The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as

Betclic Betclic is a French online gambling company founded in 2005. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, and online poker. The business is split into two divisions, France and International. French operations are conducted from ...

Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the

Ligue Nationale de Basket The Ligue nationale de basket (LNB; English: National Basketball League) is the governing body of men's professional club basketball in France. The LNB organises the first-tier Pro A and the second-tier Pro B. Additionally, the federation annu ...

has governed the league. The bottom two placed teams from each season are relegated to the second tier level

Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the French basketball league system, 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since t ...

. The winner of the play-offs of the Pro A is crowned the French national champion.

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

. 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: * 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 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.

Current teams

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) *2021–22 to present: Betclic Elite

Title holders

* 1920–21:

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

* 1921–22: Lille * 1922–23: École Normale Arras * 1923–24: FAM * 1924–25: FAM * 1925–26: FAM * 1926–27:

* 1927–28: FAM * 1928–29: FAM * 1929–30: FAM * 1930–31: FAM * 1931–32:

CAUFA Reims Centre Athlétique de l'Union Franco-Américaine de Reims or simply Reims was a French basketball club based in Reims. The club was known for its excellent performances in the championship of France basketball in the 1930s, counting among its mem ...

* 1932–33:

* 1933–34:

Olympique Lillois Olympique Lillois was a French association football club from the city of Lille. Founded in 1902 they merged with SC Fives in 1944 to form Lille OSC. Honours Championnat de France *Champion: 1914, 1933 *Runner-up: 1936 Trophée de France *Win ...

* 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 PUC or P.U.C. may refer to: Education * Pacific Union College * Pre-university course * Pentecost University College * Premier University, Chittagong * Pontifical Catholic University (from Pontificia Universidad(e) Católica) ** Pontifi ...

* 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:

* 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 Olympique Antibes, in full ''Olympique d'Antibes Juan-les-Pins'' and branded as Antibes Sharks, is a basketball club from the city of Antibes, France. Established in 1933, the club's men's senior team currently plays in LNB Pro B, the French seco ...

* 1970–71: ASVEL * 1971–72: ASVEL * 1972–73: Berck * 1973–74: Berck * 1974–75: ASVEL * 1975–76:

ASPO Tours ASPO or Aspo may refer to: Places * Aspö Islands, a group of islands in the Pargas municipality of southern Finland ** Aspö, a village on the islands * Aspö, Karlskrona, an island outside Karlskrona, Sweden Organisations * American Societ ...

* 1976–77: ASVEL * 1977–78:

Moderne Moderne may refer to: * Moderne architecture, styles of architecture popular from 1925–1940s * PWA Moderne, an architectural style in the U.S., 1933–1944 * Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco archit ...

* 1978–79:

* 1979–80:

* 1980–81: ASVEL * 1981–82:

* 1982–83:

Limoges CSP Limoges Cercle Saint-Pierre, commonly referred to as Limoges CSP or CSP, is a French professional basketball club based in the city of Limoges. History The club was founded in 1929, but its peak was during the 1980s and 1990s, when they became t ...

* 1983–84:

* 1984–85:

* 1985–86: Orthez * 1986–87: Orthez * 1987–88:

* 1988–89:

* 1989–90:

* 1990–91:

* 1991–92: Pau-Orthez * 1992–93:

* 1993–94:

* 1994–95:

* 1995–96: Pau-Orthez * 1996–97: PSG Racing * 1997–98: Pau-Orthez * 1998–99: Pau-Orthez * 1999–00:

* 2000–01: Pau-Orthez * 2001–02: ASVEL * 2002–03: Pau-Orthez * 2003–04: Pau-Orthez * 2004–05:

SIG Strasbourg Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League, and i ...

* 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 Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called ...

* 2012–13: JSF Nanterre * 2013–14:

* 2014–15:

* 2015–16: ASVEL * 2016–17:

* 2017–18: Le Mans Sarthe * 2018–19:

LDLC ASVEL ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon ...

* 2019–20: No championship awarded ( COVID-19) * 2020–21:

* 2021–22:

Performance by club

Finals

Historical players

Alexis Ajinça Alexis Ajinça (; born May 6, 1988) is a French former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Professional career Early years (2006–2008) After attending France's INSEP, Ajinça played ...

* David Andersen * Ron Anderson *

Roger Antoine Roger Antoine (28 June 1929 – 11 August 2003) was a French basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), ...

Eddie Basden Edward Richard Basden (born February 15, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who formerly played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career Basden, born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, played competitive basketball ...

* Nicolas Batum *

Rodrigue Beaubois Rodrigue Gabriel "Roddy" Beaubois (; born 24 February 1988) is a French professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Early life Beaubois was discovered by NBA player Mickaël Piétrus ...

* Louis Bertorelle *

Éric Beugnot Éric Beugnot (born March 22, 1955) is a French former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.00 m (6' 6 ") tall, Beugnot played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Professional career During his pro career, Beugnot play ...

