Ligue Nationale de Basketball

Infobox sports league
pixels=160px
sport=Basketball
founded=1987
teams=16 (Pro A) - 18 (Pro B)
country=FRA
champion=SLUC Nancy
website= [http://www.lnb.fr http://www.lnb.fr] The LNB (Ligue Nationale de Basketball) is the top men's French professional basketball league. There are 2 divisions: Pro A (first division) and Pro B (second division).

Pro A

All 18 Pro A division teams play each other twice during the regular season. From the season 2006/2007 at the end of the regular season, the top 8 teams qualify for the playoffs. The three teams with the worst regular season records are relegated to Pro B. Starting in 2006-07, all rounds except for the finals are best-of-three series [cite web|url=http://www.euroleague.net/uleb/domestic-leagues/domestic-league-news/i/1078/314/2006-07-french-league |title=2006-07 French League |publisher=Euroleague.net |accessdate=2007-05-29] (previously, they had been two-legged); the final is a single game played at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris.

2007-08 Teams

*ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
*Basket Club Maritime Gravelines Dunkerque Grand Littoral
*Cholet Basket
*Chorale Roanne Basket
*Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*Élan Sportif Chalonnais
*Entente Orléanaise 45
*Hyères-Toulon Var Basket
*JA Vichy
*Jeanne d'Arc Dijon Bourgogne
*Le Mans Sarthe Basket
*Paris-Levallois
*Saint Thomas Basket Le Havre
*Stade Clermontois Basket Auvergne
*Stade Lorrain Université Club Nancy
*Strasbourg Illkirch Graffenstaden Basket

Pro B

All 18 Pro B teams play each other twice during the regular season. The top eight regular season teams qualify for the Pro B playoffs. The regular season and playoff champions are promoted to Pro A while the bottom two regular season teams are relegated to the amateur NM1 league. The quarterfinals and the semifinals are two-legged and the final is a single game.

2007-08 Teams

*Aix Maurienne
*Besançon BCD
*Boulazac Basket Dordogne
*Jeunesse Laïque de Bourg-en-Bresse
*Étendard de Brest
*ESPE Basket Châlons-en-Champagne
*ALM Évreux
*ESSM Le Portel
*Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*JSF Nanterre
*L'Hermine Nantes Atlantique
*Union Poitiers Basket 86
*UJAP Quimper
*Reims Champagne Basket
*SPO Rouen Basket
*Saint Étienne Basket Club
*Saint Quentin BB
*Saint-Vallier BD

LNB Champions

*1988, Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*1989, Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*1990, Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*1991, Olympique Antibes
*1992, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*1993, Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*1994, Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*1995, Olympique Antibes
*1996, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*1997, Paris SG (now Paris Basket Racing)
*1998, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*1999, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*2000, Cercle Saint-Pierre de Limoges
*2001, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*2002, ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
*2003, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*2004, Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
*2005, Strasbourg Illkirch Graffenstaden Basket
*2006, Le Mans Sarthe Basket
*2007, Chorale Roanne Basket
*2008, SLUC Nancy

ee also

List of basketball clubs in France

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.lnb.fr Official Site]