London Lions lowdown: Meet the BBL side making history in Europe
Captained by a Love Island star and sprinkled with NBA-ilk talent, meet the London Lions who are taking British basketball by storm – the BBL outfit are making history in Europe with big plans off the court to replicate the sport’s US success
- London Lions are at the forefront of British Basketball’s growth on-and-off court
- Ovie Soko and Sam Dekker are among the stars of the loaded men’s squad
- Interest has grown with sell-out crowds occurring in the men’s European games
- The women’s side are dominating the landscape and went unbeaten last season
- Owners 777 Partners have big plans for the Lions and British Basketball League
What’s the second-most played team sport in the United Kingdom after football? It’s not the likes of rugby or cricket… but in fact basketball.
National statistics estimate that 1.3 million people play basketball on a regular basis in the UK, meaning the sport synonymous with America is making a Stephen Curry-like splash across the Atlantic.
And an entity that’s playing a key role in this expansion is British Basketball League side London Lions.
London Lions are producing a thumbs up on-and-off the court for British basketball currently
The Lions are at the forefront of British basketball domestically and on a European level
The sole professional basketball club in the capital, the women’s side are all-conquering while the men’s unit are expanding rapidly on and off the court for various reasons.
Playing games at the Copper Box Arena, the Lions are just a stones throw away from the London Stadium – home of Premier League outfit West Ham United.
However, sitting courtside this past year at men’s matches have been the likes of Premier League legends Patrick Vieira and Michael Owen – indicating the lure of the Lions.
But to appeal to a wider audience you need a good product on the floor and that is what is happening in east London.
Investment firm 777 Partners purchased the London Lions in 2020 and their nous has already seen both sides rise high to the hoop.
The sole professional basketball club in London, the Lions are truly roaring under 777 Partners
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On the women’s side this is truly reflective by the silverware that has instantly followed.
The 2020-21 season yielded two titles as they won the Women’s British Basketball League and WBBL Trophy (which is akin to the FA Cup).
Last season they did even better retaining both titles and the WBBL Cup (essentially the League Cup) to complete a Treble. What was even more impressive was the fact they won the WBBL without tasting defeat once – going 24-0 in the regular campaign and a further 10-0 in the post-season to finish with a historic 34-0 run.
The winning feeling hasn’t stopped this term either with Mark Clark’s side 7-0 in the regular season.
The success of the men’s side hasn’t translated to sustained silverware yet since 777’s investment, but you feel it is only a matter of time.
Mark Clark has done a stunning job as Lions’ Women’s head coach as they dominate the WBBL
Clark’s side went 24-0 in the regular term and a further 10-0 in the post-season to win last year
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Two seasons ago brought success in the BBL Trophy (beating Plymouth Raiders) but heartbreak in the BBL post-season and BBL Cup – finishing as runners-up in both.
Last term was much the same – losing the BBL Trophy final to Cheshire Phoenix before tasting defeat once more in BBL post-season final – this time to the Leicester Riders. That loss would prove extra frustrating as they were beaten 78-75 by their bitter rivals as the encounter, played in front of a BBL record crowd of 15,824 at the O2 Arena, went down to the last play.
The men’s Lions went through three head coaches in 2021-22, but have restructured their coaching and playing staff which is paying dividends.
Canadian Ryan Schmidt is at the helm this season and comes with an impressive CV having spent four seasons as an assistant coach with Toronto Raptors’ NBA G-League affiliate Raptors 905 – before spending a further three as Hamilton Honey Badger head coach in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Ryan Schmidt (right) is in his first year as Lions men’s head coach but shaped a fine squad
Schmidt, who has won BBL Coach of the Month for September/October and December; general manager Brett Burman and 777 Partners recruited wisely in the summer – with various signings catching the eye for a magnitude of reasons.
The first is Ovie Soko. The former Lion has returned to the English capital and has assumed the role of captain – averaging 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals in the BBL this season. A leader on-and-off court, his impact has been a key factor in their success.
Additionally, the signing of Soko helps transcend the Lions into a wider audience for those not-necessarily familiar with the BBL and the Lions, having appeared in the fifth series of Love Island in 2019.
The now 31-year-old was a nation’s favourite, finishing third on the ITV show. Looking at his Instagram following, which has 1.6million followers at the time of writing, shows his popularity on these shores. Soko’s profile can only help spread the name of the Lions and the BBL in general among an audience that it otherwise wouldn’t be visible too.
