LNB Élite

LNB Élite
Organising bodyLNB
Founded1921; 105 years ago (1921)
CountriesFrance (15 teams)
Monaco (1 team)
ConfederationFIBA Europe
Number of teams16
Relegation toÉlite 2
Domestic cup(s)French Cup
(French Federation Cup)
Leaders Cup
(French League Cup)
International cup(s)EuroLeague
EuroCup
Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Current championsAS Monaco (3rd title)
(2025–26)
Most championshipsASVEL (21 titles)
All-time top scorerHervé Dubuisson (19,013)
TV partnersDAZN
La Chaîne L'Equipe
Sport en France
Fanseat (select foreign markets)
NBA App
WebsiteLNB Élite
2026–27 LNB Élite season

The LNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is a professional basketball league in France and is the highest level of the French basketball system. 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 Élite 2. 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 Élite 2.

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:

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

LNB Élite is located in France
ASVEL
Bourg
Boulazac
Chalon
Cholet
Dijon
Gravelines
Le Mans
Pau-Lacq-Orthez
Limoges
Roanne
Nancy
Nanterre
Paris
Saint-Quentin
Strasbourg
Location of teams in 2026–27 LNB Élite
Team Home city Arena Capacity
BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque Gravelines–Dunkirk Stade des Flandres 2,500
Boulazac Boulazac Le Palio 5,200
Cholet Cholet La Meilleraie 5,191
Chorale Roanne Roanne Halle André Vacheresse 5,020
Élan Béarnais Pau–Lacq–Orthez Palais des Sports de Pau 7,707
Élan Chalon Chalon-sur-Saône Le Colisée 4,540
JDA Dijon Dijon Palais des Sports J.M. Geoffroy 5,000
JL Bourg Bourg-en-Bresse Ekinox 3,548
LDLC ASVEL Lyon–Villeurbanne Astroballe 5,556
Le Mans Sarthe Le Mans Antarès 6,023
Limoges CSP Limoges Palais des Sports de Beaublanc 6,506
Nanterre 92 Nanterre Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez 3,000
Paris Basketball Paris Adidas Arena 8,000
Saint-Quentin Saint-Quentin, Aisne Palais des Sports Pierre Ratte 3,800
SIG Strasbourg Strasbourg Rhénus Sport 6,200
SLUC Nancy Nancy Palais des Sports Jean Weille 6,027

Arena rules

Currently, LNB Élite clubs must play in arenas that seat at least 3,000 people.

French League history

Title holders

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
AS Monaco 3 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26
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
Paris Basketball 1 2024–25

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 ASVEL 3–2 Monaco LDLC ASVEL 27–7
2019–20 Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic Monaco 21–3
2020–21 ASVEL 87–74 JDA Dijon JDA Dijon 27–7
2021–22 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
2024–25 Paris Basketball 3–2 Monaco Paris Basketball 23–7
2025–26 Paris Basketball 2–3 Monaco Monaco 22–7

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 in the Pro A Awards ceremony who performed well during a given season. The awards that are handed out include:

LNB All-Star Game

Broadcasting

In July 2024, the LNB announced 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.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "French Basketball League". fanseat.com. Spring Media. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ "NBA APP TO STREAM ALL LNB GAMES WITH TOP DRAFT PROSPECT VICTOR WEMBANYAMA FOR FREE". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  3. 1 2 "Betclic nouveau partenaire et namer du championnat de France Élite". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "2006–07 French League". Euroleague.net. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
  5. ↑ "La Phase Finale de la Saison de Jeep® ÉLITE 2020-21 Officialisée" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Basket. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "La PRO A devient la Jeep® ELITE" [The PRO A becomes the Jeep® ELITE]. Msb.fr. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "DAZN, nouveau diffuseur officiel et exclusif du championnat Betclic ELITE jusqu'en 2029". Betclic ELITE (in French). 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-08-03.