PLeeds Force’s spell in the BBL is over.
And so is professional basketball in the city, for now, with initial discussions to find backers for a replacement franchise proving fruitless.
Following one of the worst campaigns in league history which saw the Yorkshire outfit’s fan base dwindle into the dozens, confirmation on Monday that the Force will no longer be with us came as no surprise.
The BBL had formality of an end of season review to complete but it was long understood the current owners – who took over only last summer – would have been stripped of their franchise even if they had carried on, with sources confirming that Leeds had not been given any formal shares in the league with fees understood to have remained unpaid.
And so it came to pass.
It is set to reduce the BBL to 11 teams next term with no replacements forthcoming despite some interesting from Reading.
A club statement read: “It is with great sadness that we today have to announce the end of the road for Leeds Force.
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