Captain Ovie Soko helps transcends audiences after appearing in Love Island back in 2019
The second is Sam Dekker. History shows it’s extremely rare for a player of NBA-ilk to ply his trade in the BBL while also in the prime of his career. However, the signing of Dekker this summer proves the intent that everyone involved at the Copper Box Arena wishes to make.
Now 28, the forward was a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft – selected 18th by the Houston Rockets. As well as Houston, the American played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors – to total over 200 games in the best league in basketball.
Invariably Dekker is the Lions’ go-to man for a bucket as evidenced by his 18.5 points-per-game average. He also collects 5.8 rebounds per game alongside 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals.
It doesn’t just stop there though with Kosta Koufos, Tomislav Zubcic and most recently Miye Oni as players on the squad who have been in the NBA world.
Star man Sam Dekker is London’s go-to scorer – and has previous pedigree playing in the NBA
Then there is the British element. Aside from Soko there are eight other Brits in the 17-man squad. Soko, Luke Nelson, Mo Soluade, Josh Sharma and Kareem Queeley are all involved in the Great Britain men’s setup too – providing a great core for club and country.
Josh Ward-Hibbert is another player with an interesting background, having grown up as a tennis player before switching sports while at Loughborough University in 2016. The now-28-year-old won the 2012 Australian Open Boys’ doubles title alongside Liam Broady – showing his pedigree. He also still holds record for the fastest serve by a junior player at Wimbledon after clocking one at 133mph in 2011.
The cocktail of talent among Schmidt’s squad has helped create an exciting product on the court with a host of stars outside of football flocking to the Copper Box Arena.
This was none better exemplified in December when the Lions faced Paris Basketball at the EuroCup. A sell-out crowd at the 6,000-capacity venue, a mix of celebrities, broadcasters, musicians, influencers and more sat courtside (such as Maya Jama, Julie Adenuga, Krept and Youngs Teflon) to help provide a razzmatazz feel associated with a big NBA game. The half-time entertainment was provided by popular rapper K-Trap which only added to the atmosphere.
Josh Ward-Hibbert (R) won tennis’ 2012 Australian Open Boys’ doubles title but is now a hooper
Mo Soluade (centre) is one of nine Brits playing for the London Lions this season
With many of those famous faces sharing their experience on social media, again it only adds to magnifying the London Lions product and bringing in new audiences.
Although the Lions lost that fixture, the impact it had cannot be underestimated. Broadcasted on BT Sport 1, who bought the rights for the Lions’ European games this season, figures show that it gained a 340 per cent increase in peak viewership from the last peak record.
The EuroCup is regarded as Europe’s second-tier professional basketball club tournament (essentially the Europa League in football). The Lions are the first BBL team to be in the competition since the Guilford Heat in 2007 and are helping put British basketball on the map – as proven by the impact of the Paris defeat.
Last season they broke records in the FIBA Europe Cup by becoming the first UK team ever to make the second round of the competition. They then made further history be becoming the first side on these shores to win in the second round when they beat Danish outfit the Bakken Bears.
The stands at the Copper Box Arena are continuedly full as fans flock in to show their support
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The campaign has seen the Lions roar in the EuroCup. With the top eight from each of the two 10-team groups progressing to the next round they sit seventh in Group B – with four wins and five losses at the halfway stage. In an incredibly tight pool, they only trail fourth-placed Hapoel Tel Aviv by two points.
The Israeli side are Wednesday night’s visitors – with the match being played at Wembley Arena. A bigger venue than their Copper Box Arena home, the north-west London facility is a sell-out with the visitors set to bring thousands of supporters themselves to make for an incredible atmosphere.
While the Lions are the leading light of British basketball, 777 Partners are hoping there will be more teams from the BBL emulating the capital club.
Kosta Koufos (R) will hope to inspire the Lions to victory against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Wednesday
In December 2021 it was announced that the Miami-based alternative investment firm has invested £7million in return for a 45 per cent stake in the league. Fast-forward 12 months and the appointment of Aaron Radin as CEO of the BBL was made with the aim of accelerating its growth to achieve its full potential.
At the forefront of that is the Lions. The women’s side are flourishing and now it’s the men’s turn to start collecting silverware. They can begin that with a BBL Cup final to look forward to against Leicester on January 29 at the Utilita Arena Birmingham, with the women playing earlier that afternoon against the Riders’ females side in the WBBL Cup final too.
With matches free to watch on YouTube as well as increased involvement with Sky Sports and BT Sport, the London Lions and British basketball are going on a run that will prove hard to stop.
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