created through the efforts of basketball coach León Najnudel, and sports journalist Osvaldo Orcasitas, in the 1980s, to make Argentine men's club basketball more competitive, through the merging of the many existing local leagues. It is designed like the NBA, with a regular season, all-star game, and playoffs. However, unlike the NBA, the LNB has a promotion and relegation system, with the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (TNA), the league level that is immediately below the LNB. Before the league was established, the regular tournament was Campeonato Argentino de Clubes where teams from all the provinces took part. The league had a regional format and playoffs. For the 1984 edition there was 64 teams. The association decided to retire 10 teams, moving them to "Primera Nacional A". Of those teams, 4 were from city of Buenos Aires, and the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Santa Fe were represented by 2 teams each. Ferro Carril Oeste was the first LNB champion after defeating Atenas de Córdoba in 3 games. The next season (1986), Ferro Carril Oeste won its second consecutive title, beating Olimpo de Bahía Blanca in 5 games (3-1 on aggregate). The Verdolaga played its third consecutive final series in 1987, but was finally defeated by Atenas, that won the first of 9 titles, being the most winning LNB team to date. In 1988 Atenas won a second championship beating River Plate and the next year Ferro won another title, being the only title won by León Najnudel as coach. Atenas won a total of 9 LNB titles, being the most winning team since the inception of the league in 1985. In the 2011–12 season a third level of competition, the "Torneo Federal de Básquetbol", was created. The Federal encompassed a wide array of teams from all over the country, being organized by the Argentine Basketball Confederation. League system Following a system similar to the European basketball leagues, there are two levels of competition: the Liga Nacional (LNB, first division) and Liga Argentina (formerly, "Torneo Nacional de Ascenso" – TNA, "National Promotion Tournament" in English, the second division). Both tournaments feature promotions and relegations and are organized by the "Asociación Argentina de Clubes" (Argentine Clubs Association). Competitions Since the first tournament held in 1921, many competitions have been held in Argentine basketball. The list includes the following championships: Current tournaments Notes Past tournaments Awards Statistical leaders References External links Confederación