Liga Nacional de Básquet
Current season, competition or edition: 2016–17 | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founder | León Najnudel |
| Inaugural season | 26 April 1985 |
| President | Fabián Borro (AdC) |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Country | Argentina |
| Most recent champion(s) | San Lorenzo |
| Most titles |
Atenas (9 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | TyC Sports |
| Level on pyramid | First Division |
| Relegation to | Torneo Nacional de Ascenso |
| Related competitions | Torneo Súper 8 |
| Official website | laliganacional.com.ar |
The Liga Nacional de Básquet (abbreviated LNB, and literally in English "National Basketball League") is the top level of the Argentine basketball league system. The league is controlled by the Basketball Clubs' Association (in Spanish: Asociación de Clubes de Básquetbol). The LNB's predecessor is the defunct Campeonato Argentino de Clubes, organized by the Argentine Basketball Federation.
The league was created through the efforts of coach León Najnudel and sports journalist Osvaldo Orcasitas in the 1980s to make Argentine basketball more competitive through the merging of the many existing local leagues.[1] It is designed like the NBA, with regular season, all-star game, and playoffs. However, unlike the NBA, the LNB has promotion and relegation with the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (TNA), the league immediately below.
A tribute to Najnudel's vision is the string of successes of the Argentine national basketball team, culminating with the team's Olympic gold medal won at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and the international careers of many players who started in the league.
History
Creation
Before the league was established, the regular tournament was Campeonato Argentino de Clubes where teams from all the provinces took part. The league had a regional format and playoffs.
For the 1984 edition there was 64 teams. The association decided to retire 10 teams, moving them to "Primera Nacional A".[2] Of those teams, 4 were from city of Buenos Aires, and the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Santa Fe were represented by 2 teams each.
As a result, a number of 54 teams played the Argentino de clubes. At the end of the tournament, the six best placed team would promote to Primera A, and the rest of the clubs would be relegated to Primera B (second division).[3]
First seasons
The first edition of Liga Nacional was played within 1985, with 16 teams participating although Independiente de Tucumán abandoned the championship for economic reasons. The first game was played on April 26, 1985,[4] when San Lorenzo de Almagro faced Argentino de Firmat at Estadio Obras Sanitarias.
Ferro Carril Oeste was the first LNB champion after defeating Atenas de Córdoba in 3 games. The next season (1986), Ferro Carril Oeste won its second consecutive title, beating Olimpo de Bahía Blanca in 5 games (3-1 on aggregate). The Verdolaga played its third consecutive final series in 1987, but was finally defeated by Atenas, that won the first of 9 titles, being the most winning LNB team to date.
In 1988 Atenas won a second championship beating River Plate and the next year Ferro won another title, being the only title won by León Najnudel as coach.
Competition format
Following a system similar to the European basketball leagues, there are two leves of competition: the Liga A (first division) and the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (National Promotion Tournament in English ") or TNA (second division). Both tournaments feature promotions and relegations and are organized by the Clubs Association of Argentina. On the 2011–12 season a third level of competition was inaugurated, the Torneo Federal de Básquetbol,[5] which encompasses a wide array of teams from all over the country and is organized by the Argentine Basketball Federation. An additional short tournament between the top seven teams in the first division and a wild card takes place before the start of the regular season.
Liga A
The top tier of the league consists of 16 teams, which are later divided into two Divisions, North and South, according to their geographical location. The regular season is divided in two stages: the first stage consists of a double round-robin between teams on the same Division only, with standings decided by a points system. On the second stage, each team carries over 50% of the points obtained in the first stage and a new double round-robin starts, this time between all 16 teams. After the regular season ends, the standings determine different outcomes which are as follows:
- 1st–4th place – Advances directly to the Championship Playoffs, with the top team earning home court advantage for the entire Playoffs series.
- 5th–12th place – Compete in four separate head to head best-of-five series to define 5th through 8th seeds for the Championship Playoffs.
- 13th–16th place – Compete in two separate head to head best-of-five series where the loser from each series is relegated to the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso.
The Championship Playoffs follow a tournament format, where each team plays against the opponent in a best-of-five series in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and a best-of-seven series in the finals.
Torneo Nacional de Ascenso
The TNA consists of 21 teams, which are divided into two Divisions, North and South, with 10 teams going to the North Division and 11 teams going to the South Division. The competition format is similar to the Liga A, with a regular season divided in two stages. On the first stage, teams from the same division compete in a double round-robin format, with standings determined by a points system. After the first phase each team carries over 50% of the points obtained to the second stage. On the second stage, each division is split into two groups as follows: the top five teams from the North Division (TNA1 North), the top six teams from the South Division (TNA1 South), and the remaining teams from the North and South groups (TNA2 North and TNA2 South, respectively). Each group then competes in a separate double round-robin.
