Liga ACB

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This article is about the top Spanish league. For the Spanish association, see Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto.
Liga Endesa
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2016–17 ACB season
Liga Endesa.jpg
Logo ACB
Formerly Liga Nacional
(1957–1983)
Sport Basketball
Founded 1983
Inaugural season 1983–84
CEO Francisco Roca Pérez
No. of teams 17
Country  Spain
Continent Europe FIBA Europe
Most recent
champion(s)
Real Madrid (33th title)
Most titles Real Madrid (33 titles)
TV partner(s) #0
(best match per round)
Movistar Deportes
(rest of the matches)
Level on pyramid 1st tier
Relegation to LEB Oro
Domestic cup(s) Spanish King's Cup
Spanish Supercup
International cup(s) EuroLeague
(1st tier)
EuroCup
(2nd tier)
Champions League
(3rd tier)
Official website ACB.com (Spanish)

The Liga ACB,[N 1] known as Liga Endesa[N 2] for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 17 teams, with the two lowest-placed teams relegated to the LEB Oro and replaced by the top team in that division plus the winner of the playoffs.

A total of 48 teams have competed in Liga ACB since its inception. Six teams have been crowned champions, with Real Madrid winning the title a record 33 times and FC Barcelona 18 times. Real Madrid dominated the championship from the 1950s through the 1970s when was organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation. From the 1980s onwards when the ACB took control over the league, FC Barcelona (15 titles) and Real Madrid (11 titles) both dominated, though Liga ACB also saw other champions, including Baskonia, Joventut Badalona, Málaga, and Manresa. In more recent years, Baskonia has joined a coalition of now three teams dominating Liga ACB alongside Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

Liga ACB is one of the most popular professional indoor sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 6,375 for league matches in the 2014–15 season. This is the tenth-highest of any domestic professional indoor sports league in the world and the fourth-highest of any professional basketball league in the world, behind the National Basketball Association, the EuroLeague, and the Philippine Basketball Association.

Competition format[edit]

Real Madrid playing against Fuenlabrada

The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from October to May, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 32 games. Teams receive one point for a win, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the eight highest-ranked clubs at the end of the season plays the playoffs and the winner of the playoffs is crowned champion.

Promotion and relegation[edit]

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Liga ACB and the LEB Oro. The two lowest placed teams in Liga ACB are relegated to the LEB Oro, and the top team from the LEB Oro promoted to Liga ACB, with an additional club promoted after a series of playoffs involving the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and nineth placed clubs. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history;

 
  • 1983–1988: 16 clubs
  • 1988–1992: 24 clubs
  • 1992–1993: 22 clubs
  • 1993–1996: 20 clubs
  • 1996–2008: 18 clubs
  • 2008–2009: 17 clubs
  • 2009–2016: 18 clubs
  • 2016–present: 17 clubs

Controversies about promotion to Liga ACB[edit]

Until 2012, in the 29 editions played of the Liga ACB only three teams resigned to promote due to acting as reserve teams or lack of funds. These three teams were CB Guadalajara and CB Cornellà in 1993 and CB Cajabilbao in 1994.

Since 2012, due to the financial crisis that started in 2008, only two teams (Canarias and Andorra) of the possible eight could promote to Liga ACB. This fact started a discussion about the requirements of the ACB in order to promote, considered by the LEB Oro clubs as "disproportionate".[1]

For clubs that promote and would make their debut in the ACB demands:[2]

  • An arena with a minimum capacity of 5,000 seats.
  • An inbound of €3m. For clubs that come back to the league after a promotion, an update of the inbound is demanded.
  • A deposit of €1,7m that would be returned in case of relegation to LEB Oro. In case of a new promotion, this deposit is required to be restored.
  • The conversion into a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva if the club remains in Liga ACB after its first season.

In 2012, Iberostar Canarias and Menorca Bàsquet achieved the promotion to ACB, but neither could fulfill the requirements in order to promote.[3] However, Canarias finally played in ACB after buying the berth in the league of Lucentum Alicante, previously sold to the association.[4]

In 2013, neither CB Atapuerca, Ford Burgos by sponsorship reasons, nor Lucentum Alicante could promote. The seconds resigned also to play in the second league and joined the fifth division.

