The Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil (LNBPF), known for sponsorship reasons as Liga Caliente.mx LNBP Femenil, is a women's professional basketball league in Mexico. Founded in 2022, the league comprises eight teams divided into two regions (North and South) and is the women's counterpart to the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP).
The LNBPF is one of three major professional women's basketball leagues in Mexico, alongside the Liga Mexicana de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil (LMBPF) and the Liga ABC MEX.
History
Initial attempt The Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil (LNBPF) was initially established in 2014 by the executives of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). The league started with ten teams, seven of which would eventually depart.
The LNBPF was born as a result of the Mexico men's national basketball team's gold medal at the 2013 Pre-Olympic Tournament and the hosting of the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara. Elsa Flores Sánchez, then-vice president of the Liga Nacional de Desarrollo de Basquetbol Femenil (LIBAFEM), was appointed by the president of the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM) to lead the creation of this professional women's basketball space alongside Juan Manuel González.
In early 2017, following the arrival of Sergio Ganem as president of the National League, a dispute arose among the league's team owners. Ganem envisioned that each men's team would have its own female affiliate, sharing infrastructure and sponsorships without consulting the team owners already in place. This led to the league's division.
After the conflict, the Liga Mexicana de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil (LMBPF) emerged, incorporating former LNBPF teams such as Mieleras de Guanajuato, Lobas de Aguascalientes, Mexcaltecas de Nayarit, Tapatías de Jalisco, Rieleras de Aguascalientes, Gamos de la Universidad Marista, Quetzales Sajoma, Nueceras del Estado de México, Leonas Cenhies, and Bengalíes. Eventually, the LNBPF folded, and the LMBPF grew stronger with the support of its fans and team owners.
Rebirth In 2019, Sergio Ganem, President of the LNBP, announced the inclusion of the women's division, which was planned to start in 2020, though this was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a virtual press conference, Ganem Velázquez officially introduced the first edition of the LNBP Women's Tournament, with eight teams taking part. He announced that the inaugural season would begin on April 23, 2022.
The league started with eight teams, which were divided into two geographical zones. In the Northern Zone, the following teams participated: Abejas de León, Astros de Jalisco, Panteras de Aguascalientes, and Libertadoras de Querétaro. In the Southern Zone, the teams were: Fuerza Regia de Monterrey, Plateras de Fresnillo, Halcones de Xalapa, and Adelitas de Chihuahua.
Teams
Team City Arena Capacity Founded Joined Head coachAbejas de León León, GuanajuatoDomo de la Feria4,463 2022 Mélissa DiawakanaAdelitas de Chihuahua Chihuahua City, ChihuahuaGimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre9,600 2022 Santiago BelzaEl Calor de Cancún Cancún, Quintana RooPolifórum Benito Juárez4,800 2025 Giovanni RiveraCorrebasket UAT Ciudad Victoria, TamaulipasGimnasio Multidisciplinario UAT Victoria2,600 2023 Jordi VizcaínoFreseras de Irapuato Irapuato, GuanajuatoInforum Irapuato3,000 2023 Christopher GutiérrezFuerza Regia de Monterrey Monterrey, Nuevo LeónArena Mobil5,000 2022 Carlos AlonsoPanteras de Aguascalientes Aguascalientes City, AguascalientesAuditorio Hermanos Carreón3,000 2022 José Antonio SantaellaSantas del Potosí San Luis Potosí City, San Luis PotosíAuditorio Miguel Barragán3,400 2024 2026 Luis García
Champions Team Champions Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasons Panteras de Aguascalientes 2 0 2025, 2026 – Adelitas de Chihuahua 1 4 2023 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026 Fuerza Regia de Monterrey 1 1 2024 2023 Astros de Jalisco 1 0 2022 –
References