LNB Pro A

The LNB Pro A, commonly known as Pro A and for sponsorship reasons named the Jeep Élite,[1] 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 organized 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.

Pro A
Founded1921 (1921)
Country France
Other club(s) from Monaco
ConfederationFIBA Europe
Number of teams18
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toPro B
Domestic cup(s)French Cup (Federation Cup)
Leaders Cup (League Cup)
SupercupMatch des Champions
International cup(s)EuroLeague
EuroCup
Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Current championsASVEL (19th title)
(2018–19)
Most championshipsASVEL (19 titles)
Websitewww.lnb.fr
2019–20 Pro A season

Logos

Logos
Since 2017 Until 2017

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:[2]

  • 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

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 Lyon - Villeurbanne Astroballe 5,556
BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque Gravelines Sportica 3,043
Boulazac Basket Dordogne Boulazac Le Palio 5,200
Champagne Châlons-Reims 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
Élan Chalon Chalon-sur-Saône Le Colisée 4,948
ESSM Le Portel Le Portel Chaudron 3,500
Orléans Loiret Basket Orléans Palais des Sports 3,222
JDA Dijon Basket Dijon Palais des Sports Jean-Michel Geoffroy 4,628
JL Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse Ekinox 3,548
Le Mans Sarthe Basket Le Mans Antarès 6,023
Limoges CSP Limoges Beaublanc 5,516
Metropolitans 92[lower-alpha 1] Levallois-Perret Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan 3,051
Nanterre 92 Nanterre Palais des Sports / Halle Georges Carpentier 3,000 / 5,009
Roanne Roanne Halle André Vacheresse 5,020
SIG Strasbourg Strasbourg Rhénus Sport 6,200
Notes
  1. Most recently renamed from Levallois Metropolitans.

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 to 1993  Nationale A1
  • 1993–94 to present  Pro A
    • 2017–18–present: Jeep Élite[1]

Title holders

Performance by club

Club Champions Winning years
ASVEL
19
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
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

Play-off 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

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

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

See also

Notes and references

  1. "La PRO A devient la Jeep® ELITE" [The PRO A becomes the Jeep® ELITE]. Msb.fr. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  2. "2006–07 French League". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
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