LDLC ASVEL
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LeaguesLNB Élite
EuroLeague
Founded1948 (age 78)
ArenaOL Arena
Astroballe
Capacity12,523 (OL Arena)
5,560 (Astroballe)
LocationVilleurbanne, Metropolis of Lyon, France
SponsorGroupe LDLC
PresidentTony Parker
Championships21 French Championships
10 French Cup
2 French Supercup
1 French Federation Cup
1 French Leaders Cup
Websiteldlcasvel.com
Retired numbers(4, 4, 5)
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ASVEL Basket, known as LDLC ASVEL since 2018 for sponsorship reasons,[1] is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports club, competes at the highest level of French basketball, the LNB Élite. The club's home games are played in both the OL Arena and the Astroballe which have seating capacities of 12,523 and 5,560 respectively.[2]

Founded in 1948, the team is the most successful in French basketball with 21 LNB Élite championships and 10 French Cup titles.

In 2014, Tony Parker became the president of the club. In 2017, Nicolas Batum became the club's director of basketball operations. In June 2019, football club Olympique Lyonnais's holding company OL Groupe purchased a 25% stake in the ASVEL men's team, plus a 10% stake in the ASVEL women's team, in a deal worth around €3.7 million.[3] The deal also included a plan for a new EuroLeague-standard arena.[4]

History

The parent club was founded in 1948, with the merger of two multi-sport clubs in Lyon and vicinity; ASVEL is an acronym combining the names of the predecessor clubs—Association Sportive Villeurbanne and Éveil Lyonnais. In its history, ASVEL has won 21 French Pro A League championships, 10 French Cups, two French Supercups, one French Federation Cup, and one Semaine des As Cup (French Pro A Leaders Cup), which makes it the most titled basketball club in France.

In 2014, former San Antonio Spurs star and France national team player, Tony Parker, became the club's president.

In the French Pro A League 2015–16 season, ASVEL won its 18th French League title, after beating Strasbourg IG 3 games to 2 in the French Pro A League Finals. ASVEL was down 2–0 in the series, but won three games in a row to take the championship.[5]

In March 2017, NBA player, Nicolas Batum, became a shareholder in Infinity Nine Sports, the main investment company behind the club, and took over the position as director of basketball operations. Tony Parker remained majority owner, and ASVEL President.[6] In 2018, the club signed a 10-year name sponsorship agreement with Groupe LDLC. The club also changed its main team colors from the original white and green to white and black, and changed its main logo design.[1]

In 2019, ASVEL returned to the EuroLeague after the organisation decided to give the team a wild card for two years.[7]

In the 2021–22 season, ASVEL won its third Pro A championship in a row, its first three-peat in 32 years after beating Monaco in the Finals.[8] Over the next few seasons, ASVEL largely disappointed - with Monaco and later, Paris Basketball overtaking ASVEL in the Pro A.

Arenas

In July 2016, ASVEL announced that it would build a new multi-functional arena, with a projected seating capacity between 12,000 and 16,000 people, depending on the configuration.[9] The arena is projected to cost €60 million.[10] The new arena will be named the LDLC Arena, and its design and construction were given to architectural firm Populous and Citinea.[11] Construction began in January 2022 and was opened in November 2023.[12][9]

Logos and branding

On September 11, 2018, the club changed its name to LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons. Along with this change, the club changed its main colors from green to black and white.[13] The decision was made with the explanation that, "when you are European, green is a colour that does not make you dream", and was followed by criticism from fans.[14] The new logo, used since 2018, consists of the number four, which refers to ASVEL legend Alain Gilles, while also keeping the V that was used in the previous logo.

Honours

Domestic competitions

Winners (21): 1948–49, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1980–81, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
Runners-up (7): 1953–54, 1958–59, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2002–03
Winners (10): 1952–53, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2018-19, 2020–21
Runners-up (5): 1953–54, 1954–55, 1958–59, 2001–02, 2015–16
Winners (2): 2010, 2023
Runners-up (2): 2017, 2020
Winners (2): 2009, 2016
Runners-up (1): 2008
Winners (1): 1983–84
Runners-up (1): 1981–82

European competitions

Semifinalists (1): 1975–76
3rd place (1): 1977–78
4th place (1): 1996–97
Final Four (1): 1997
Runners-up (1): 1982–83
Semifinalists (2): 1984–85, 1986–87
Semifinalists (1): 1995–96
3rd place (2): 1953, 1966

Other competitions

  • Villeurbanne, France Invitational Game
Winners (1): 2020

Season by season

Season by season results of the club in national, cup, and European competitions.

SeasonTierLeaguePos.French CupA Leaders CupEuropean competitions
2008–091Pro A1stQuarterfinalistSemifinalist2 EurocupRS
2009–101Pro A9thRound of 16Champion1 EuroleagueRS
2010–111Pro A11thSemifinalistSemifinalist1 EuroleagueQR2
2 EurocupRS
2011–121Pro A12thRound of 161 EuroleagueQR2
2 EurocupL16
2012–131Pro A3rdSemifinalistQuarterfinalist
2013–141Pro A7thRound of 322 EurocupRS
2014–151Pro A6thQuarterfinalist1 EuroleagueQR3
2 EurocupRS
2015–161Pro A1stRunner-upSemifinalist3 FIBA Europe CupL16
2016–171Pro A4thRound of 32Runner-up3 Champions LeagueQF
2017–181Pro A6thQuarterfinalistSemifinalist2 EuroCupT16
2018–191Pro A1stChampion2019 Leaders Cup|Quarterfinalist2 EuroCupQF
2019–201Pro A––Runner-up1 EuroLeagueRS
2020–211Pro A1stChampion1 EuroLeagueRS
2021–221Pro A1stQuarterfinalist1 EuroLeagueRS
2022–231Pro A3rdRunner-upChampion1 EuroLeagueRS
2023–241Pro A3rdRound of 16Quarterfinalist1 EuroLeagueRS
2024–251Pro A3rdQuarterfinalistSemifinalist1 EuroLeagueRS
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

International record

SeasonAchievementNotes
EuroLeague
1964–65Quarter-finalseliminated by Real Madrid, 65–83 (L) in Villeurbanne and 65–84 (L) in Madrid
1966–67Quarter-finals4th place in a group with Simmenthal Milano, AŠK Olimpija and Racing Mechelen
1969–70Quarter-finals3rd place in a group with CSKA Moscow, Ignis Varese and Crvena zvezda
1975–76Semi-finalseliminated by Real Madrid, 77–113 (L) in Madrid and 101–99 (W) in Villeurbanne
1977–78Semi-final group stage3rd place in a group with Real Madrid, Mobilgirgi Varese, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Jugoplastika and Alvik
1996–97Final Four4th place in Rome, lost to FC Barcelona 70–77 in the semi-final, lost to Smelt Olimpija 79–86 in the 3rd place game
1998–99Quarter-finalseliminated 2–0 by Olympiacos, 57–70 (L) in Piraeus and 77–81 (L) in Villeurbanne
1999–00Quarter-finalseliminated 2–1 by Efes Pilsen, 85–93 (L) in Istanbul, 77–60 (W) in Villeurbanne and 66-68 (L) in Istanbul
2000–01Quarter-finalseliminated 2–0 by CSKA Moscow, 63–78 (L) in Moscow and 76–82 (L) in Villeurbanne
FIBA Saporta Cup
1967–68Quarter-finalseliminated by Ignis Varese, 88–73 (W) in Villeurbanne and 51–70 (L) in Varese
1976–77Quarter-finals4th place in a group with Forst Cantù, Juventud Schweppes and Steaua București
1978–79Quarter-finals3rd place in a group with EBBC, Gabetti Cantù and Śląsk Wrocław
1982–83Finallost to Scavolini Pesaro 99–111 in the final (Palma de Mallorca)
1984–85Semi-finalseliminated by Žalgiris, 78–84 (L) in Kaunas and 93–88 (W) in Villeurbanne
1986–87Semi-finalseliminated by Cibona, 82–98 (L) in Villeurbanne and 93–109 (L) in Zagreb
1997–98Quarter-finalseliminated by Stefanel Milano, 58–67 (L) in Villeurbanne and 70–62 (W) in Milan
FIBA Korać Cup
1973–74Semi-finalseliminated by Forst Cantù, 68–99 (L) in Cantù and 94–76 (W) in Villeurbanne
1995–96Semi-finalseliminated by Stefanel Milano, 69–73 (L) in Milan and 72–81 (L) in Villeurbanne
EuroCup
2005–06Quarter-finalseliminated by Aris TT Bank, 60–67 (L) in Villeurbanne and 67–77 (L) in Thessaloniki

