The Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, also known as Liga Femenina Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of league competition for women's basketball in Spain. It is the women's equivalent of the men's Liga ACB and is run by the Spanish Basketball Federation. The league was founded in 1964 and is played under FIBA rules.
 | |
| Founded | 1964 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1964 |
| Country | Spain |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | LF Challenge |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa de la Reina |
| Supercup | Supercopa de España |
| International cup(s) | EuroLeague EuroCup |
| Current champions | Valencia Basket (2nd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Pool Getafe Ros Casares Perfumerías Avenida (8 titles) |
| TV partners | Teledeporte |
| Website | ligafemenina.es |
 2024–25 season | |
Throughout its history 13 clubs have been champions; CB Godella-Pool Getafe (with both names), Ros Casares and Perfumerías Avenida have won the most championships, with eight.
Liga championship rules
editEach team has to play all the other teams in its division twice, once at home and once away. This means that in Liga Femenina de Baloncesto the league's regular season ends after all teams play 26 matches.
At the end of the league, the eight best teams in the standings start a play-off, pitting the first place team in the standings versus the 8th place team in the standings, and so on. There are three playoff rounds, each consisting of three-game series, and the winner of the finals round becomes the champion of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. This is similar to the NBA playoffs system, but shorter.
Each season, the two last qualified teams of the regular season are relegated to Liga Femenina 2 de Baloncesto and replaced by the two first qualified teams of this league.
Current clubs
edit
Location of teams from the Canary Islands in 2024–25 Liga Femenina
| Team | Home city | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxi Ferrol | Ferrol | A Malata | 4,200 |
| Cadí La Seu | La Seu d'Urgell | Palau d'Esports | 800 |
| Casademont Zaragoza | Zaragoza | Pabellón Príncipe Felipe | 10,744 |
| Celta Femxa Zorka | Vigo | Navia | 1,500 |
| Club Joventut Badalona | Badalona | Palau Municipal d'Esports | 12,760 |
| Durán Maquinaria Ensino | Lugo | Pazo dos Deportes | 5,310 |
| Hozono Global Jairis | Alcantarilla | Fausto Vicent | 1,240 |
| IDK Euskotren | San Sebastián | José Antonio Gasca | 2,500 |
| Kutxabank Araski | Vitoria-Gasteiz | Mendizorrotza | 2,603 |
| Lointek Gernika Bizkaia | Gernika | Maloste | 800 |
| Movistar Estudiantes | Madrid | Antonio Magariños | 600 |
| Osés Construcción Ardoi | Zizur Mayor | Arrosadía | 1,500 |
| Perfumerías Avenida | Salamanca | Würzburg | 3,000 |
| Spar Girona | Girona | Fontajau | 5,200 |
| Spar Gran Canaria | Las Palmas | La Paterna | 1,600 |
| Valencia Basket | Valencia | La Fonteta | 8,500 |
History
editPerformance by club
edit| Club | Winners | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|
| CB Godella-Pool Getafe | 8 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| Ros Casares Valencia | 8 | 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 |
| CB Avenida | 8 | 2006, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 |
| CREFF Madrid | 7 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 |
| Picadero-El Masnou | 7 | 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1990 |
| Celta Vigo | 5 | 1977, 1979, 1982, 1999, 2000 |