In 2014 and 2015, CB Tizona, also Ford Burgos by sponsorship reasons, did not promote despite achieving the place two years in a row. After its second failed promotion, the third in the city of Burgos, the club sued the Association[1] and this one accused them of "distorting the reality".[5] Also in 2015, despite having played in the league during the 1980s and 1990s, Club Ourense Baloncesto was not admitted in the league despite fulfilling all the requirements after not passing an accounts audit.[6] However, ACB would admit Ourense for the 2016–17 season if it fulfill the requirements regardless of their position in the 2015–16 LEB Oro season.[7]

On 24 April 2016, the National Commission of the Markets and the Competence argued that the inboud impedes in an "unjustified, disproportionate and discriminatory" way the access of new clubs to Liga ACB.[8]

On June 2016, the two promoted teams from LEB Oro (Palencia and Melilla) resigned to promote to the 2016–17 ACB season and requested to the ACB their sign in before the 2017–18 season. However, as Gipuzkoa Basket, who finished in relegation positions in three of the last four seasons, resigned to play in ACB,[9] the Association offered again its place to Palencia and Melilla under these conditions:[10][11]

  • An arena with a minimum capacity of 5,000 seats.
  • An inbound of €2m. The second million delayed on the dates agreed between the club and ACB.
  • A deposit of €1,6m that would be returned in case of relegation to LEB Oro. In case of a new promotion, this deposit is required to be restored.
  • The conversion into a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva before the start of their second season in Liga ACB.

Palencia and Mellila refused the invitation to reinforce their position against the inbound to play in the league.[12][13]

Ranking of clubs on equal points[edit]

If points are equal between two or more clubs, the rules are:[14]

  • If all clubs involved have played each other twice:
    • If the tie is between two clubs, then the tie is broken using the point difference for the two matches those clubs have played against each other
    • If the tie is between more than two clubs, then the tie is broken using the games the clubs have played against each other:
      • a) head-to-head wins
      • b) head-to-head point difference
      • c) head-to-head points scored
  • If two legged games between all clubs involved have not been played, or the tie is not broken by the rules above, it is broken using:
    • a) total point difference
    • b) total points scored
  • If the tie is still not broken, a new tiebreak process is initiated with only those teams that remain tied.

Qualifying for European competitions[edit]

The top teams in Liga ACB qualify for the EuroLeague and the EuroCup. Baskonia, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid directly enter the EuroLeague as licensed clubs. The first placed team (not counting licensed clubs) play in the EuroLeague. If the EuroCup champion is from Liga ACB, the EuroCup champion will play in the EuroLeague instead of first placed team that would play the EuroCup. Teams placed second, third and fourth (not counting licensed clubs) play in the EuroCup.[15][16]

History[edit]

 
  • 1983–1988: ACB Primera División
  • 1988–present: Liga ACB

Title holders[edit]

For the title holders before the ACB took the control of the league, see Liga Española de Baloncesto (1957–83).
ACB Trophy.png

Titles by club[edit]

As Liga ACB is officially considered as the continuation of the defunct Liga Nacional, both competitions are considered in this table.[17]

Club W R Winning years
Real Madrid 33 11 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2016
FC Barcelona 18 20 1959, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014
Joventut Badalona 4 10 1967, 1978, 1991, 1992
Baskonia 3 4 2002, 2008, 2010
Málaga 1 2 2006
Manresa 1 0 1998
Picadero 0 4
Estudiantes 0 4
Sevilla 0 2
Orillo Verde 0 1
Valencia 0 1
Bilbao 0 1

ACB Finals[edit]

ACB Finals appearances
Team Total W L
FC Barcelona 26 15 11
Real Madrid 18 11 7
Baskonia 7 3 4
Joventut Badalona 6 2 4
Málaga 3 1 2
Sevilla 2 0 2
Manresa 1 1 0
Valencia 1 0 1
Estudiantes 1 0 1
Bilbao 1 0 1
Season Champion Runner-up Series Finals MVP Champion's Coach
1983–84 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
2 – 1
N/A Spain Lolo Sainz
1984–85 Real Madrid Joventut Badalona
2 – 1
Spain Lolo Sainz
1985–86 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
2 – 0
Spain Lolo Sainz
1986–87 FC Barcelona Joventut Badalona
3 – 1
Spain Aíto García Reneses
1987–88 FC Barcelona Real Madrid
3 – 2
Spain Aíto García Reneses
1988–89 FC Barcelona Real Madrid
3 – 2
Spain Aíto García Reneses
1989–90 FC Barcelona Joventut Badalona
3 – 0
Spain Aíto García Reneses
1990–91 Joventut Badalona FC Barcelona
3 – 1
United States Corny Thompson Spain Lolo Sainz
1991–92 Joventut Badalona Real Madrid
3 – 2
United States Mike Smith Spain Lolo Sainz
1992–93 Real Madrid Joventut Badalona
3 – 2
Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis United States Clifford Luyk
1993–94 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
3 – 0
Lithuania Arvydas Sabonis United States Clifford Luyk
1994–95 FC Barcelona Baloncesto Málaga
3 – 2
United States Michael Ansley Spain Aíto García Reneses
1995–96 FC Barcelona CDB Sevilla
3 – 0
Spain Xavi Fernández Spain Aíto García Reneses
1996–97 FC Barcelona Real Madrid
3 – 2
Spain Roberto Dueñas Spain Aíto García Reneses
1997–98 Bàsquet Manresa Saski Baskonia
3 – 1
Spain Joan Creus Spain Luis Casimiro
1998–99 FC Barcelona CDB Sevilla
3 – 0
United States Derrick Alston Spain Aíto García Reneses
1999–00 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
3 – 2
Spain Alberto Angulo Italy Sergio Scariolo
2000–01 FC Barcelona Real Madrid
3 – 0
Spain Pau Gasol Spain Aíto García Reneses
2001–02 Saski Baskonia Baloncesto Málaga
3 – 0
United States Elmer Bennett Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Duško Ivanović
2002–03 FC Barcelona Valencia BC
3 – 0
Lithuania Šarūnas Jasikevičius Serbia and Montenegro Svetislav Pešić
2003–04 FC Barcelona Club Estudiantes
3 – 2
Serbia and Montenegro Dejan Bodiroga Serbia and Montenegro Svetislav Pešić
2004–05 Real Madrid Saski Baskonia
3 – 2
United States Louis Bullock Serbia and Montenegro Božidar Maljković
2005–06 Baloncesto Málaga Saski Baskonia
3 – 0
Spain Jorge Garbajosa Italy Sergio Scariolo
2006–07 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
3 – 1
Spain Felipe Reyes Spain Joan Plaza
2007–08 Saski Baskonia FC Barcelona
3 – 0
United States Pete Mickeal Croatia Neven Spahija
2008–09 FC Barcelona Saski Baskonia
3 – 1
Spain Juan Carlos Navarro Spain Xavi Pascual
2009–10 Saski Baskonia FC Barcelona
3 – 0
Brazil Tiago Splitter Montenegro Duško Ivanović
2010–11 FC Barcelona Bilbao Basket
3 – 0
Spain Juan Carlos Navarro Spain Xavi Pascual
2011–12 FC Barcelona Real Madrid
3 – 2
Slovenia Erazem Lorbek Spain Xavi Pascual
2012–13 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
3 – 2
Spain Felipe Reyes Spain Pablo Laso
2013–14 FC Barcelona Real Madrid
3 – 1
Spain Juan Carlos Navarro Spain Xavi Pascual
2014–15 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
3 – 0
Spain Sergio Llull Spain Pablo Laso
2015–16 Real Madrid FC Barcelona
3 – 1
Spain Sergio Llull Spain Pablo Laso

Current clubs[edit]

Location of teams from the Canary Islands in 2016–17 ACB
Team Home city Arena Capacity
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Fernando Buesa Arena 15,504[18]
Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona Palau Municipal d'Esports 8,500[19]
FC Barcelona Lassa Barcelona Palau Blaugrana 7,585[20]
Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas Gran Canaria Arena 9,870[21]
Iberostar Tenerife San Cristóbal de La Laguna Santiago Martín 5,003[22]
ICL Manresa Manresa Nou Congost 5,000[23]
Montakit Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada Fernando Martín 5,100[24]
MoraBanc Andorra Andorra la Vella Poliesportiu d'Andorra 5,000[25]
Movistar Estudiantes Madrid WiZink Center 15,000[26]
Real Betis Energía Plus[27] Seville San Pablo 7,626[28]
Real Madrid Madrid WiZink Center 15,000[26]
RETAbet Bilbao Basket Bilbao Bilbao Arena 10,014[29]
Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro Santiago de Compostela Multiusos Fontes do Sar 5,060[30]
Tecnyconta Zaragoza[31] Zaragoza Pabellón Príncipe Felipe 10,744[32]
UCAM Murcia Murcia Palacio de Deportes 7,341[33]
Unicaja Málaga Martín Carpena 10,233[34]
Valencia Basket Valencia Fuente de San Luis 8,500[35]

All-time Liga ACB table[edit]

The All-time Liga ACB table is an overall record of all match results of every team that has played in Liga ACB since the 1983–84 season. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2015–16 season.

