LNB Pro A
The LNB Pro A, commonly known as Pro A and for sponsorship reasons named the Jeep 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 has organized the league. 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 Pro A is crowned the French national champion.
Logos
Competition 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:
- 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
- 2013–present: Best-of-5
Current teams
;NotesArena 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
- * 2017–18–present: Jeep Élite
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: ASVEL
Performance by club
Play-off Finals
Historical players
- Alexis Ajinça
- Ron Anderson
- Roger Antoine
- 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
- Maxime Dorigo
- Hervé Dubuisson
- Laurent Foirest
- Evan Fournier
- Lawrence Funderburke
- Pierre Galle
- Ken Gardner
- Didier Gadou
- Mickaël Gelabale
- Alain Gilles
- Rudy Gobert
- Henri Grange
- Ricardo Greer
- Udonis Haslem
- Thomas Heurtel
- Edwin Jackson
- Keith Jennings
- Cyril Julian
- Frank Kendrick
- Joffrey Lauvergne
- John Linehan
- Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
- Ian Mahinmi
- 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
- Blake Schilb
- Laurent Sciarra
- Kevin Séraphin
- Moustapha Sonko
- Jean-Pierre Staelens
- Philip Szanyiel
- Axel Toupane
- Ronny Turiaf
- Graylin Warner
- Frédéric Weis
- Léo Westermann
- Rickie Winslow
- Michael Young
Players with the most French League championships won
French basketball clubs in European and worldwide competitions
Individual awards
In each Pro A season, individual honors are given to players and head coaches 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
LNB All-Star Game