| Organising body | LNB |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1921; 104 years ago (1921) |
| Countries | France (15 teams) Monaco (1 team) |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Relegation to | Élite 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 champions | Paris Basketball (1st title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | ASVEL (21 titles) |
| All-time top scorer | Hervé Dubuisson (19,013) |
| TV partners | DAZN La Chaîne L'Equipe Sport en France Fanseat (select foreign markets)[1] NBA App[2] |
| Website | LNB Pro A |
TheLNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons asBetclic Élite,[3] is a professionalbasketball league in France and is the highest level of theFrench basketball system. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, theLigue Nationale de Basket (LNB) has governed the league.
Formerly known as theLNB Pro A, each season consists of 16 teams. The bottom two placed teams from each season arerelegated to thesecond tier levelÉlite 2. The winner of the play-offs of the league are crowned the French national champions.
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 arerelegated to the2nd-tierÉlite 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:[4]
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.
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Nanterre 92 | Nanterre | Palais des Sports | 3,000 |
| Paris Basketball | Paris | Adidas Arena | 8,000 |
| 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 |
| Stade Rochelais | Rochelais | Salle Gaston-Neveur | 2,000 |
Currently, LNB Élite clubs must play in arenas that seat at least 3,000 people.
| 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 |
| Paris Basketball | 1 | 2024–25 |
| 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 |

In each Pro A season, individual honors are given to players andhead coaches in thePro A Awards ceremony who performed well during a given season. The awards that are handed out include:
In July 2024, the LNB announced it had signed an agreement until 2029 withDAZN which becomes the exclusive broadcaster for the Pro A.[7] DAZN will broadcast all games, as well as the Leaders Cup and All-Star Game.[7] The league's games are also accessible through theFIBA-operated Courtside 1891 platform.[7]