Pos Team Season Played Won Lost 1st 2nd 3rd 4th QF Debut Since/Last App Best
1 Barcelona 33 1406 1057 349 15 11 4 1 2 1983–84 1983–84 1
2 Real Madrid 33 1366 1004 362 11 7 6 2 6 1983–84 1983–84 1
3 Baskonia 33 1289 808 481 3 4 4 5 12 1983–84 1983–84 1
4 Joventut 33 1245 729 516 2 4 5 4 6 1983–84 1983–84 1
5 Estudiantes 33 1244 666 578 1 5 7 9 1983–84 1983–84 2
6 Málaga[N 3] 31 1189 673 516 1 2 4 5 9 1983–84 1987–88 1
7 Valencia 27 1024 581 443 1 2 2 12 1988–89 1996–97 2
8 Sevilla 27 978 457 521 2 6 1989–90 1989–90 2
9 Manresa 29 1038 440 598 1 2 2 1983–84 2007–08 1
10 Gran Canaria 25 917 433 484 1 12 1985–86 1995–96 4
11 Valladolid 30 1032 432 600 4 1983–84 2013–14 6
12 Girona 20 731 330 401 4 1988–89 2007–08 5
13 CB Zaragoza 13 473 270 203 2 3 6 1983–84 1995–96 3
14 Fuenlabrada 18 626 249 377 5 1996–97 2005–06 7
15 Breogán 16 604 242 362 2 1984–85 2005–06 6
16 Murcia 18 639 218 421 1 1990–91 2011–12 7
17 Bilbao 11 427 206 221 1 5 2004–05 2004–05 2
18 León 11 398 179 219 3 1990–91 2007–08 6
19 Peñas 12 441 173 268 1983–84 1995–96 10
20 Granollers 10 352 166 186 7 1983–84 1992–93 5
21 Cáceres 11 388 163 225 1 1992–93 2002–03 5
22 Canarias[N 4] 11 385 157 228 2 1983–84 2012–13 6
23 Ourense 12 383 143 240 2 1989–90 2000–01 8
24 OAR Ferrol 10 350 140 210 1 1983–84 1993–94 7
25 Granada 12 411 140 271 1996–97 2010–11 10
26 Lucentum 9 316 132 184 3 2000–01 2011–12 6
27 Basket Zaragoza 7 244 112 132 1 1 2008–09 2010–11 3
28 Gipuzkoa 9 307 105 202 1 2006–07 2015–16 5
29 Collado Villalba 5 226 93 133 1 1987–88 1991–92 8
30 Andorra 6 215 90 125 1 1992–93 2014–15 8
31 Oximesa 6 225 82 143 1986–87 1991–92 11
32 Obradoiro 6 206 77 130 1 2009–10 2011–12 8
33 Maristas Málaga 4 160 76 84 1988–89 1991–92 13
34 Cajabilbao 5 184 76 108 1986–87 1990–91 9
35 Espanyol 5 165 73 92 1 1984–85 1988–89 8
36 Lleida 4 140 57 83 1 2001–02 2004–05 8
37 Cantabria 5 170 53 117 1997–98 2001–02 14
38 Menorca 5 168 51 117 2005–06 2011–12 15
39 Círculo Católico 3 97 49 48 1 1 1983–84 1985–86 4
40 Cajamadrid 3 98 46 52 1 1983–84 1985–86 5
41 Gijón 4 144 37 107 1995–96 2001–02 15
42 Salamanca 2 76 36 40 1994–95 1995–96 9
43 Tenerife AB 2 89 28 61 1988–89 1989–90 22
44 Llíria 2 79 27 52 1991–92 1992–93 16
45 Tenerife 2 68 25 43 2003–04 2004–05 10
46 L'Hospitalet 1 31 11 20 1983–84 1983–84 15
47 Ciudad de Huelva 1 39 11 28 1997–98 1997–98 17
48 Askatuak 1 43 10 33 1988–89 1988–89 24

League or status at 2016–17 season:

2016–17 ACB season
2016–17 LEB Oro season
2016–17 LEB Plata season
2016–17 Liga EBA season
Lower divisions
Clubs that no longer exist or does not compete in senior competitions

Awards[edit]