Liga Națională (men's basketball)

The Liga Națională Baschet de Masculin (LNBM) (English: National League) is the top-tier professional basketball league of Romania. Founded in 1950, the winner of the league is crowned the Romanian national champion. Currently, the league consists of 24 teams playing in three different divisions. The most successful club in the league's history is Dinamo București, who has won a record 22 titles. The clubs from the Liga Națională also participate in the European competitions, as they can qualify for the Basketball Champions League or the FIBA Europe Cup based on their performance in the national league and cup competition.

Liga Națională
Founded1950 (1950)
First season1950–51
CountryRomania
ConfederationRomanian Basketball Federation
Divisions3
Number of teams24
Level on pyramid1
Domestic cup(s)Romanian Cup
International cup(s)Basketball Champions League
FIBA Europe Cup
Current championsU Cluj-Napoca
(7th title)
(2021–22)
Most championshipsDinamo București (22 titles)
TV partnersDigi Sport
Prima Sport
Websitewww.frbaschet.ro
2022–2023

History

The championship was founded in 1950. The most successful club is Dinamo București with 22 titles, followed closely by Steaua București with 21. In recent years Asesoft Ploieşti is the best team in the country, winning the championship seven times in a row from 2004 to 2010 and again in 2012–2014. Asesoft is the only Romanian team who won a European title, namely the FIBA EuroCup Challenge in 2005.

Competition format

Until 2018 were in general 12 teams in men's Liga Națională which played the season in 3 rounds. First round consisted of a regular season which began in October and was played over a normal round-robin home-and-away basis. Then the first six clubs at the end of the regular season played a play-off round and the last 6 a play-out round. The first eight clubs (all 6 from the play-off and the first two places from the play-out) qualified for the play-offs. The play-offs are played using the knock-out format. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals use "best of five" series since 2014. The last two teams following the last 6 teams play-out were automatically relegated to the Liga I.

On 23 May 2018, the board of directors of the Romanian Basketball Federation decided to reform the system entirely. Following this decision, the second level on the Romanian Basketball pyramid, Liga I was dissolved. In the Liga Națională were formed 3 groups (A, B and C), based on performance, financial and infrastructure criteria.[1]

In the first round of the championship, a regular season is played over a normal round-robin home-and-away basis, in each group. Then in the second round, first 6 teams from the Group A are assigned to the "Red Group"; 7th and 8th placed teams in the Group A, first 3 teams from the Group B and the winner of the Group C, are assigned to the "Yellow Group"; the teams ranked between 4th and 8th place in the Group B and the 2nd place from the Group C, are assigned to the "Blue Group"; finally the teams ranked between 3rd and 8th place in the Group C are assigned to the "Green Group".[2]

In the second round, all the teams from the "Red Group" start with all the points from the regular season, in the rest of the groups, all teams will start with zero points.[2]

In the third round of the championship, the first 2 teams from the "Yellow Group" will enter along with the "Red Group" teams in the play-offs. The play-offs are played using the knock-out format. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals use "best of five" series. To determine the teams ranked between 5th and 8th place, is used the "best of three" system. The other remaining teams form two 8 team groups to determine the final classification.[2]

Notable Liga Națională players

Romanian basketball had a bright past with three of its former players being inducted in the European Basketball Hall of Fame, as a recognition for their careers. They are:

Titles
ClubTitlesWinning years
Dinamo București221953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2003
Steaua București211956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991
CSU Ploiești112004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
U-BT Cluj-Napoca71992, 1993, 1996, 2011, 2017, 2021, 2022
CSM Oradea32016, 2018, 2019
West Petrom Arad22001, 2002
CSU Sibiu21995, 1999
BCM U Pitești12000
Metalul București11952
Rapid București11951

Latest finals
SeasonChampionRunner-upScore
2000–01West Petrom AradAsesoft Ploiești3–0
2001–02West Petrom AradDinamo București3–2
2002–03Dinamo BucureștiWest Petrom Arad3–2
2003–04Asesoft PloieștiDinamo București3–1
2004–05Asesoft PloieștiDinamo București3–1
2005–06Asesoft PloieștiU Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca4–1
2006–07Asesoft PloieștiArgeș Piteşti4–1
2007–08Asesoft PloieștiU Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca4–3
2008–09Asesoft PloieștiBC Timișoara4–0
2009–10Asesoft PloieștiU Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca4–0
2010–11U Mobitelco Cluj-NapocaAsesoft Ploiești4–2
2011–12Asesoft PloieștiTimișoara4–0
2012–13Asesoft PloieștiBC Mureș4–2
2013–14Asesoft PloieștiCSM Oradea3–2
2014–15Asesoft PloieștiBC Mureș3–0
2015–16CSM OradeaBC Mureș3–2
2016–17U-BT Cluj-NapocaSteaua CSM Eximbank3–0
2017–18CSM OradeaSteaua CSM Eximbank3–1
2018–19CSM OradeaCSU Sibiu3–1
2019–20Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21U-BT Cluj-NapocaCSM Oradea
3–2
2021–22U-BT Cluj-NapocaCSO Voluntari
3–1

See also

References
  1. Decizii ale Consiliului Director din 23.05.2018. frbaschet.ro (in Romanian)
  2. "Cum va arăta Liga Națională de Baschet Masculin sezonul viitor". totalbaschet.ro. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
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