Liga ACB

Updated on Sep 18, 2024

Edit

Comment

Country Spain Federation ACB First season 1983–84 Number of teams 17		Other club(s) from Andorra Confederation FIBA Europe Current champion FC Barcelona Bàsquet Inaugural season 1983–84 ACB season

Founded 1983; 34 years ago (1983) Level on pyramid Spanish basketball league system Relegation to Liga Española de Baloncesto Teams Real Madrid Baloncesto, Saski Baskonia, Baloncesto Málaga, Valencia BC, FC Barcelona Bàsquet Instances 2015–16 ACB season, 2014–15 ACB season, 2012–13 ACB season, 2011–12 ACB season, 2016–17 ACB season Profiles Twitter YouTube Google+ Instagram

The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa 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

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

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 ninth placed clubs. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history;

Controversies about promotion to Liga ACB

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".

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

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. However, Canarias finally played in ACB after buying the berth in the league of Lucentum Alicante, previously sold to the association.

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 and this one accused them of "distorting the reality". 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. 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.

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.

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, the Association offered again its place to Palencia and Melilla under these conditions:

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.

Ranking of clubs on equal points

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

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

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.

Titles by club

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

All-time Liga ACB table

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.

League or status at 2016–17 season: