LNB Élite MVP
Award for most valuable player in France's top men's basketball league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The LNB Élite Most Valuable Player Award is the most valuable player award of the top-tier level men's professional club basketball league in France, the LNB Élite. Maxi-Basket holds the vote, and calls it the referendum.
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| League | LNB Élite |
| Awarded for | Best performing player in the season of the LNB Élite |
| History | |
| Most wins | Two players (1) |
| Most recent | Élie Okobo, AS Monaco (2025–26) |
The record for most MVP awards is hold by Antoine Rigaudeau who won five awards. Victor Wembanyama is the youngest player to ever win the award, as he won it at age 19, in 2023.[1]
Player of the Year awards (before 1983)
Before 1983, the title of the best player in the league was sometimes assigned by a panel of journalists, but the charts are incomplete.
- Jean Degros (Denain) was voted the best player of the year in the 1962–63 season.
- Alain Gilles (ASVEL) was voted the best player of the year in the 1964–65, 1966–67, and 1967–68 seasons.
- Michel Le Ray (ABC Nantes) was voted the best player of the year in the 1965–66 season.
- Pierre Galle (AS Berck) was voted the best player of the year in the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons.
Two awards (1983–2014)
Between 1983 and 2005, the monthly Maxi-Basket conducted a vote of the players and head coaches of the league. Since 2005, the coaches and captains of the LNB Pro A clubs, and a panel of fifty journalists are asked to vote.[2]
Since the 2014–15 LNB Pro A season, the MVP award is a single unified award. Prior to that, it was divided into two separate awards, one for French players, and one for non-French players.
LNB Pro A Unified MVP award (2015–present)
Since from the 2015–16 season, no differentiation was made between French and foreign players, and one award was given for the best player of the league.
Devin Booker was the second Chalon player to win MVP, in 2016.
D. J. Cooper holding the MVP award trophy in 2017.
| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the Pro A |
| * | Inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame |
| † | Denotes player whose team won championship that year |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been named MVP |
| Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
| Season | Player | Position | Nationality | Club | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15† | Adrien Moerman | PF |  France |
Limoges CSP (18) | [3] |
| 2015–16 | Devin Booker | C/PF |  United States |
Élan Chalon (2) | [4] |
| 2016–17 | D. J. Cooper | PG | United States |
Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez | [5] |
| 2017–18 | Zachery Peacock | C/PF | United States |
JL Bourg | [6] |
| 2018–19 | David Holston | PG | United States |
JDA Dijon | [7] |
| 2019–20 | Not awarded 1 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Bonzie Colson | SF/PF | United States |
SIG Strasbourg | [8] |
| 2021–22 | Will Cummings | PG | United States |
Metropolitans 92 | [9] |
| 2022–23 | Victor Wembanyama | F/C |
France |
Metropolitans 92 (2) | [1] |
| 2023–24 | T. J. Shorts | PG |
United States |
Paris Basketball | [10] |
| 2024–25 | T. J. Shorts (2) | PG |
United States |
Paris Basketball | [11] |
| 2025–26 | Élie Okobo | France |
AS Monaco | [12] | |
Notes:
- ^1 There was no awarding in the 2019–20, because the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic in Europe.
L'Équipe awards (1994–2005)
Between 1994 and 2005, the French newspaper, L'Équipe, also conducted a selection of the best French and foreign players of the league, through a vote of journalists. These awards are also considered official by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB).
| Season | French Domestic Player's MVP |
Foreign Player's MVP |
|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Antoine Rigaudeau (Cholet) |
Michael Young (Limoges) |
| 1994–95 | Yann Bonato (Paris) |
David Rivers (Antibes) |
| 1995–96 | Antoine Rigaudeau (Orthez) |
Delaney Rudd (ASVEL) |
| 1996–97 | Jim Bilba (ASVEL) |
Delaney Rudd (ASVEL) |
| 1997–98 | Alain Digbeu (ASVEL) |
Jerry McCullough (BCM) |
| 1998–99 | Laurent Foirest (Orthez) |
Keith Jennings (MSB) |
| 1999–00 | Moustapha Sonko (ASVEL) |
Marcus Brown (Limoges) |
| 2000–01 | Jim Bilba (ASVEL) |
Bill Edwards (ASVEL) |
| 2001–02 | Cyril Julian (Nancy) |
- Tony Dorsey (Cholet) |
| 2002–03 | Laurent Sciarra (Paris) |
 Dragan Lukovski (Orthez) |
| 2003–04 | Laurent Foirest (Orthez) |
Rick Hughes (SIG) |
| 2004–05 | Laurent Sciarra (BCM) |
Jermaine Guice (STB) |
Players with the most French MVPs won by year
- French Player's MVP and L'Équipe MVP awards combined. When the player won both awards in the same year, it is counted as a single MVP for the year.
| Player | Club(s) | Number of MVPs | Years Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antoine Rigaudeau |
Cholet (4), Pau-Orthez (1) | 5 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 |
| Stéphane Ostrowski |
Limoges | 4 | 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 |
| Cyril Julian |
Nancy | 3 | 2002, 2006, 2007 |
| Jim Bilba |
ASVEL | 3 | 1997, 1998, 2001 |
| Yann Bonato |
Paris, Limoges | 2 | 1995, 1997 |
| Laurent Foirest |
Pau-Orthez | 2 | 1999, 2004 |
| Laurent Sciarra |
Paris, Gravelines | 2 | 2003, 2005 |
Players with the most Foreign MVPs won by year
- Foreign Player's MVP and L'Équipe MVP awards combined. When the player won both awards in the same year, it is counted as a single MVP for the year.
| Player | Club(s) | Number of MVPs | Years Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Collins |
Limoges | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1990 |
| Ed Murphy |
Limoges | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Michael Brooks |
Limoges | 2 | 1991, 1992 |
| Delaney Rudd |
ASVEL | 2 | 1996, 1997 |
| Michael Young |
Limoges | 2 | 1993, 1994 |