London Lions to make history against Portland Trail Blazers

By Guest Writer on August 3, 2026

London Lions will become the first British club in history to face an NBA team when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers in a preseason game at the Moda Center on Monday 12 October 2026.

The fixture tips off at 1:00pm local time, which means a 9:00pm BST slot for supporters in the UK, giving the Lions a prime-time autumn stage for one of the biggest nights in the club’s history.

It is the first time a club side from the United Kingdom has ever shared the floor with an NBA franchise, and it arrives at a moment when British basketball’s profile continues to rise both domestically and internationally.

The game also carries a strong Portland link for Lions head coach Tautvydas Sabonis. His father, Arvydas Sabonis, spent seven seasons with the Trail Blazers between 1995 and 2003 and remains one of the most beloved European players ever to wear a Blazers shirt.

For the younger Sabonis to lead a British club into that same building against the same franchise adds a fitting layer of symmetry to a landmark fixture.

Portland’s latest roster move has added another UK subplot. The Blazers have just signed British-developed forward Jeremy Sochan, creating the possibility of an even sharper domestic angle around the game.

“Playing a preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers is a historic moment for our club and for basketball in the United Kingdom,” London Lions general manager Martynas Purlys said. “We see this opportunity as a recognition of the progress and ambition of the London Lions organisation, as well as an important milestone for British basketball as a whole.”

“We believe this occasion will provide a significant boost to the growth and popularity of basketball across the UK, inspire the next generation of players and fans, and demonstrate that British club basketball is entering a new era,” Purlys added. “We are grateful for the opportunity to play in Portland and look forward to what will be a memorable experience for both organisations and their supporters.”

Sabonis said the fixture is especially meaningful on a personal level. “I’m excited to be playing a preseason game against an NBA team, and all the more so against the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland, a city that holds a lot of meaning for me and my family,” he said. “It will be fun to come back.”

“As for the game itself, it will be a great test for our guys to try themselves against an NBA team, and a great boost for the growth of British basketball,” he added.

The Lions go into the new campaign as reigning Super League Basketball champions after a clean sweep last season, and they are also set for a return to the BKT EuroCup.

While this will be the first direct meeting between a British club and an NBA team, there is a historical footnote. The closest previous crossover came at the 1995 McDonald’s Championship at London Arena, where Sheffield Sharks were in the same six-team field as the Houston Rockets. The clubs never met, but it remains the nearest precedent to an NBA-club connection involving British basketball.

Tickets for the Portland game are on sale via the Trail Blazers’ official website.

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