Players

Roster

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Depth chart

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Retired numbers

LDLC ASVEL retired numbers
No.PlayerPositionTenure
4Alain GillesG1965–1986
4Delaney RuddG1993–1999
5Amara SyG1999–2002, 2005–2007, 2008–2009, 2012–2015

Notable players

Head coaches

TenureHead Coach
1948–1955André Buffière
1955–1956Raymond Sahy
1956–1959Georges Darcy
1959–1960Raymond Sahy
1960–1963Gérard Sturla
1963Raymond Sahy
1963–1964Henri Rey
1964–1967Jesus Mercader
1967–1970Maurice Buffière
1970Michel Le Ray
1970–1972Jacques Caballé
TenureHead Coach
1972–1973Jesus Mercader
1973–1980André Buffière
1980–1989Alain Gilles
1989–1990Pierre Galle
1990–1991Dominique Richard
1991–1992Jean-Paul Rebatet
1992–2001Grégor Beugnot
2001–2002Bogdan Tanjević
2002–2004Philippe Hervé
2004–2005Erman Kunter
2005–2006Claude Bergeaud
TenureHead Coach
2006–2008Yves Baratet
2008–2010Vincent Collet
2010–2011Nordine Ghrib
2011–2014Pierre Vincent
2014Nordine Ghrib
(interim head coach)
2014–2018J. D. Jackson
2018T. J. Parker
2018–2020Zvezdan Mitrović
2020–2023T. J. Parker
2023–2024Gianmarco Pozzecco

Club Presidents

TenureClub President
1948–1963Pierre Millet
1963–1988Raphaël de Barros
1988–1990Charles Hernu
1990Philippe Charvieux
1990–1992Gaston Charvieux
1992–2001Marc Lefebvre
2001–2014Gilles Moretton
2014–presentTony Parker

Individual club records

Individual club record holders, while players of ASVEL.

CategoryPlayerClub TenureRecord
Total Points ScoredAlain Gilles1965–866,141
Points Per GameNorris Bell1984–8821.8
Total AssistsDelaney Rudd1993–991,208
Assists Per GameDelaney Rudd1993–997.3
Total ReboundsWillie Redden1983–921,472
Rebounds Per GameWillie Redden1983–928.5
Games playedAlain Gilles1965–86372

ASVEL players with the most French League championships

ASVEL players with the most French League championships won, while members of the club.

PlayerFrench ChampionshipsClub Tenure
Alain Gilles81965–86
Henri Grange71955–69
Raymond Sahy61948–57
Alain Durand51963–72
Henri Rey1949–60
Michel Duprez1968–77
Gilbert Lamothe1959–71
Bruno Recoura1967–75
André Buffière41948–55
Michel Le Ray1967–73
Gérard Sturla1951–60
Jean-Pierre Castellier1963–69
Gérard Moroze1967–75

Sponsors

References

  1. ^ "New logo and record contract for the naming rights of LCDC ASVEL.". Archived from the original on 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  2. ^ "0 ME,Astroballe (5556 places)" (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  3. ^ "Lyon seal €3.7m Asvel investment deal". SportsPro. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Lyon invests in Euroleague club, reveals arena plans". SportBusiness. 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  5. ^ "Villeurbanne completes total comeback to win the championship". Eurohoops. 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Nicolas Batum becomes shareholder of Tony Parker's ASVEL and director of basketball operations". Sportando. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  7. ^ "EuroLeague & EuroCup clubs, domestic leagues shape 2018-19 season". Euroleague Basketball. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Le triplé pour Lyon-Villeurbanne !" (in French). Betclic ELITE. 2022-06-25. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  9. ^ "First seat put in place at ASVEL's new arena! | Euroleague Basketball". Euroleague Basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  10. ^ "Villeurbanne: la future Arena de l'Asvel sera réalisée par le groupe Floriot et DCB International". Lemoniteur.fr. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  11. ^ "New Lyon venue to be named LDLC Arena". The Stadium Business. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  12. ^ Chabas, Gwendal (2022-01-13). "OL - Asvel : les travaux pour l'Arena ont débuté" (in fr-FR). Olympique & Lyonnais. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  13. ^ "Un Naming unique et innovant". LDLC ASVEL. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Basket. LDLC Asvel : "Quand on est européen, le vert n'est pas une couleur qui fait rêver"" (in French). Ouest-France. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.