Jean-Paul Beugnot Jean-Paul Beugnot (25 June 1931 – 7 February 2001) was a French professional basketball player and coach. Standing at 2.07 m (6' 9 ") tall, Beugnot played at the power forward and center positions. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players, ...

Jim Bilba Jim Ruddy Anicet Bilba (born April 17, 1968 in Pointe-à-Pitre) is a former professional basketball player and coach, from France. Professional career Bilba won the EuroLeague championship with Limoges CSP in 1993. National team career Bilba ...

Yann Bonato Yann Jean Claude Bonato (born March 4, 1972 in Cannes) is a former professional basketball player from France, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics with the senior French Men's National Team. College career Bonato played college ...

Bruce Bowen Bruce Eric Bowen Jr. (born June 14, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. Bowen played small forward and graduated from Edison High School and Cal State Fullerton. He went on to play for the National Basketball Association' ...

* Michael Brooks * Marcus Brown * André Buffière *

Robert Busnel Robert Busnel (19 September 1914 – 15 March 1991) was a French professional basketball player, coach, and administrator. During his playing career, the 1.92 m (6'3 ") tall Busnel, played at the power forward position. He was made an Officer of ...

* Jacques Cachemire *

Fabien Causeur Fabien Causeur (born 16 June 1987) is a French professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard position. He was the 2018 French Player of the Year. Professional ...

* René Chocat * Don Collins * Richard Dacoury *

Frederic Forte Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese ro ...

Nando de Colo Nando Bruno Alfred Andre de Colo (born 23 June 1987) is a French professional basketball player for ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. Standing at a height of , he plays at the point guard and shooting guard positions. A six-time ...

Jean Degros Jean Degros (born 18 November 1939) is a French basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olym ...

* Boris Diaw *

Yakhouba Diawara Yakhouba Diawara (born August 29, 1982) is a French former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Southern Idaho and Pepperdine. Early career Diawara started his career with French team JDA Dijon, and after his first sea ...

Alain Digbeu Alain Digbeu (born November 13, 1975) is a French former professional basketball player. He was drafted by the NBA pro club the Atlanta Hawks with the 49th pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He is 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) in height and 220 lb (100&n ...

* Bobby Dixon *

Maxime Dorigo Maxime Dorigo (born 2 September 1936) is a French basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Ol ...

* Hervé Dubuisson *

Zaza Enden Zaza Enden (born Zaza Eladze on 28 May 1976 in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union (present Georgia) is a professional wrestler and a Turkish professional basketball player of Georgian descent. He is 2.06 m tall and weighs ...

* Morris Finley * Laurent Foirest * Evan Fournier *

Lawrence Funderburke Lawrence Damon Funderburke (born December 15, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. Basketball career Funderburke was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he played high school basketball at Wehrle High School, leading ...

* Pierre Galle *

Ken Gardner Kenneth Kay Gardner (born September 27, 1949 in Ogden, Utah) is a retired American basketball player. He is best known for playing for the now-defunct French club AS Berck, with which he won the French National Championship in 1973 and 1974. ...

Didier Gadou __NOTOC__ Didier is a French language, French masculine given name and surname common throughout the Romance languages. It comes from the Ancient Roman names Didius and Desiderius (given name), Desiderius. During the 5th century AD, with the Christ ...

Mickaël Gelabale Mickaël Gelabale (born May 22, 1983) is a French professional basketball player for Élan Chalon of the Pro B. He also represents the France national basketball team internationally. Standing at , he plays either at the small forward position or ...

* Alain Gilles *

Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel ( ; born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national team in their international competitions. ...

Henri Grange Henri Grange (born 14 September 1934) is a French basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially know ...

* Ricardo Greer * Udonis Haslem * Thomas Heurtel * Edwin Jackson * Keith Jennings *

Cyril Julian Cyril Julian (born 29 March 1974 in Castres, Tarn) is a French former men's professional basketball player. He spent most of his club career with the pro club SLUC Nancy in France. Club career After a stint in Tarbes where he started at ...

İlkan Karaman İlkan Karaman (born May 13, 1990) is a Turkish professional basketball player for Manisa BB of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Professional career Karaman made his professional debut in the TB2L with Tofaş Bursa during the 2007-08 season. He ...

* Frank Kendrick *

Tarence Kinsey Tarence Anthony Kinsey (born March 21, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for Orlandina Basket of the Serie A2 Basket. He played college basketball for University of South Carolina. College career Kinsey attended and played c ...

Joffrey Lauvergne Joffrey Lauvergne (born 30 September 1991) is a French professional basketball player for ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague.. He was drafted 55th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA draft, who then traded his rights ...

* John Linehan *

Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (; born 9 May 1995) is a French professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected with the 24th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the ...

* Ian Mahinmi *

Marko Milič Marko Milič (born May 7, 1977) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He represented the senior Slovenian national basketball team. Professional career After being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1997 NBA draft (34th pic ...

