# LNB Élite

The LNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic 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 (LNB) has governed the league.
Formerly known as the LNB Pro A, each season consists of 16 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

All 16 LNB Élite 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:
* 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 the 2014–15 season.

## Current teams

| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| ADA Blois Basket 41 | Blois | Jeu de Paume | 2,525 |
| AS Monaco Basket | Fontvieille, Monaco | Salle Gaston Médecin | 4,560 |
| ASVEL Basket | Lyon - Villeurbanne | Astroballe | 5,556 |
| BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque | Gravelines | Sportica | 3,043 |
| Cholet Basket | Cholet | La Meilleraie | 5,191 |
| Élan Chalon | Chalon-sur-Saône | Le Colisée | 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 | 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 |
| Paris Basketball | Paris | Adidas Arena | 8,000 |
| Roanne Basket | Roanne | Halle André Vacheresse | 5,020 |
| Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball | Saint-Quentin | Palais des Sports Pierre Ratte | 3,800 |
| SIG Strasbourg | Strasbourg | Rhénus Sport | 6,200 |
| SLUC Nancy Basket | Nancy | Jean Weille | 6,027 |

## 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

## Performance by club

| 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 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 |
| AS Monaco | 2 | 2022–23, 2023-24 |
| 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 | 27–7 |
| 2019–20 | Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Monaco | 21–3 |
| 2020–21 | LDLC ASVEL | 87–74 | JDA Dijon | JDA Dijon | 27–7 |
| 2021–22 | LDLC ASVEL | 3–2 | Monaco | LDLC ASVEL | 26–8 |
| 2022–23 | Monaco | 3–0 | Metropolitans 92 | Monaco | 26–8 |
| 2023–24 | Monaco | 3–1 | Paris Basketball | Monaco | 29–5 |

## Historical players

* Alexis Ajinça
* David Andersen
* Ron Anderson
* Roger Antoine
* Eddie Basden
* Nicolas Batum
* Rodrigue Beaubois
* Louis Bertorelle
* Éric Beugnot
* Jean-Paul Beugnot
* Jim Bilba
* Yann Bonato
* Bruce Bowen
* Michael Brooks
* Marcus Brown
* André Buffière
* Robert Busnel
* Jacques Cachemire
* Fabien Causeur
* René Chocat
* Don Collins
* Richard Dacoury
* Nando de Colo
* Jean Degros
* Boris Diaw
* Yakhouba Diawara
* Alain Digbeu
* Bobby Dixon
* Maxime Dorigo
* Hervé Dubuisson
* Zaza Enden
* Morris Finley
* Laurent Foirest
* Evan Fournier
* Lawrence Funderburke
* Pierre Galle
* Ken Gardner
* Mickaël Gelabale
* Alain Gilles
* Rudy Gobert
* Henri Grange
* Ricardo Greer
* Udonis Haslem
* Thomas Heurtel
* Edwin Jackson
* Keith Jennings
* Cyril Julian
* İlkan Karaman
* Frank Kendrick
* Tarence Kinsey
* Joffrey Lauvergne
* John Linehan
* Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
* Ian Mahinmi
* Marko Milič
* Bo McCalebb
* Conrad McRae †
* Sammy Mejia
* Jérôme Moïso
* Robert Monclar
* Gheorghe Mureșan
* François Németh
* Carl Nicks
* Frank Ntilikina
* Hugues Occansey
* Stéphane Ostrowski
* Tony Parker
* Žarko Paspalj
* Johan Petro
* Jean Perniceni
* Jacques Perrier
* Mickaël Piétrus
* Florent Piétrus
* Micheal Ray Richardson
* J.R. Reid
* Antoine Rigaudeau
* Stéphane Risacher
* David Rivers
* Delaney Rudd
* Marc Salyers
* Thabo Sefolosha
* Will Solomon
* Blake Schilb
* Laurent Sciarra
* Kevin Séraphin
* Moustapha Sonko
* Philip Szanyiel
* Axel Toupane
* Ronny Turiaf
* Mirsad Türkcan
* Roko Ukić
* Frédéric Weis
* Victor Wembanyama
* Léo Westermann
* Rickie Winslow
* Michael Young

## 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 |

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

## Broadcasting

In July 2024, the LNB accounced it had signed an agreement until 2029 with DAZN which becomes the exclusive broadcaster for the Pro A. DAZN will broadcast all games, as well as the Leaders Cup and All-Star Game. The league's games are also accessible through the FIBA-operated Courtside 1891 platform.