| CE Mataró | 3 | 1972, 1973, 1974 |
| Real Canoe | 3 | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
| CB Tortosa | 3 | 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| UB - FC Barcelona | 2 | 2003, 2005 |
| Uni Girona CB | 2 | 2015, 2019 |
| Valencia Basket | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
| Medina La Coruña | 1 | 1966 |
| Rivas Ecópolis | 1 | 2014 |
Stats leaders
edit| Season | Top rating | PIR | Top scorer | PPG | Top rebounder | RPG | Top Assistant | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Jovita Jutelytė | 24.09 | Rosi Sánchez | 19.91 | Elisabeth Cebrián | 12.82 | Carmen González | 3.70 |
| 1998–99 | Nieves Anula | 30.67 | Nieves Anula | 27.58 | Elisabeth Cebrián | 8.80 | Sandra Gallego | 3.31 |
| 1999–00 | Brandy Reed | 25.77 | Brandy Reed | 25.19 | Pollyanna Johns | 11.43 | Amaya Valdemoro | 2.88 |
| 2000–01 | Amaya Valdemoro | 21.88 | Amaya Valdemoro | 22.40 | Françoise Meyendo | 10.96 | Raquel Delgado | 2.72 |
| 2001–02 | Razija Mujanović | 25.09 | Korie Hlede | 20.12 | Razija Mujanović | 10.14 | Yelena Tornikidu | 3.27 |
| 2002–03 | Yelena Tornikidu | 25.77 | Shannon Johnson | 23.12 | Dale Hodges | 10.96 | María José Alonso | 4.62 |
| 2003–04 | Tamika Whitmore | 23.28 | Tamika Whitmore | 23.00 | Jermisha Dosty | 10.35 | Nuria Martínez | 3.35 |
| 2004–05 | Yelena Tornikidu | 24.88 | Yelena Tornikidu | 20.68 | Amisha Carter | 10.31 | Clara Bermejo | 4.12 |
| 2005–06 | Érika de Souza | 25.20 | LaToya Thomas | 19.00 | Érika de Souza | 12.92 | Sílvia Domínguez | 4.42 |
| 2006–07 | Marta Fernández | 22.22 | Kaayla Chones | 19.08 | Brooke Wyckoff | 11.62 | Silvia Morales | 4.62 |
| 2007–08 | Le'coe Willingham | 24.42 | Roneeka Hodges | 20.19 | Le'coe Willingham | 11.04 | Silvia Morales | 5.00 |
| 2008–09 | Sancho Lyttle | 27.39 | Shay Murphy | 20.73 | Sancho Lyttle | 11.56 | Sílvia Domínguez | 4.08 |
| 2009–10 | Sancho Lyttle | 26.92 | Shay Murphy | 21.12 | Sancho Lyttle | 10.68 | Clara Bermejo | 3.88 |
| 2010–11 | Shay Murphy | 23.54 | Shay Murphy | 25.58 | Courtney Paris | 8.77 | Paola Ferrari | 4.15 |
| 2011–12 | Angelica Robinson | 21.00 | D'Andra Moss | 20.15 | Angelica Robinson | 11.15 | Lorena Infante | 5.42 |
| 2012–13 | Vanessa Blé | 21.40 | Bernice Mosby | 19.27 | Vanessa Blé | 11.30 | Noemí Jordana | 4.00 |
| 2013–14 | Astou Ndour | 24.95 | Charde Houston | 19.64 | Astou Ndour | 13.23 | Arantxa Gómez | 6.32 |
| 2014–15 | Ify Ibekwe | 23.76 | Bernice Mosby | 19.19 | Samarie Walker | 11.46 | Noemí Jordana | 4.69 |
| 2015–16 | Adaora Elonu | 21.68 | Paola Ferrari | 19.15 | Talia Caldwell | 11.30 | Arantxa Gómez | 5.39 |
| 2016–17 | Nádia Colhado | 21.84 | Roneeka Hodges | 16.90 | Julia Forster | 11.54 | Paola Ferrari | 5.29 |
| 2017–18 | Shacobia Barbee | 18.77 | Shayla Cooper | 19.00 | Vanessa Gidden | 13.11 | Gaby Ocete | 5.19 |
| 2018–19 | Mariam Coulibaly | 17.04 | Ariel Edwards | 17.73 | Mariam Coulibaly | 10.88 | Anna Gómez | 6.12 |
| 2019–20[1] | Tinara Moore | 18.55 | Tanaya Atkinson | 19.57 | Vanessa Gidden | 8.68 | Sílvia Domínguez | 5.64 |
| 2020–21 | Markeisha Gatling | 19.70 | Sika Kone | 11.63 | Aleksandra Stanaćev | 4.90 |
All-time top performances
edit| Active Liga Femenina player |
Games played
edit| Rank | Player | Position(s) | Seasons | Years | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noemí Jordana (ESP) | PG | 19 | 1998–2017 | 540 |
| 2 | Luci Pascua (ESP) | C | 18 | 2002–2020 | 493 |
| 3 | Laia Palau (ESP) | PG | 16 | 1997– | 447 |
| 4 | Isa Sánchez (ESP) | SG | 15 | 1997–2013 | 409 |
| 5 | Laura Antoja (ESP) | PG | 15 | 1997–2013 | 383 |
