LNB Pro B
| Organising body | Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1932; 93 years ago (1932) |
| First season | 1932–33 |
| Country | France |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | Level 2 |
| Promotion to | Pro A |
| Relegation to | Nationale Masculine 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | French Cup (Federation Cup) Pro B Leaders Cup (League Cup) |
| Current champions | Saint-Quentin (2022–23) |
| Most championships | JA Vichy (3 titles) |
| TV partners | Sport en France |
| Website | lnb.fr/pro-b |
The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the second-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular season champion and the winner of the promotion playoffs from each Pro B season are promoted to the top-tier level LNB Pro A, replaced by the bottom two teams in Pro A. The two last placed teams are relegated to the third level, which is the NM1.
History
[edit ]Names of the league
[edit ]- Honneur Ligue (1932–1949)
- Excellence Ligue (1950–1963)
- Nationale 2 (1964–1987)
- Nationale 1B (1987–1992)
- Nationale A2 (1992–1993)
- Pro B (1993–present)
Format
[edit ]All eighteen competing teams play each other twice during the regular season. The team that ends in first place in the table is named league champion and promotes to the LNB Pro A. The top eight regular season teams, with exception for the league champion, qualify for the promotion playoffs. During the competition, the Leaders Cup tournament is played. The champion of the Leaders Cup automatically qualifies for the playoffs. The winner of the promotion playoffs, which is played with best-of-three playoff series, promotes to the ProA. The bottom two regular season teams are meanwhile relegated to the third tier Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1) league.
Current teams
[edit ]These are the current teams:
| Club | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMSB | Aix-les-Bains | Halle Marlioz | 1,500 |
| Antibes Sharks | Antibes | Azur Arena Antibes | 5,249 |
| Boulazac | Boulazac | Le Palio | 5,200 |
| Élan Chalon | Chalon-sur-Saône | Le Colisée | 4,948 |
| Denain Voltaire | Denain | Salle Jean Degros | 2,500 |
| ALM Évreux | Évreux | Salle Jean Fourré | 2,500 |
| Alliance Sport Alsace [a] | Gries & Souffelweyersheim |
Espace Sport La Foret Salle des Sept Arpents |
1,450 1,500 |
| Lille Métropole | Lille | Palais des Sports Saint-Sauveur | 1,835 |
| SLUC Nancy | Nancy | Palais des Sports Jean-Weille | 6,027 |
| Hermine Nantes | Nantes | La Trocardière | 4,185 |
| Béliers de Kemper | Quimper | Salle Omnisports Michel-Gloaguen | 2,230 |
| Rouen Métropole | Rouen | Kindarena | 5,789 |
| Saint-Chamond | Saint-Chamond | Halle André Boullohce | 1,200 |
| Saint-Quentin | Saint-Quentin | Palais des Sports Pierre Ratte | 3,800 |
| Saint-Vallier | Saint-Vallier | Rives Sports Complex | 2,132 |
| Stade Rochelais | La Rochelle | Salle Gaston-Neveur | 1,994 |
| Tours Métropole | Tours | Halle Monconseil | 1,500 |
| JA Vichy | Vichy | Palais des sports Pierre Coulon | 3,200 |
- ^ Formed by the merger of five clubs after the 2020–21 season—BC Gries-Oberhoffen and BC Souffelweyersheim, both of which played in the 2020–21 Pro B season, plus BC Nord Alsace, Weyersheim BB and Walbourg-Eschbach Basket.
Champions
[edit ]1932–1987
[edit ]Honneur (Honor)
- 1932 Saint-Charles Alfortville
- 1933 SS Nilvange
- 1934 CS Plaisance
- 1935 Métro
- 1936 Racing Paris
- 1937 Championnet
- 1938 AS Cherbourg
- 1939–46 Not held due to WWII
- 1947 Marseille
- 1948 AS Roanne
- 1949 Championnet
Excellence
- 1950 ASC Est Paris
- 1951 Olympique Antibes
- 1952 Olympique de Marseille
- 1953 Métro
- 1954 Racing Paris
- 1955 Étoile de Charleville-Mézières
- 1957 Stade Auto Lyon
- 1958 CO Billancourt
- 1959 Alsace Bagnolet
- 1960 Denain-Voltaire
- 1961 Bordeaux
- 1962 Moderne
- 1963 Stade Français
Nationale 2 (National 2)
- 1964 Denain-Voltaire
- 1965 Caen
- 1966 BC Montbrison
- 1967 Tours
- 1968 Olympique Antibes
- 1969 Paris Université
- 1970 Caen
- 1971 Nantes
- 1972 Vichy
- 1973 Monaco
- 1974 Nice BC
- 1975 Orthez
- 1976 Valenciennes
- 1977 Racing Paris
- 1978 Mulhouse
- 1979 Stade Français
- 1980 Challans
- 1981 Chorale Roanne
- 1982 Nice BC
- 1983 Lyon
- 1984 Saint-Etienne
- 1985 Racing Paris
- 1986 Cholet
- 1987 Gravelines
1988–present
[edit ]- ^ In the 2013–14 season, two extra teams (SPO Rouen and Châlons-Reims) were promoted to the 2014–15 Pro A season because of the expansion of the Pro A from 16 to 18 teams.
Logos
[edit ]-
(The official current logo of the league 2017–present).
-
(The previous official logo of the league until 2017.)
Awards
[edit ]LNB Pro B Best Coach and Most Improved Player
[edit ]| Year | LNB Pro B Best Coach | LNB Pro B Most Improved Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | France François Peronnet (Châlons-en-Champagne) | – |
| 2007 | France Olivier Cousin (Quimper) | |
| 2008 | France Michel Veyronnet (Rouen) | |
| 2009 | France Ruddy Nelhomme (Poitiers) | |
| 2010 | France Didier Dobbels (Pau-Lacq-Orthez) | |
| 2011 | France Pascal Donnadieu (JSF Nanterre) | |
| 2012 | France Frédéric Sarre (Limoges) | France Ferdinand Prénom (Antibes) |
| 2013 | France Rémy Valin (Évreux) | France Mam Jaiteh (Boulogne-sur-Mer) |
| 2014 | France Germain Castano (Boulogne-sur-Mer) | France Olivier Romain (Saint-Quentin) |
| 2015 | France Laurent Legname (Hyères-Toulon) | France Mathieu Wojciechowski (Le Portel) |
| 2016 | France Kyle Milling (Hyères-Toulon) | France Isaia Cordinier (Denain) |
| 2017 | France Cédric Heitz (Charleville-Mézières) | France Arthur Rozenfeld (Roanne) |
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]External links
[edit ]- Official Site (in French)
- Eurobasket.com - France