Liga ACB

Liga ACB

Current season or competition: 2011–12 ACB season
Logo ACB
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1957 (as Liga Nacional)
Inaugural season	1983–84
No. of teams	18
Country(ies)	Spain
Continent	FIBA Europe (Europe)
Most recent champion(s)	FC Barcelona (16th title)
Most titles	Real Madrid (30 titles)
TV partner(s)	TDP
Related competitions	Spanish King's Cup Spanish Supercup
Level on pyramid	1st Tier (Spain)
Relegation to	LEB Oro – 2nd Tier (Last 2)
Official website	www.acb.com (Spanish)

The Liga ACB (English: ACB League), known as the Liga Endesa (English: Endesa League) for sponsorship reasons, is the first tier level men's professional basketball league in Spain. It began in 1957, with the name of Liga Nacional, and was originally organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation. The league changed to its current form, beginning with the 1983–84 season, after the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB) took control over the league. The league is rated as one of the top three European national domestic/regional leagues in the ULEB League Rankings system.

The ACB League, which is played under FIBA rules, currently consists of 18 teams, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona Regal, Cajasol Banca Cívica, Asefa Estudiantes, Gran Canaria 2014, Caja Laboral Baskonia, Valencia Basket, and Unicaja Málaga.

Other competitions

• Spanish King's Cup
• Spanish Supercup

Liga championship rules

Each team has to play all the other teams in its division twice, once at home and once away. This means that in Liga ACB the league's regular season ends after all teams play 34 matches.

Like many other national domestic leagues in continental Europe, the Liga ACB takes a winter break once each team has played half of its scheduled games. One feature of the league that may be unusual to North American observers, is that the two halves of the season are played in the same order — that is, the order of each team's first-half fixtures is repeated in the second half of the season. This is normal in Spanish sports; it is also used by La Liga in association football.

At the end of the league, the eight best teams in the standings start a play-off, pitting the first place team in the standings versus the 8th place team in the standings, and so on. There are three playoff rounds, each consisting of five game series, and the winner of the finals round becomes the champion of the Liga ACB. This is similar to the NBA playoffs system, but shorter.

Arena standards

Currently, Liga ACB clubs must have home arenas that seat at least 5,000 people.

Liga Nacional (1957–1983)

Titles

ACB Finals (1983–84 season – Present)

Season	Champion	Runner-up	Series Result	Finals MVP	Champion's Coach
1983–84	Real Madrid	FC Barcelona	2 – 1	N/A	Lolo Sainz
1984–85	Real Madrid	Joventut Badalona	2 – 1	N/A	Lolo Sainz
1985–86	Real Madrid	FC Barcelona	2 – 0	N/A	Lolo Sainz
1986–87	FC Barcelona	Joventut Badalona	3 – 1	N/A	Aíto García Reneses
1987–88	FC Barcelona	Real Madrid	3 – 2	N/A	Aíto García Reneses
1988–89	FC Barcelona	Real Madrid	3 – 2	N/A	Aíto García Reneses
1989–90	FC Barcelona	Joventut Badalona	3 – 0	N/A	Aíto García Reneses
1990–91	Joventut Badalona	FC Barcelona	3 – 1	Corny Thompson	Lolo Sainz
1991–92	Joventut Badalona	Real Madrid	3 – 2	Mike Smith	Lolo Sainz
1992–93	Real Madrid	Joventut Badalona	3 – 2	Arvydas Sabonis	Clifford Luyk
1993–94	Real Madrid	FC Barcelona	3 – 0	Arvydas Sabonis	Clifford Luyk
1994–95	FC Barcelona	CB Málaga	3 – 2	Michael Ansley	Aíto García Reneses
1995–96	FC Barcelona	CB Sevilla	3 – 0	Xavi Fernández	Aíto García Reneses
1996–97	FC Barcelona	Real Madrid	3 – 2	Roberto Dueñas	Aíto García Reneses
1997–98	Manresa	Baskonia	3 – 1	Joan Creus	Luis Casimiro
1998–99	FC Barcelona	CB Sevilla	3 – 0	Derrick Alston	Aíto García Reneses
1999–00	Real Madrid	FC Barcelona	3 – 2	Alberto Angulo	Sergio Scariolo
2000–01	FC Barcelona	Real Madrid	3 – 0	Pau Gasol	Aíto García Reneses
2001–02	Baskonia	CB Málaga	3 – 0	Elmer Bennett	Duško Ivanović
2002–03	FC Barcelona	Valencia BC	3 – 0	Šarūnas Jasikevičius	Svetislav Pešić
2003–04	FC Barcelona	Estudiantes	3 – 2	Dejan Bodiroga	Svetislav Pešić
2004–05	Real Madrid	Baskonia	3 – 2	Louis Bullock	Božidar Maljković
2005–06	CB Málaga	Baskonia	3 – 0	Jorge Garbajosa	Sergio Scariolo
2006–07	Real Madrid	FC Barcelona	3 – 1	Felipe Reyes	Joan Plaza
2007–08	Baskonia	FC Barcelona	3 – 0	Pete Mickeal	Neven Spahija
2008–09	FC Barcelona	Baskonia	3 – 1	Juan Carlos Navarro	Xavier Pascual
2009–10	Baskonia	FC Barcelona	3 – 0	Tiago Splitter	Duško Ivanović
2010–11	FC Barcelona	Bilbao Basket	3 – 0	Juan Carlos Navarro	Xavier Pascual

