France
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FRANCE 🇫🇷

Country: France
Location: Europe
Spoken language: French
Demography: 67M citizens (2020)
Largest cities: Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice

What are the main professional basketball leagues in France? 

In France, there are two men's leagues with professional status. The first division, also called Betclic Elite, is made up of the eighteen best French professional clubs, among which there are two representatives in the Euroleague: ASVEL and Monaco. ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, which is the title holder (won at the end of the 2020-2021 season) and the most successful club in the French championship with no less than twenty titles.

Just like the Betclic Elite, 18 teams participate in the second division, better known as Pro B, knowing that the one who finishes first is crowned French champion of the second division and enters the higher division. The teams ranked from the second to the ninth place compete in playoffs for the second and last ticket to the higher division. The last two teams are demoted to the Nationale 1, the third French division, which is not considered a professional league.

Is women's basketball developed in France?

As with men, there are two "professional" divisions for women's basketball in France: the Women's Basketball League (in French : Ligue féminine de Basket, LFB) and the Women's League 2 (in French : Ligue Féminine 2, LF2), which are under the aegis of the French Basketball Federation. They are each made up of 12 teams, the most successful of which is Bourges, with 14 French championship titles.

Are there any NBA prospects in France?

There are many young French players who are likely to join the NBA one day, either in the professional leagues, or in the youth leagues. In France, there is a youth championship for the Betclic Elite (France Betclic Elite U21) and for the Pro B (France Pro B U21)

Some teams, like the youth team of ASVEL or the Pôle France, regularly take part in the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, known as the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) for sponsorship reasons. This is an international boy's youth age basketball tournament that is contested between the best basketball clubs in Europe in the Under-18 age category. 

What about the French national team?

It is difficult to talk about the French basketball team without evoking its golden age, since the 2010s. With coach Vincent Collet and point guard Tony Parker, “Les Bleus” won their first international title at EuroBasket 2013. This was followed by bronze medals at the 2014 and 2019 World Cups and at the 2015 EuroBasket. But also a silver medal won at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.

The French women's team has a slightly less extensive record of achievement despite its status. Nevertheless, the French women have already won two European Championship titles, in 2001 in France and in 2009 in Latvia. It also won the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Who are the most famous French players still active?

In the NBA, Evan Fournier (New York Knicks), Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers) are probably the best known French players in activity.