| 6 | S. Domínguez (ESP) | PG | 13 | 2005– | 376 |
| 7 | Thania Quintero (ESP) | SG | 15 | 1997–2013 | 371 |
| 8 | Clara Bermejo (ESP) | PG | 14 | 2000–2014 | 370 |
| 9 | Elisa Aguilar (ESP) | PG | 12 | 2000–2012 | 363 |
| 10 | María Pina (ESP) | SF | 16 | 2005– | 360 |
Points
edit| Rank | Player | Position | Years | Points | Games played | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. Valdemoro (ESP) | SF | 1997–2012 | 5,190 | 305 | 17.0 |
| 2 | Silvia Morales (ESP) | SG | 1998–2012 | 4,994 | 344 | 14.5 |
| 3 | Isa Sánchez (ESP) | SG | 1997–2013 | 4,793 | 409 | 11.7 |
| 4 | M. Fernández (ESP) | SG | 1999–2015 | 4,737 | 358 | 13.2 |
| 5 | Noemí Jordana (ESP) | PG | 1998–2017 | 4,422 | 540 | 8.2 |
| 6 | Érika de Souza (BRA) | C | 2003–2020 | 4,266 | 341 | 12.5 |
| 7 | Sandra Gallego (ESP) | SG | 1997–2008 | 3,790 | 319 | 11.9 |
| 8 | Rosi Sánchez (ESP) | SG | 1997–2012 | 3,665 | 256 | 14.3 |
| 9 | Paola Ferrari (PAR) | SF | 2007– | 3,527 | 294 | 12.0 |
| 10 | Pilar Valero (ESP) | SG | 1997–2010 | 3,495 | 334 | 10.5 |
Rebounds
edit| Rank | Player | Position | Years | Rebounds | Games played | Rebounds per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Érika de Souza (BRA) | C | 2003–2020 | 3,000 | 341 | 8.8 |
| 2 | Luci Pascua (ESP) | C | 2002–2020 | 2,903 | 493 | 5.9 |
| 3 | Ingrid Pons (ESP) | PF | 1997–2008 | 2,133 | 341 | 6.3 |
| 4 | Betty Cebrián (ESP) | C | 1997–2005 | 1,581 | 217 | 7.3 |
| 5 | Murriel Page (USA) | PF | 2001–2010 | 1,578 | 181 | 8.7 |
| 6 | Sancho Lyttle (VIN) | C | 2006–2012 | 1,562 | 158 | 9.9 |
| 7 | A. Valdemoro (ESP) | SF | 1997–2012 | 1,541 | 305 | 5.1 |
| 8 | Gisela Vega (ARG) | PF | 2002–2018 | 1,530 | 216 | 7.1 |
| 9 | Cindy Lima (ESP) | C | 1998–2014 | 1,498 | 302 | 5.0 |
| 10 | Laia Palau (ESP) | PG | 1997– | 1,480 | 447 | 3.3 |
Assists
edit| Rank | Player | Position | Years | Assists | Games played | Assists per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laia Palau (ESP) | PG | 1997– | 1,366 | 447 | 3.1 |
| 2 | S. Domínguez (ESP) | PG | 2005– | 1,352 | 376 | 3.6 |
| 3 | Noemí Jordana (ESP) | PG | 1998–2017 | 1,256 | 540 | 2.3 |
| 4 | Gaby Ocete (ESP) | PG | 2006– | 1,134 | 312 | 3.6 |
| 5 | Elisa Aguilar (ESP) | PG | 2000–2012 | 1,003 | 363 | 2.8 |
| 6 | Clara Bermejo (ESP) | PG | 2000–2014 | 988 | 370 | 2.7 |
| 7 | Silvia Morales (ESP) | SG | 1998–2012 | 963 | 344 | 2.8 |
| 8 | Anna Gómez (ESP) | PG | 2004– | 950 | 333 | 2.9 |
| 9 | M. Fernández (ESP) | SG | 1999–2015 | 883 | 358 | 2.5 |
| 10 | Paola Ferrari (PAR) | SF | 2007– | 861 | 294 | 2.9 |
Records in a game
edit- Most points
- 49 by Amaya Valdemoro (Salamanca Halcón Viajes) vs. Ensino Universidade on April 10, 1999
- Most rebounds
- 25 by Natalia Urdiain (CBN) vs. Tony Roma's Real Canoe on February 14, 1998
- Most assists
- 16 by Paola Ferrari (Sóller Bon Día!) vs. UNB Obenasa Lacturale on December 21, 2011
- Most three-pointers
- 10 by Patricia Cabrera (GranCanaria.com) vs. Zamarat on March 28, 2015
- Most steals
- 12 by Arantxa Novo (Yaya María) vs. Cortegada on December 9, 2000
- Most blocks
- 8 by Vanessa Hayden (Perfumerías Avenida) vs. Yaya María on October 17, 2004
- Most PIR
- 61 by Amaya Valdemoro (Salamanca Halcón Viajes) vs. Femenino Tres Cantos on April 1, 2000
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ On May 8, 2020, the Spanish Basketball Federation finished prematurely the regular season due to COVID-19 pandemic.
External links
edit- Official Site (in Spanish)
- Locos por el baloncesto femenino (in Spanish)
- "www.encancha.com" (in Spanish)