthez Limoges CSP 28–2
    1989–90 Limoges CSP 2–1 Olympique Antibes Limoges CSP 33–1
    1990–91 Olympique Antibes 2–1 Limoges CSP Olympique Antibes 22–8
    1991–92 Limoges CSP 0–2 Pau-Orthez Limoges CSP 27–3
    1992–93 Limoges CSP 3–1 Pau-Orthez Limoges CSP 25–1
    1993–94 Limoges CSP 2–0 Olympique Antibes Limoges CSP 23–3
    1994–95 Olympique Antibes 3–1 Pau-Orthez Olympique Antibes 21–5
    1995–96 Pau-Orthez 3–2 ASVEL Pau-Orthez 27–3
    1996–97 ASVEL 0–2 PSG Racing Pau-Orthez 24–6
    1997–98 Pau-Orthez 2–0 Limoges CSP ASVEL 24–6
    1998–99 Pau-Orthez 2–0 ASVEL Pau-Orthez 27–3
    1999–00 ASVEL 1–2 Limoges CSP ASVEL 24–6
    2000–01 ASVEL 0–2 Pau-Orthez ASVEL 24–6
    2001–02 Pau-Orthez 0–2 ASVEL Pau-Orthez 24–6
    2002–03 Pau-Orthez 2–1 ASVEL Pau-Orthez 27–3
    2003–04 Pau-Orthez 2–0 BCM Gravelines Le Mans Sarthe 27–7
    2004–05 SIG 1–0 (72–68) SLUC Nancy Le Mans Sarthe 25–9
    2005–06 SLUC Nancy 0–1 (88–93) Le Mans Sarthe Pau-Orthez 26–8
    2006–07 SLUC Nancy 0–1 (74–81) Chorale Roanne SLUC Nancy 25–9
    2007–08 SLUC Nancy 1–0 (84–53) Chorale Roanne Le Mans Sarthe 23–7
    2008–09 ASVEL 1–0 (55–41) Entente Orléanaise Loiret ASVEL 22–8
    2009–10 Cholet 1–0 (81–65) Le Mans Sarthe Cholet 23–7
    2010–11 Cholet 0–1 (74–76) SLUC Nancy Cholet 22–8
    2011–12 Élan Chalon 1–0 (95–76) Le Mans Sarthe BCM Gravelines 27–3
    2012–13 SIG 1–3 JSF Nanterre BCM Gravelines 21–9
    2013–14 SIG 0–3 Limoges CSP SIG 20–10
    2014–15 SIG 1–3 Limoges CSP SIG 30–4
    2015–16 SIG 2–3 ASVEL Monaco 27–7
    2016–17 Élan Chalon 3–2 SIG Monaco 30–4
    2017–18 Monaco 2–3 Le Mans Monaco 25-9
    2018–19 LDLC ASVEL 3–2 Monaco LDLC ASVEL 35-10
    2019–20 Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic Monaco 21–3
    2020–21 LDLC ASVEL 87–74 JDA Dijon JDA Dijon 30-7

    Historical players

    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
    Main article: 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 who performed well during a given season. The awards that are handed out include:

    LNB All-Star Game
    Main article: LNB All-Star Game

    See also

    Notes and references
    1. "French Basketball League". fanseat.com. Spring Media. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
    2. "Betclic nouveau partenaire et namer du championnat de France Élite". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
    3. "2006–07 French League". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
    4. "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.
    5. "La PRO A devient la Jeep® ELITE" [The PRO A becomes the Jeep® ELITE]. Msb.fr. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
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