Current teams (2015–16 season)
| | ||||
| Team | City | Seasons | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atenas | Córdoba | 30 | Carlos Cerutti | 3,730 |
| Ciclista Olímpico | La Banda | 9 | Vicente Rosales | 3,964 |
| Estudiantes (C) | Concordia | 4 | Gigante Verde | 1,610 |
| Juventud Sionista | Paraná | 8 | Moisés Flesler | 2,150 |
| Regatas (Ctes) | Corrientes | 10 | José Jorge Contte | 4,000 |
| San Martín (C) | Corrientes | 1 | Raúl A. Ortiz | 2,500 |
| Instituto (C) | Córdoba | 2 | Angel Sandrin | 2,000 |
| Libertad | Sunchales | 16 | El Hogar de los Tigres | 4,000 |
| Quimsa | Santiago del Estero | 8 | Estadio Ciudad | 5,200 |
| La Unión | Formosa | 6 | Cincuentenario | 4,500 |
| | ||||
| Team | City | Seasons | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentino de Junín | Junín | 6 | El Fortín de las Morochas | 1,465 |
| Boca Juniors | Buenos Aires | 25 | Luis Conde | 2,000 |
| Estudiantes (BB) | Bahía Blanca | 26 | Osvaldo Casanova | 3,950 |
| Ferro Carril Oeste | Buenos Aires | 20 | Estadio Héctor Etchart | 4,500 |
| Gimnasia y Esgrima (CR) | Comodoro Rivadavia | 25 | Socios Fundadores | 2,276 |
| Lanús | Lanús | 6 | Antonio Rotili | 4,000 |
| Obras Sanitarias | Buenos Aires | 17 | Estadio Obras | 3,000 |
| Peñarol (MdP) | Mar del Plata | 27 | Islas Malvinas | 8,000 |
| San Lorenzo | Buenos Aires | 1 | Estadio Héctor Etchart | 4,500 |
| Quilmes | Mar del Plata | 20 | Once Unidos | 3,000 |
Champions
Finals
Source: LNB website.[6]
Titles by club
| Titles | Club | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Atenas | 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991–92, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2008–09 |
| 5 | Peñarol | 1993–94, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14 |
| | Boca Juniors | 1996–97, 2003–04, 2006–07 |
| Ferro Carril Oeste | 1985, 1986, 1989 | |
| | GEPU | 1990–91, 1992–93 |
| Estudiantes | 1999–00, 2000–01 | |
| | Independiente | 1994–95 |
| Olimpia | 1995–96 | |
| Ben Hur | 2004–05 | |
| GECR | 2005–06 | |
| Libertad | 2007–08 | |
| Regatas Corrientes | 2012–13 | |
| Quimsa | 2014–15 | |
| San Lorenzo | 2015–16 |
Top scorers
Source: LNB website.[7]
| Season | Player | Club | Points | Average | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 |  Wilfredo Ruiz | Estudiantes (BB) | 1,117 | 32.9 | 34 |
| 1986 | Wilfredo Ruiz | Estudiantes (BB) | 1,008 | 31.5 | 32 |
| 1987 | Wilfredo Ruiz | Estudiantes (BB) | 913 | 30.4 | 30 |
| 1988 |  Luis González | Atlético Echagüe | 896 | 28.9 | 31 |
| 1989 | Héctor Campana | River Plate | 1,041 | 29.7 | 35 |
| 1990 | Héctor Campana | River Plate | 1,148 | 44.2 | 26 |
| 1990–91 | Héctor Campana | GEPU | 1,448 | 31.5 | 46 |
| 1991–92 | Héctor Campana | Atenas | 1,360 | 27.8 | 49 |
| 1992–93 | Juan Espil | GEPU | 1,672 | 28.8 | 58 |
| 1993–94 |  Andrew Moten | Gimnasia y Esgrima CR | 896 | 29.9 | 30 |
| 1994–95 | Juan Espil | Atenas | 1,470 | 28.8 | 51 |
| 1995–96 | Juan Espil | Atenas | 1,782 | 31.3 | 57 |
| 1996–97 | Charlie Burke | Pico F.C. | 1,088 | 29.4 | 37 |
| 1997–98 | Corey Allen | Pico F.C. | 1,415 | 28.9 | 49 |
| 1998–99 | John Eubanks | Estudiantes (O) | 1,060 | 25.9 | 41 |
| 1999–00 | John Eubanks | Estudiantes (O) | 1,514 | 27.5 | 55 |
| 2000–01 | Joseph Bunn | Peñarol MdP | 1,208 | 25.2 | 48 |
| 2001–02 | Joseph Bunn | Atenas | 625 | 26.0 | 24 |
| 2002–03 | Joshua Pittman | Quilmes | 626 | 26.1 | 24 |
| 2003–04 | Joseph Bunn | Peñarol MdP | 1,209 | 32.7 | 37 |
