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 18 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 18 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:


 * 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.

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
 * 1921–22: Lille
 * 1922–23: École Normale Arras
 * 1923–24: FAM
 * 1924–25: FAM
 * 1925–26: FAM
 * 1926–27: Stade Français
 * 1927–28: FAM
 * 1928–29: FAM
 * 1929–30: FAM
 * 1930–31: FAM
 * 1931–32: CAUFA Reims
 * 1932–33: CAUFA Reims
 * 1933–34: Olympique Lillois
 * 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
 * 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: PUC
 * 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
 * 1970–71: ASVEL
 * 1971–72: ASVEL
 * 1972–73: Berck
 * 1973–74: Berck
 * 1974–75: ASVEL
 * 1975–76: ASPO Tours
 * 1976–77: ASVEL
 * 1977–78: Moderne
 * 1978–79: Moderne
 * 1979–80: ASPO Tours
 * 1980–81: ASVEL
 * 1981–82: Moderne
 * 1982–83: Limoges CSP
 * 1983–84: Limoges CSP
 * 1984–85: Limoges CSP
 * 1985–86: Orthez
 * 1986–87: Orthez
 * 1987–88: Limoges CSP
 * 1988–89: Limoges CSP
 * 1989–90: Limoges CSP
 * 1990–91: Olympique Antibes
 * 1991–92: Pau-Orthez
 * 1992–93: Limoges CSP
 * 1993–94: Limoges CSP
 * 1994–95: Olympique Antibes
 * 1995–96: Pau-Orthez
 * 1996–97: PSG Racing
 * 1997–98: Pau-Orthez
 * 1998–99: Pau-Orthez
 * 1999–00: Limoges CSP
 * 2000–01: Pau-Orthez
 * 2001–02: ASVEL
 * 2002–03: Pau-Orthez
 * 2003–04: Pau-Orthez
 * 2004–05: SIG Strasbourg
 * 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
 * 2012–13: JSF Nanterre
 * 2013–14: Limoges CSP
 * 2014–15: Limoges CSP
 * 2015–16: ASVEL
 * 2016–17: Élan Chalon
 * 2017–18: Le Mans Sarthe
 * 2018–19: LDLC ASVEL
 * 2019–20: Cancelled due to COVID-19
 * 2020–21: LDLC ASVEL
 * 2021–22: LDLC ASVEL
 * 2022–23: AS Monaco
 * 2023–24: AS Monaco

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

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