LNB Pro A

LNB Pro A

Current season, competition or edition: 2015–16 LNB Pro A season
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1921
No. of teams	18
Country	France (17 teams)  Monaco (1 team)
Continent	FIBA Europe
Most recent champion(s)	Limoges (11th title)
Most titles	ASVEL (17 titles)
TV partner(s)	Eurosport
Level on pyramid	1st tier on French Pyramid
Relegation to	LNB Pro B (2nd Tier)
Related competitions	French Cup French Leaders Cup Match des Champions
Official website	www.LNB.fr

The LNB Pro A (full name: Ligue Nationale de Basket Pro A; English: Pro National Basketball League A) is the top-tier level men's professional basketball league in the country of France. The competition has existed since the year 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) has organized the league. The bottom two placed teams from each season are relegated to the 2nd-tier level LNB Pro B.

Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) logo.

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:^[1]

• 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 clubs

• ASVEL
• AS Monaco
• Châlons-Reims
• Cholet
• Dijon
• Élan Chalon
• Gravelines
• Le Havre
• Le Mans
• Limoges
• Nancy
• Nanterre
• Olympique Antibes
• Orléans Loiret
• Paris-Levallois
• Pau-Orthez
• Rouen
• Strasbourg

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

Title holders

1920-21 Stade Français 1921-22 Lille 1922-23 École Normale Arras 1923-24 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1924-25 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1925-26 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1926-27 Stade Français 1927-28 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1928-29 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1929-30 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1930-31 Foyer alsacien Mulhouse 1931-32 Reims 1932-33 Reims 1933-34 Olympique Lillois 1934-35 Mulhousien 1935-36 SCPO 1936-37 Mulhousien 1937-38 SCPO 1938-39 Métro 1939-41 Not held 1941-42 Métro 1942-43 Grenoble 1943-44 Grenoble 1944-45 Championnet

1945-46 Éveil Lyon 1946-47 PUC 1947-48 Marseille 1948-49 ASVEL 1949-50 ASVEL 1950-51 Racing Paris 1951-52 ASVEL 1952-53 Racing Paris 1953-54 Racing Paris 1954-55 ASVEL 1955-56 ASVEL 1956-57 ASVEL 1957-58 Étoile de Charleville-Mézières 1958-59 Chorale Roanne 1959-60 Étoile de Charleville-Mézières 1960-61 Alsace Bagnolet 1961-62 Alsace Bagnolet 1962-63 PUC 1963-64 ASVEL 1964-65 Denain-Voltaire 1965-66 ASVEL 1966-67 Alsace 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 Tours 1976-77 ASVEL 1977-78 Moderne 1978-79 Moderne 1979-80 Tours 1980-81 ASVEL 1981-82 Moderne 1982-83 Limoges 1983-84 Limoges 1984-85 Limoges 1985-86 Orthez 1986-87 Orthez 1987-88 Limoges 1988-89 Limoges 1989-90 Limoges 1990-91 Olympique Antibes 1991-92 Pau-Orthez 1992-93 Limoges

1993-94 Limoges 1994-95 Olympique Antibes 1995-96 Pau-Orthez 1996-97 Racing Paris 1997-98 Pau-Orthez 1998-99 Pau-Orthez 1999-00 Limoges 2000-01 Pau-Orthez 2001-02 ASVEL 2002-03 Pau-Orthez 2003-04 Pau-Orthez 2004-05 Strasbourg 2005-06 Le Mans 2006-07 Chorale Roanne 2007-08 Nancy 2008-09 ASVEL 2009-10 Cholet 2010-11 Nancy 2011-12 Élan Chalon 2012-13 Nanterre 2013-14 Limoges 2014-15 Limoges