| 2004–05 | Paolo Quinteros | Boca Juniors | 1,232 | 22.4 | 55 |
| 2005–06 | Joseph Bunn | Peñarol MdP | 1,371 | 28.6 | 48 |
| 2006–07 | Clarence Robinson | Quilmes | 981 | 20.4 | 48 |
| 2007–08 | Leonardo Gutiérrez | Boca Juniors | 993 | 20.7 | 48 |
| 2008–09 | Edward Nelson | Estudiantes (BB) | 946 | 20.1 | 47 |
| 2009–10 | David Jackson | La Unión | 927 | 18.9 | 49 |
| 2010–11 | Joseph Bunn | Argentino de Junín | 882 | 19.6 | 45 |
| 2011–12 | Joseph Troy Smith | La Unión | 745 | 17.3 | 43 |
| 2012–13 | Darren Phillip | Unión Progresista | 823 | 18.3 | 45 |
| 2013–14 | Walter Baxley | Quilmes (MDP) | 983 | 19.3 | 51 |
| 2014–15 | Walter Baxley | Quilmes (MDP) | 1,290 | 20.5 | 63 |
| 2015–16 | Walter Baxley | Quilmes (MDP) | 1,328 | 23.7 | 56 |
Retired numbers
There are six numbers retired in the LNB to date. Atenas was the team which started this practise (in 2002, with the legendary Marcelo Milanesio's #9), being Peñarol de Mar del Plata the most recent case of retiring a jersey, with the #8 worn by "Tato" Rodríguez.[8][9]
| N° | Club | Player | Pos. | Tenure | Num. Retirement |
Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Atenas | Héctor Campana | SG | 1982–2002 | 2005 | [9][10] |
| 9 | Atenas | Marcelo Milanesio | PG | 1987–88, 1991–92, 1996–2000, 2002–04 | 2002 | [9] |
| 10 | Estudiantes (BB) | Juan Espil | SG | 1988–92, 2010–12 | 2013 | [11] |
| 11 | Atenas | Diego Osella | C | 1988–92, 1993–2001, 2003–10 | 2011 | [12][13][14] |
| 14 | Estudiantes (BB) | Alberto Cabrera | PG | 1961–84 | 2004 | [15][16] |
| 11 | Quimsa | Miguel Cortijo | PG | (None) 1 | [8] | |
| 4 | Quilmes (MdP) | Eduardo Dómine | SG | 1990, 1991–2001 | [8] |
1 Although Cortijo never played for the club, the #11 jersey was retired honoring him as a native of Santiago del Estero, where Quimsa is located in.
References
- ↑ Matías Ron Ares (2010-03-14). "LNB: la historia de su origen" (in Spanish). In Deportes. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ↑ Resolución de 1983 para el Campeonato Argentino de Clubes
- ↑ REGLAMENTO PARA LA ETAPA DE TRANSICION COMPETENCIA AÑO 1984
- ↑ "Se cumplen 30 años del primer partido oficial de la LNB", Basquet Plus, 26 Apr 2015
- ↑ Torneo Federal de Básquetbol, Official site. (Spanish)
- ↑ "Historial de Campeones de la Liga" (in Spanish). LNB official website. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ↑ "Líderes de Torneos" (in Spanish). LNB official website. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- 1 2 3 "Peñarol de Mar del Plata retiró la camiseta de 'Tato' Rodríguez", La Voz, 2011-11-23
- 1 2 3 Milanesio y Campana homenajeados con el retiro de las míticas "9" y "5" Pick and Roll website, 2005-11-05
- ↑ Atenas retira la camiseta de Héctor "Pichi" Campana, Infobae, 2005-07-12
- ↑ "Espil vivió su noche soñada" at CanchaLlena.com, 22 February 2013
- ↑ Atenas retiró el 11 de Diego Osella, Gualeguaychú a Diario webpage
- ↑ Atenas retirará la camiseta 11 en homenaje a Diego Osella, La Mañana de Cordoba website
- ↑ Atenas retira la camiseta 11 de Osella, Día a Día Deportes
- ↑ "La 14 inmortal" Pick and Roll site, 2004-10-04 (Archive)
- ↑ Ordenanza Nº 14604, declarando "Sitio de Interés Cultural e Histórico" al Estadio Osvaldo Casanova 2008-01-08
External links
- Official website (Spanish)
- Pick and Roll (news, info & statistics) (Spanish)
- Argentinian league on Latinabasket.com
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