Scoreboard before the opening Friday of the 2021/22 season of the French Elite men’s basketball championship:

. The main dates of the season

October 1, 2021: start of the regular season

November 26 and 29, 2021: qualifications for the World Cup-2023 (France-Montenegro and Hungary-France)

December 29, 2021: All-Star Game at Paris-Bercy

February 18-20, 2022: Leaders Cup at Marne-la-Vallée, DisneyArena

February 24 and 27, 2022: qualifications for the World Cup-2023 (France-Portugal and Portugal-France)

April 23, 2022: Coupe de France final in Paris-Bercy

May 14, 2022: 34th and final day of the Elite regular season

May 20-25, 2022: best of three games quarter-finals

May 28-June 7, 2022: best of five semi-finals

10-20 June 2022: best of five games final

July 1 and 4, 2022: qualifications for the World Cup-2023 (Montenegro-France and France-Hungary)

September 1–18, 2022: Euro basketball in the Czech Republic, Italy, Georgia and Germany

. The 18 clubs involved

Boulogne-Levallois, Bourg-en-Bresse, Châlons-Reims, Cholet, Dijon, Fos-sur-Mer, Gravelines, Le Mans, Le Portel, Limoges, Monaco, Nanterre, Orléans, Paris, Pau-Orthez, Roanne, Strasbourg, Villeurbanne (defending champion).

. Clubs involved in European Cups

– Euroleague: Villeurbanne, Monaco

– Eurocup: Boulogne-Levallois and Bourg-en-Bresse

– Champions League: Dijon and Strasbourg

. Formula

The teams compete in home and away matches over the 34 days of the regular season. The first eight of the first leg compete in the Leaders Cup. At the end of the regular season, the top eight qualify for the play-offs (best of three matches, semi-finals and best of five final).

. 2020/21 season playoffs

1/4 final: Dijon beats Orléans 83-59, Monaco beats Bourg-en-Bresse 91-72, Villeurbanne beats Boulogne-Levallois 97-79, Strasbourg beats Le Mans 79-68

1/2 finals: Dijon beats Monaco 79-89, Villeurbanne beats Strasbourg 83-67

Final: Villeurbanne beats Dijon 87-74

. Main movements:

(From abroad to France)

Coach Nenad Markovic (BIH, from Gaziantep / TUR in Dijon), Kostas Antetokounmpo (GRE, from Lakers / NBA in Villeurbanne), Elie Okobo (from Long Island Nets / G-League in Villeurbanne), Yakuba Ouattara (from Betis) Sevilla / ESP in Monaco), Léo Westermann (of FC Barcelona in Monaco), Mike James (USA, Brooklyn Nets / NBA in Monaco), Donta Hall (USA, Magic d’Orlando / NBA in Monaco), Kyle O ‘Quinn (from Fenerbahçe / TUR to Paris Basketball)

(Between French clubs)

Coach Laurent Legname (from Dijon to Bourg-en-Bresse), coach of the Blues Vincent Collet (without a club, in Boulogne-Levallois), Axel Julien (from Dijon to Bourg-en-Bresse), Jerry Boutsiele (from Limoges) in Monaco), Victor Wembanyama (from Nanterre to Villeurbanne)

(From France to abroad)

Mathias Lessort (from Monaco to Maccabi Tel-Aviv), Alexandre Chassang (from Dijon to Yalova / TUR), Moustapha Fall (from Villeurbanne to Olympiakos / GRE), Thomas Heurtel (from Villeurbanne to Real Madrid), Guerschon Yabusele (from Villeurbanne to Real Madrid), Dee Bost (USA, from Monaco to Galatasaray / TUR)

. The last ten winners

2021: Villeurbanne

2020: no champion due to the Covid-19 pandemic

2019: Villeurbanne

2018: Le Mans

2017: Chalon-sur-Saône

2016: Villeurbanne

2015: Limoges

2014: Limoges

2013: Nanterre

2012: Chalon-sur-Saône

2011: Nancy

. The most successful clubs

Villeurbanne: 20 titles

Limoges: 11 tracks

Pau Orthez: 9 tracks

Mulhouse: 7 titles

Le Mans: 5 titles

. On the television

In the absence of a private broadcaster, the matches are broadcast in clear on lnb.tv, the Sport channel in France and, at the rate of one regional dropout per month, on France televisions.

tba-ll / mac