Finals appearances

ACB trophy 2008-2009, FC Barcelona museum

Total league championships (Liga Nacional + ACB)

Current clubs

• Assignia Manresa
• Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
• Bizkaia Bilbao Basket
• Blancos de Rueda Valladolid
• CAI Zaragoza
• Caja Laboral Baskonia
• Cajasol Banca Cívica
• FIATC Mutua Joventut
• Asefa Estudiantes
• FC Barcelona Regal
• Gran Canaria 2014
• Lagun Aro GBC
• CB Lucentum Alicante
• Valencia BC
• Real Madrid
• Unicaja Málaga
• UCAM Murcia
• Obradoiro CAB

Promoted to League ACB

• CB Murcia
• Obradoiro CAB

Relegated to League LEB

• CB Granada
• Menorca Bàsquet

Awards

• ACB Most Valuable Player Award
• ACB Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• ACB Rising Star Award

ACB records

• Most Points in a Game

• 54 by Epi, FC Barcelona vs. Joventut Massana on February 18, 1984

• Most Field Goals Made in a Game

• 25 by Essie Hollis, Arabatxo Baskonia at OAR Ferrol on February 5, 1984

• Most Three Point Field Goals Made in a Game

• 11 by Oscar Schmidt, Fórum Valladolid at CB Murcia on March 19, 1994

• Most Free Throws Made in a Game

• 29 by Jeff Lamp, Granada at Fórum Filatélico Valladolid on December 21, 1991

• Most Rebounds in a Game

• 29 by Clarence Kea, Juver Murcia vs. Dyc Breogán on December 21, 1991

• Most Assists in a Game

• 18 by Joaquim Costa, Valvi Girona vs. Puleva Baloncesto Granada on November 9, 1990

• Most Steals in a Game

• 13 by Lance Berwald, BBV Villalba at Caja Guipúzcoa on March 11, 1989

• Most Blocks in a Game

• 12 by Fran Vázquez, FC Barcelona at Grupo Capitol Valladolid on January 7, 2007

• Most Points in a Game

• 147 – FC Barcelona defeated Cajabilbao 147–106 on January 31, 1987

• Fewest Points in a Game

• 39 – Lagun Aro GBC was defeated by Blancos de Rueda Valladolid 61–39 on April 25, 2010

• Largest Margin of Victory in a Game

• 55 – FC Barcelona defeated Breogán Caixa Galicia 82–137 on April 12, 1986
• 55 – Real Madrid defeated Clesa Ferrol 116–61 on October 5, 1985

• Victory with fewest points

• 49 – Assignia Manresa defeated Meridiano Alicante 49–48 on March 6, 2011

External links

• Official ACB League Page (Spanish)
• Euroleague.net Spanish League Page

v t e Liga ACB venues · 2011–12 Palacio de los Deportes (Asefa Estudiantes) Bilbao Arena (Bizkaia Bilbao Basket) Fontes do Sar (Blu:sens Monbús) Príncipe Felipe Arena (CAI Zaragoza) Fernando Buesa Arena (Caja Laboral Baskonia) Palacio San Pablo (Cajasol Sevilla) Palacio de Deportes (CB Murcia) Palau Municipal d'Esports (Club Joventut Badalona) Palau Blaugrana (FC Barcelona Regal) Polideportivo Fernando Martin (Fuenlabrada) Centro Insular de Deportes (CB Gran Canaria) Illumbe (Lagun Aro - Gipuzkoa BC) Palacio de los Deportes (Real Madrid) Nou Congost (Bàsquet Manresa) Centro de Tecnificación (Meridiano Alicante) Martín Carpena (Unicaja Málaga) Fonteta (Valencia CB) Pabellón Pisuerga (CB Valladolid)