Manchester Giants Basketball Team

The Manchester Giants are a professional basketball team based in Manchester, England. They compete in the British Basketball League (BBL) and were founded in 2012.

History

The original Manchester Giants were founded in 1975 and played in the top tier of British basketball until 2001.

In 2012, a new Manchester Giants team was established and played their first season in the BBL.

The team was originally called Manchester Basketball Club but later changed its name to Manchester Giants, paying homage to the original Manchester Giants team that played in the BBL in the 1990s.

The Giants had a difficult start in the league, finishing last in their debut season. However, the team gradually improved over the next few years and reached the BBL playoffs in the 2015-2016 season, but lost in the quarterfinals. The team struggled in the following seasons and failed to make the playoffs, finishing in the bottom half of the league standings.

In the 2020-2021 season, the Giants finished in the top six of the BBL standings for the first time in their history, securing a spot in the BBL playoffs. However, the playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of the 2021-22 season, the Giants hired Lloyd Gardner as Head Coach, who brought in a strong recruiting class built around British talent led by GB stalwart Dan Clark. The team made the BBL Cup Final, but lost to Leicester Riders.

Things started to go downhill towards the end of the season, with rumours of financial trouble for the club, as Gardner left, along with a number of other players.

The team brought in Vince Macaulay for the 2022-23 season to try and turn around the club’s fortunes, as he signed a strong roster with the likes of multiple BBL MVP Rahmon Fletcher from Newcastle Eagles, and Dirk Williams from London Lions.

The went into administration in March of 2023, and is now being supported by the league.

Arena

The Manchester Giants currently play their home games at the National Basketball Performance Centre in Belle Vue, Manchester. This arena, which was opened in 2017, serves as the training facility for the Great Britain national basketball teams and also hosts a variety of events and competitions throughout the year. With a capacity of 2,200, the venue provides an intimate atmosphere for basketball games and has state-of-the-art facilities that meet the high standards of the BBL. The Giants’ move to this venue marked a significant improvement in their home court advantage, as they had previously played at the Trafford Powerleague Arena, which had a much smaller capacity and lacked the professional facilities of the NBPC.

Rivalries

The Manchester Giants have the biggest rivalry with their closest franchise, the Cheshire Phoenix.

Ownership

The Manchester Giants are currently owned by the BBL after going into administration in March of 2023. The league put out a statement to seek new investors for the franchise, as they prop it up until a suitable owner is found.

Notable Players

Several notable players have played for the Manchester Giants over the years, including Callum Jones, who has played for the team since its inception in 2012 and has been a consistent scorer for the team while being their franchise leader in almost every statistical category. Other notable players include 5’7″ Stefan Gill, who played for the Giants from 2013 to 2015 and was known for his athleticism and 3-point shooting, and legend Mike Bernard, who played for the original Manchester Giants team in the 1990s and returned to play for the new team as a seasoned veteran in 2016.

Current Head Coach

The current Head Coach of the Manchester Giants is Vince Macaulay, who took over the helm in July 2022.

Former Head Coaches

Several former head coaches have led the Manchester Giants over the years, including Jeff Jones, Yorick Williams, who led the team from 2018 to 2020, and Danny Byrne, who served as interim head coach in 2020.

Manchester Giants All-Time Statistical Leaders

Record	Record Holder	Number
Appearances	Callum Jones	251
Points	Callum Jones	2592
Rebounds	Callum Jones	1096
Assists	Callum Jones	944
Steals	Callum Jones	229
Blocks	David 'Tintin' Watts	73

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