London Lions (basketball)
British professional basketball team / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England, and compete in the British Basketball League as well as the EuroCup.
London Lions | |||
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2023–24 London Lions season | |||
Leagues | BBL | ||
Established | 1977; 47 years ago (1977) | ||
History | Hemel Hempstead Lakers 1977–1985 Hemel Royals 1985–1996 Hemel & Watford Royals 1996–1997 Watford Royals 1997–1998 Milton Keynes Lions 1998–2012 London Lions 2012–present | ||
Arena | Copper Box Arena | ||
Capacity | 6,000 | ||
Location | Hackney Wick, Greater London | ||
Team colours | Black, white, red, grey | ||
General manager | Brett Burman | ||
Head coach | Petar Božić | ||
Team captain | Sam Dekker | ||
Ownership | 777 Partners[1] | ||
Championships | Men: 3 BBL Championship 1 BBL Playoffs 3 BBL Cup 1 BBL Trophy Women: 2 WBBL Championship 3 WBBL Playoffs 2 WBBL Cup 3 WBBL Trophy | ||
Website | Official Website | ||
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The team was originally founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers, and was previously based in Hemel Hempstead, following ownership take over by Vince Macaulay two seasons in Hemel Hempstead then meant relocation to Watford and notably Milton Keynes, where they were known as Milton Keynes Lions. It was in Milton Keynes that the team won its first silverware in 2008, the BBL Cup. The Lions relocated to London in 2012 and play its home games at the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as well as occasional EuroCup matches at Wembley Arena.
In 2017, the Lions launched a women's team into the Women's British Basketball League after partnering with and rebranding the existing Barking Abbey Crusaders team as the London Lions.[2]
London Lions is now owned by 777 Partners after they purchased the club from Macaulay ending his 27-year ownership. 777 Partners also purchased 45% of the British Basketball League (BBL) for £7m in December 2021. The balance of BBL is owned by the 10 clubs that compete in the BBL, including London, therefore, effectively 777 controls the BBL. [3]