Élan Béarnais

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
French Championships 4 French Cups 4 French League Cup
Website	elan-bearnais.fr
Home Away

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez, also known as simply Élan Béarnais French pronunciation: [e.lɑ̃ be.aʁ.nɛ],^[1] and formerly known as Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Pau.^[2][3] They compete in the top-tier French league, the LNB Pro B. They are one of the most successful clubs in French basketball history, as they have won nine French League championships and have had European-wide successes as well.

History

The Élan Béarnais was founded in 1931 in the town of Orthez in Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the southwest of France. The club first reached the top level of French professional basketball in 1973. They were immediately relegated back to the second division, but returned to the top flight in 1976. The club then made their European debut one year later, in 1977, by qualifying for the FIBA Korać Cup. Their ascent continued by winning the FIBA Korać Cup in 1984, defeating Crvena zvezda in the final in Paris (Palais des sports Pierre-de-Coubertin). This was the first of many pieces of silverware that would be added to the club's trophy cabinet over the next two decades.

More success followed as the Élan Béarnais were finally crowned champions of France for the first time, winning back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987. This earned them entry into the FIBA European Champions' Cup (present-day

With the relocation complete, the club carried on cementing their status as the dominant force of French basketball, winning seven more league championships over the next thirteen years. The club's total of nine championships ranks them third behind ASVEL and Limoges for the most of any team in the history of French professional basketball. The last one came in 2004, the second of back-to-back titles, and was the culmination of a golden-age for the club. The previous season, 2003, was arguably the most spectacular in the history of Pau-Orthez, when the breathtaking abilities of two homegrown, young talents named Boris Diaw and Mickaël Piétrus spearheaded the Élan Béarnais to a sweep of all three French trophies (Le Championnat, Coupe de France and Semaine des As). Diaw's campaign won him the League MVP award for French players, and following the season both he and Pietrus were drafted in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft.

Unfortunately, due to exodus of talent, a lack of coaching stability, and financial problems, the success of the club steadily waned from 2004 on, until rock-bottom was reached and the previously unthinkable happened: in 2009, the Élan Béarnais were relegated to the

In 2008, the club underwent a minor name-change for the second time in their history, becoming the Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez. The city of Lacq's inclusion in the name and entrance onto the director's board strengthened the club's Béarn identity. For their part, Lacq, located just north-west of Pau, now provides funding to the club.

Arena

Pau-Orthez play their home games at the Palais des Sports de Pau since 1991, which has a seating capacity of 7,707 people.

At Orthez, the club played their home games at La Moutète.

Rivalries

The Élan Béarnais' biggest rival is Limoges CSP, another legendary French club, and they have been trading blows with one another for national supremacy on the hardwood, both figuratively and literally, since the early 1980s. In the 22 seasons between 1983 and 2004, the two clubs combined for 18 championships, and multiple games between the two teams resulted in fights amongst the players, including one that ended in a brawl between Élan supporters and Limoges players at their old Orthez venue, La Moutète. ASVEL is also a fierce rival of the Élan Béarnais, and games against both of these teams are referred to as the "Clasicos" of French basketball, receiving tremendous hype from the media and fans.

Players

Retired numbers

Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez retired numbers
No.	Nat.	Player	Position	Tenure
10		Didier Gadou	F	1982–2002

Current roster

Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age F 3 Munnings, Travis 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 29 – (1994-09-14)14 September 1994 SF 5 Affo Mama, Dylan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 24 – (1999-07-22)22 July 1999 C 32 Sané, Landing 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 33 – (1990-10-19)19 October 1990	Head coach Eric Bartecheky Assistant coach(es) Jimmy Vérove Jimmy Durand Team manager Nicolas Pradelle Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated: January 8, 2024

Notable players

FIBA Hall of Famers

Élan Béarnais Hall of Famers
Players
No.	Nat.	Name	Position	Tenure	Inducted
11		Antoine Rigaudeau	G	1995–1997	2015[4]

Honours

Total titles: 19

Domestic competitions

• French League

Winners (9): 1985–86, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04

Runners-up (4): 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2001–02

• French Cup

Winners (4): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2021-22

Runners-up (2): 2000–01, 2003–04

• Leaders Cup

Winners (4): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2002-03

• French Super Cup

Winners (1): 2007

European competitions

• EuroLeague

3rd place (1): 1986–87

• FIBA Korać Cup (defunct)

Winners (1): 1983–84

Semifinalists (1): 1994–95

• European Super Cup (semi-official, defunct)

Runners-up (1): 1984

Season by season

In European and worldwide competitions

The road to the 1983–84 FIBA Korać Cup victory

Round Team   Home     Away   2nd round AEK 81–61 77–83 Top 16 Star Varese 92–82 77–75 Zadar 90–77 93–106 PAOK 73–58 78–83 Semi-finals Olympique Antibes 75–68 69–71 Final Crvena zvezda 97–73

Kit manufacturer

2017-2021: PEAK^[5]
2021-2022: Adidas
2022-: Hummel

Difficulties

in 2022, a scandal escalated since