LNB Pro A Leaders Cup explained

LNB Pro A Leaders Cup
Current Season:2020 Leaders Cup
Sport:Basketball
History:Tournoi des As Cup
(1988–1993)
Semaine des As Cup
(2003–2012)
Leaders Cup (2013–present)
Founded:Founded:
1988 (Tournoi des As Cup)
Re-founded:
2003 (Semaine des As Cup)
Teams:8
Country: France
Champion:Paris Basketball
(1st title)
Champ Season:2024
Most Champs:Pau-Orthez
(4 titles)
Website:LNB.fr
Tv:Sport+
Related Comps:LNB Pro A
French Cup
(French Federation Cup)
Match des Champions
(French Supercup)

The LNB Pro A Leaders Cup, or French Basketball League Cup, is the annual national league cup competition for teams from the top-tier level of French professional basketball, the LNB Pro A. It was created in its current form in 2003 (after originally being founded in 1988). It is organized by the Ligue Nationale de Basketball (LNB), which also organizes the top two leagues of French professional basketball (Pro A, and Pro B).

Inspired by the Spanish Copa del Rey (Spanish Basketball King's Cup), the Final Eight format has always been used. At the end of the first half of the regular season, the top eight teams (or the top seven teams and the tournament's host team) from the first division French LNB Pro A League qualify. The eight teams compete in a playoff that is held at one venue over four days, which eventually produces a winner. The Final Eight is one of the highlights of the French basketball calendar. At one point in time, the winner of the competition was entitled to a place in the now defunct FIBA EuroChallenge competition.

History

Tournoi des As (1988 – 1993)

The Tournoi des As (Tournament of Aces) was the ancestor competition of the current Leaders Cup, being held from 1988 to 1993. At the end of the season, the top 4 teams from the top-tier level French League qualified. Over 2 days of competition, the first placed team of the regular season faced the fourth placed team, and the second placed team faced the third placed team, in semifinals games. The 2 losing teams of the first day would meet for the third place spot, while the two semifinals winners would compete for the cup title.

Semaine des As (2003 – 2012)

After being interrupted for ten years, the cup returned in 2003, as the Semaine des As (Week of Aces), and it was largely inspired by the Spanish Copa del Rey (Spanish Basketball King's Cup) format. The first edition was organised in Pau, France. The competition was traditionally organized in February. It featured the top eight placed teams of the top-tier level French League, at the end of the regular season's halfway point. It was held in a playoff format over a period of four days. The competition was often highly disputed, producing a different winner every year, except in 2009, when Le Mans won its second title, after previously winning the 2006 edition.

Leaders Cup (2013 – present)

The Leaders Cup is the current name of the competition. Gravelines beat Strasbourg, by a score of 77–69, in the first edition of the cup competition, that was played under the Leaders Cup name.

Results

width=1%Seasonwidth=12%Winnerwidth=4%Scorewidth=12%Runners-upwidth=14%Venuewidth=10%Locationwidth=12%MVP
scop=col colspan="7"Tournoi des As (Tournament of Aces)
1988Limoges CSP88 - 85Pitch Cholet
1989Mulhouse82 - 80Pitch Cholet
1990Limoges CSP87 - 84Pitch Cholet
1991Orthez68 - 65Limoges CSP
1992Pau-Orthez83 - 75Limoges CSP
1993Pau-Orthez71 - 58Pitch Cholet
scop=col colspan="7" Semaine des As (Week of Aces)
2003Pau-Orthez101 - 80Le HavrePalais des Sports de PauPau
2004JDA Dijon62 - 60Le Mans SarthePalais des Sports de MulhouseMulhouse
2005SLUC Nancy112 - 76BCM GravelinesMaison des Sports de C-FClermont-Ferrand
2006Le Mans Sarthe78 - 60JL Bourg-en-BressePalais des Sports de DijonDijon Eric Campbell
2007Chorale Roanne87 - 82Le Mans SarthePalais des Sports Jean WeilleNancy Marc Salyers
2008Cholet67 - 40JA VichyPalais des Sports de ToulonToulon Nando de Colo
2009Le Mans Sarthe74 - 64OrléansSalle des Docks OcéaneLe Havre David Blu
2010ASVEL70 - 69OrléansAstroballeVilleurbanne Mindaugas Lukauskis
2011BCM Gravelines79 - 71Élan ChalonPalais des Sports de PauPau Yannick Bokolo
2012Élan Chalon73 - 66BCM GravelinesHalle André VacheresseRoanne Blake Schilb
scop=col colspan="9" Leaders Cup
2013BCM Gravelines77 - 69SIGDisneyland ParisParis Ludovic Vaty
2014Le Mans Sarthe74 - 64JSF NanterreDisneyland ParisParis João Paulo Batista
2015SIG60–58Le Mans SartheDisneyland ParisParis Antoine Diot
2016Monaco99–74Élan ChalonDisneyland ParisParis Jamal Shuler
2017Monaco95–91ASVELDisneyland ParisParis Sergii Gladyr
2018Monaco83–78Le Mans SartheDisneyland ParisParis D. J. Cooper
2019SIG98–97JL Bourg-en-BresseDisneyland ParisParis Jarell Eddie
2020JDA Dijon77–69ASVELDisneyland ParisParis Rasheed Sulaimon
2021colspan=6
2022colspan=6
2023ASVEL83–74JL Bourg-en-BresseArena Saint-Étienne MétropoleSaint-Chamond, Loire Nando de Colo
2024Paris90–85NanterreArena Saint-Étienne MétropoleSaint-Chamond, Loire T. J. Shorts

Titles by team

TeamWinnersRunners-upWinning Years
4 0 1991, 1992, 1993, 2003
3 3 2006, 2009, 2014
Monaco3 0 2016, 2017, 2018
2 2 1988, 1990
2 2 2011, 2013
2 2 2010, 2023
2 1 2015, 2019
2 0 2004, 2020
1 4 2008
1 2 2012
1 0 1989
1 0 2005
1 0 2007
1 0 2024
0 3
0 2
0 2
0 1
0 1

See also

External links