Performance by club

Club	Champions	Winning years
ASVEL	17	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
Limoges	11	1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2013–14, 2014–15
Pau-Orthez	9	1985–86, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04
Foyer alsacien Mulhouse	7	1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31
Racing Paris	4	1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1996–97
Le Mans	4	1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 2005–06
Alsace Bagnolet	3	1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67
Olympique Antibes	3	1969–70, 1990–91, 1994–95
Stade Français	2	1920–21, 1926–27
Reims	2	1931–32, 1932–33
Mulhousien	2	1934–35, 1936–37
SCPO	2	1935–36, 1937–38
Métro	2	1938–39, 1941–42
Grenoble	2	1942–43, 1943–44
Étoile de Charleville-Mézières	2	1957–58, 1959–60
PUC	2	1946–47, 1962–63
Berck	2	1972–73, 1973–74
Tours	2	1975–76, 1979–80
Chorale Roanne	2	1958–59, 2006–07
Nancy	2	2007–08, 2010–11
Lille	1	1921–22
École Normale Arras	1	1922–23
Olympique Lillois	1	1933–34
Championnet	1	1944–45
Éveil Lyon	1	1945–46
Marseille	1	1947–48
Denain-Voltaire	1	1964–65
Strasbourg	1	2004–05
Cholet	1	2009–10
Élan Chalon	1	2011–12
Nanterre	1	2012–13

Play-off Finals

Season	Home court advantage	Result	Home court disadvantage	1st of Regular Season	Record
1987–88	Limoges	2–0	Cholet	Limoges	26–4
1988–89	Limoges	2–0	Orthez	Limoges	28–2
1989–90	Limoges	2–1	Olympique Antibes	Limoges	33–1
1990–91	Olympique Antibes	2–1	Limoges	Olympique Antibes	22–8
1991–92	Limoges	0–2	Pau-Orthez	Limoges	27–3
1992–93	Limoges	3–1	Pau-Orthez	Limoges	25–1
1993–94	Limoges	2–0	Olympique Antibes	Limoges	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	Racing Paris	Pau-Orthez	24–6
1997–98	Pau-Orthez	2–0	Limoges	ASVEL	24–6
1998–99	Pau-Orthez	2–0	ASVEL	Pau-Orthez	27–3
1999–00	ASVEL	1–2	Limoges	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	Gravelines	Le Mans	27–7
2004–05	Strasbourg	1–0 (72-68)	Nancy	Le Mans	25–9
2005–06	Nancy	0–1 (88-93)	Le Mans	Pau-Orthez	26–8
2006–07	Nancy	0–1 (74-81)	Roanne	Nancy	25–9
2007–08	Nancy	1–0 (84-53)	Roanne	Le Mans	23–7
2008–09	ASVEL	1–0 (55-41)	Orléans Loiret	ASVEL	22–8
2009–10	Cholet	1–0 (81-65)	Le Mans	Cholet	23–7
2010–11	Cholet	0–1 (74-76)	Nancy	Cholet	22–8
2011–12	Élan Chalon	1–0 (95-76)	Le Mans	Gravelines	27–3
2012–13	Strasbourg	1–3	Nanterre	Gravelines	21–9
2013–14	Strasbourg	0–3	Limoges	Strasbourg	20–10
2014–15	Strasbourg	1–3	Limoges	Strasbourg	30–4

Historical players

Ron Anderson Nicolas Batum Rodrigue Beaubois Jim Bilba Yann Bonato Bruce Bowen Michael Brooks Marcus Brown Don Collins Richard Dacoury Nando de Colo Boris Diaw

Alain Digbeu Hervé Dubuisson Laurent Foirest Lawrence Funderburke Ken Gardner Didier Gadou Mickaël Gelabale Ricardo Greer Udonis Haslem Keith Jennings Cyril Julian Frank Kendrick

Conrad McRae Sammy Mejia Gheorghe Mureșan Carl Nicks Stéphane Ostrowski Tony Parker Žarko Paspalj Mickaël Piétrus Florent Piétrus Micheal Ray Richardson J.R. Reid Antoine Rigaudeau

Stéphane Risacher David Rivers Delaney Rudd Marc Salyers Blake Schilb Laurent Sciarra Moustapha Sonko Graylin Warner Frédéric Weis Rickie Winslow Michael Young John Linehan

LNB Pro A awards

LNB Pro A MVP

LNB Pro A Finals MVP

See also

• French Basketball Cup
• Leaders Cup
• Match des Champions
• LNB Pro B
• List of basketball clubs in France

Notes and references

1. "2006–07 French League". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 2007-05-29.

External links

• Official Site (French)
• Eurobasket.com League Page