* Bo McCalebb *

Conrad McRae Conrad Bastien McRae (January 11, 1971 – July 10, 2000) was an American professional basketball player who had a successful career in Europe, for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. He was also selected by the Washington Bullets, in the s ...

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

Sammy Mejia Sammy is a nickname, frequently for people named Samuel, and also an English spelling of the Arabic name Sami. People Music *Sammy Adams (born 1987), American rapper and songwriter *Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), American songwriter *Sammy Davis Jr. ( ...

Jérôme Moïso Jérôme Moïso (born 15 June 1978) is a French former professional basketball player. College career He played college basketball at UCLA with the UCLA Bruins. Professional career A forward-center who has played in the NBA, Moïso was selected ...

Robert Monclar Robert Monclar (13 August 1930 – 4 December 2012) was a French basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics, the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Gioc ...

* Gheorghe Mureșan * François Németh * Carl Nicks * Frank Ntilikina *

Hugues Occansey Hugues Occansey (born 18 December 1966 in Moyeuvre-Grande, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the America ...

* Stéphane Ostrowski * Tony Parker * Žarko Paspalj * Johan Petro * Jean Perniceni * Jacques Perrier *

Mickaël Piétrus Mickaël Marvin Soriano Piétrus (; born February 7, 1982) is a French former professional basketball player. Listed at 6'6", 215 pounds, he played both the small forward and shooting guard positions. Piétrus was drafted by the Golden State Warr ...

Florent Piétrus Florent Marius Piétrus (born 19 January 1981) is a French professional basketball player, who lastly played for Orléans Loiret Basket of the LNB Pro A. His younger brother, Mickaël Piétrus, played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

* Micheal Ray Richardson *

J.R. Reid Herman "J. R." Reid Jr. (born March 31, 1968) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is an assistant coach for the Monmouth Hawks men's basketball team. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the ...

* Antoine Rigaudeau * Stéphane Risacher *

David Rivers Not to be confused with David Foote Rivers David Lee Rivers (born January 20, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. A 6'2" (1.88 m ) tall point guard, he reached star status in the EuroLeague, mainly while play ...

* Delaney Rudd *

Marc Salyers Marc Douglas Salyers (born February 28, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played at the small forward and power forward positions. College career Salyers played college basketball at Samford University with the Samf ...

Thabo Sefolosha Thabo Patrick Sefolosha (; born May 2, 1984) is a Swiss former professional basketball player. He has also played in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, in the Turkish Basketball ...

* Will Solomon * Blake Schilb *

Laurent Sciarra Laurent Sciarra (born 8 August 1973) is a former French professional basketball player. Professional career Sciarra began his professional career in 1990, with Hyères-Toulon Var Basket, and he moved to Paris Basket Racing in 1993. He played wit ...

Kevin Séraphin Kevin Séraphin (born 7 December 1989) is a French retired professional basketball player. Standing tall, Séraphin played at both the Power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), center positions in his playing career. Sér ...

Moustapha Sonko Moustapha Sonko (born 14 June 1972 in Paris, France) is a former professional basketball player from France Professional career Sonko was the French 2nd Division French Player's MVP in 1993. He was the French 1st Division's French Player ...

Jean-Pierre Staelens Jean-Pierre or Jean Pierre may refer to: People * Karine Jean-Pierre b.1977, White House Deputy Press Secretary for President Joe Biden 2021- * Jean-Pierre, Count of Montalivet (1766–1823), French statesman and Peer of France * Eugenia Pierre ( ...

* Philip Szanyiel *

Axel Toupane Axel Toupane (born July 23, 1992) is French professional basketball player for Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A. Toupane also represents the senior French national team in international events. At 2.01 m (6'7") tall and 101 kg (223 lb ...

* Ronny Turiaf *

Mirsad Türkcan Mirsad Türkcan (born Mirsad Jahović, sr-cyr, Мирсад Јаховић; on June 7, 1976) is a Turkish former professional basketball player of Bosniak origin. Standing at a height of , he played at the power forward position. A three-time All ...

Roko Ukić Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Split in the Croatian League and ABA League. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shoo ...

* Graylin Warner *

Frédéric Weis Frédéric Weis (born 22 June 1977) is a French former professional basketball player. Professional career During his pro career, Weis played with Unicaja Málaga and Iurbentia Bilbao of the Spanish ACB League, PAOK Thessaloniki in the Greek ...

Léo Westermann Léo Joseph Paul Westermann (born 24 July 1992) is a French professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish Liga ACB. Standing at , he plays the point guard position. He also represents the senior French national basketball t ...

* Rickie Winslow * Michael Young

Players with the most French League championships won

French basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions

Individual awards

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: *

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

* Finals MVP * Best Young Player * Best Scorer * Best Sixth Man * Best Defender * Most Improved Player * Best Coach

LNB All-Star Game

Notes and references

External links

Official websiteEurobasket.com League Page
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