London Lions Basketball Team

The London Lions are a professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England. They compete in the British Basketball League (BBL) and are the only franchise in the capital.

London Lions History

Hemel Hempstead Lakers

The club started in Hemel Hempstead, 24 miles northwest of London. The club was founded in 1977 and named after the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, adopting the team’s signature colours of purple and gold. In their first season, the Lakers finished fifth in the National Basketball League’s Division 2, with a record of 10-10. `

The following season was even more successful, with the Lakers finishing second in Division 2 (15-3) and gaining promotion to the top-level league, Division 1.

After securing entry into Division 1, the club received a major sponsorship deal from beverage brand Ovaltine and became known as Ovaltine Hemel Hempstead. The team became a force to be reckoned with in Division 1, regularly finishing at the top of the table and making many appearances in the playoff semi-finals at Wembley Arena. In 1985, after the end of the Ovaltine sponsorship, the club was rebranded as the Hemel Royals. Despite signing top American talent from the States, the team failed to replicate their previous successes and often settled for mid-table positions.

In 1989, the franchise decided to leave the top-tier league, which had been renamed as the Carlsberg League, and return to the second-tier league, now known as NBL Division 1. After one season, and a fourth-place finish (14-8), the Royals returned to the Carlsberg League. However, the team finished bottom of the league in the 1992-1993 season, with a 4-29 record, and were subsequently relegated back to Division 1. The Royals were later reinstated and returned to the rebranded British Basketball League (BBL) for the following season. Over the next decade, the team struggled to find success on the court, with consistent finishes at the bottom of the table, but the removal of the promotion/relegation system between the BBL and Division 1 meant that these finishes had little consequence.

Watford Royals

In light of financial struggles and an aging venue, the franchise began exploring options for relocation. Eventually, the team found a temporary solution in the nearby town of Watford. To reflect this new arrangement, the franchise rebranded itself as the Hemel & Watford Royals in 1996, and officially moved to Watford Leisure Centre the following year. Unfortunately, the change in location did little to improve the team’s performance, as they finished last in the league with a record of 3-33 during the 1997-1998 season. Nonetheless, the Royals continued to seek out better opportunities and relocated once more in 1998, this time to the town of Milton Keynes, where they would be offered a purpose-built arena. To mark this new chapter in the franchise’s history, the team rebranded itself once more as the Milton Keynes Lions.

Milton Keynes Lions

The Lions franchise improved dramatically on-court and began a slow but noticeable turnaround, reaching the National Cup Semi-finals and Play-offs for the first time in eight seasons in 2000.

In 2002, they appeared in the BBL Trophy’s final for the first time but eventually lost. Despite often qualifying for the post-season Play-offs, the Lions had little impact on the final outcome, except for a victory in the BBL Cup Final in 2008, with Macaulay-Razaq as head coach, earning him the Coach of the Year accolade.

The 2008–09 season was disastrous, resulting in a 9th-placed finish and missing out on the end-of-season Playoffs.

The Lions’ temporary home ground was moved to Middleton Hall at thecentre:mk, after the demolition of Bletchley Centre.

London Lions

In 2012, the London Lions moved to the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, after playing their first few home games at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. They maintained links with Milton Keynes by keeping the Milton Keynes College Lions Basketball Academy open.

The team finished 6th in their first season in London, before reaching the playoffs quarter-finals in the following season. The Lions won their first silverware in the 2018-19 season, winning the BBL league championship.

In April 2020, London Lions were bought by Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners who had major ambitions for European success; they eventually ended up buying a 45% stake in the league for £7million in December of 2021.

In the 2020-21 season, London Lions made their European debut, competing in the Basketball Champions League Qualifiers.

In June of 2022, they were confirmed in the EuroCup, as they got a step closer to their Euroleague ambitions.

London Lions News

Here are our latest news stories on the London Lions:

Arena

The Lions play their home games at the Copper Box Arena, which was originally the handball arena for the London 2012 Olympics.

The arena has a seating capacity of 6,000 and is considered one of the best arenas in the BBL.

With seats retracted, it is a three court facility, and has food stalls, bar/cafe, a gym, changing rooms, showers and other standard amenities you would expect.

Rivalries

The London Lions have developed several rivalries over the years, including with the Newcastle Eagles and the Leicester Riders. The rivalry with the Eagles is a longstanding one, with both teams having faced off in multiple championship games. The rivalry with the Riders has developed more recently, with both teams often competing at the top of the league standings.

The Lions also developed a local rivalry with the now-defunct London City Royals, who joined the league in 2018 and lasted a season and a half before going into administration.

Ownership

The London Lions have experienced several changes in ownership over the years, with Vince Macaulay being the primary owner.

In 2020, Macaulay sold the team to 777 Partners, who are now the majority shareholders of The London Lions.

777 have wealth unlike previously seen in the BBL, with a reported billion dollar in assets under management, allowing them to plough millions into the team.

Through their ownership, 777 Partners is now working to propel the British Basketball League forward after taking a 45% stake in the league for £7million in December 2021.

Notable Players

A number of notable players have suited up for the London Lions over the years, none bigger than Justin Robinson, who was named back-to-back BBL MVP in 2019. Additionally, former Great Britain captain and Olympian Drew Sullivan returned home to sign with the team in 2014. Joe Ikhinmwin was a fan favourite after playing for the team for eight seasons, winning three titles and being captain.

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, London Lions signed Sam Dekker who many argue is the best player to ever play in the BBL.

Current Head Coach

The London Lions current Head Coach is Canadian Ryan Schmidt, who was hired in July 2022. Previously, Coach Schmidt spent four seasons working as an assistant coach with Toronto Raptors NBA G-League affiliate, Raptors 905, before spending three years as Head Coach for the Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

Former Head Coaches

Name	Years	Record (W-L)
Vince Macaulay	2011-22	?
James Vear	2022	?
Nikhil Lawry	2022	?

London Lions All-Time Statistical Leaders

Record	Record Holder	Number
Appearances	Leon Noel	407
Points	Leon Noel	2,695
Rebounds	Shawn Jamison	1,611
Assists	Leon Noel	673
Steals	Leon Noel	348
Blocks	Kelvin Robinson	169

*Page last updated: 25/03/23