Cholet

Cholet won the French title in 2009–10 by beating Le Mans in the finals, and the club opened the following season by taking the Match des Champions, the French Supercup, the same year. The two met again in the 2011 playoff final, and Cholet finished as runner-up, as they had in 1988.

The club began life on 18 June 1975, when Michel Léger became its first president. It split off from the basketball section of the Club Omnisports Choletais de la Jeune France, a multi-sport body dating from 1926. Yves Lesur was a key figure in that move. Red and white are the colours, and the nickname Les Reds is shared with the main supporters' group. Home games are played at La Meilleraie, a hall of 5,191 seats.

What Cholet is best known for is its youth academy. Rudy Gobert, Nando de Colo and Killian Hayes all came through it, as did Rodrigue Beaubois and Kévin Séraphin.

The rivalry that matters is with Le Mans Sarthe Basket. Both sides are from the Pays de la Loire region. Cholet beat Le Mans for the 2010 title, and the two clashed again in the 2011 final.