The London Lions are an English women's basketball team based in Barking, London that compete in the Women's British Basketball League (WBBL), the top league of British women's basketball.
| London Lions | |
|---|---|
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| League | Women's British Basketball League |
| Founded | 2008 |
| History | Barking Abbey 2008–2014 Barking Abbey Crusaders 2014–2017 BA London Lions 2017–2020 London Lions 2020–present |
| Location | London |
| Head coach | Styliani Kaltsidou |
| Team captain | Shanice Beckford-Norton |
| Championships | 2 WBBL Championship 3 WBBL Playoffs 2 WBBL Cup 4 WBBL Trophy 1 EuroCup |
| Website | Official website |
History edit
The team became part of the London Lions in 2017, when the WBBL team Barking Abbey Crusaders and men's professional team London Lions formed a partnership.[1] The Lions won their first piece of silverware, the 2020-21 WBBL Trophy, defeating Nottingham Wildcats 96-64 in the final in Worcester.[2][3]
In 2024, the Lions reached the 2023–24 EuroCup Women final, the first British team to do so, following a streak of 14 victories.[4] On 10 April 2024, the Lions won their second leg against Beşiktaş and won the EuroCup title.[5]
Home venue edit
- Barking Abbey School (2008–present)
- Copper Box (2017–present)
Season-by-season records edit
| Season | Division | Tier | Regular Season | Post-Season | WBBL Trophy | WBBL Cup | Head Coach | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Points | Win % | |||||||
| Barking Abbey | ||||||||||||
| 2009–10 | NBL D1 | 1 | 5th | 20 | 12 | 8 | 24 | 0.600 | Semi-finals | |||
| 2010–11 | NBL D1 | 1 | 7th | 21 | 6 | 15 | 12 | 0.286 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2011–12 | NBL D1 | 1 | 3rd | 21 | 13 | 8 | 26 | 0.619 | Semi-finals | |||
| 2012–13 | NBL D1 | 1 | 3rd | 18 | 15 | 3 | 30 | 0.833 | Runners-Up | |||
| 2013–14 | NBL D1 | 1 | 8th | 14 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 0.214 | Did not qualify | |||
| Barking Abbey Crusaders | ||||||||||||
| 2014–15 | WBBL | 1 | 6th | 16 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 0.444 | Semi-finals | 1st round | ||
| 2015–16 | WBBL | 1 | 4th | 16 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 0.500 | Quarter-finals | Runners-Up | ||
| 2016–17 | WBBL | 1 | 7th | 18 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 0.444 | Quarter-finals | Pool Stage | Quarter-finals | |
| BA London Lions | ||||||||||||
| 2017–18 | WBBL | 1 | 11th | 20 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 0.050 | Did not qualify | Pool Stage | 1st round | Mark Clark |
| 2018–19 | WBBL | 1 | 9th | 22 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 0.318 | Did not qualify | Pool Stage | 1st round | Mark Clark |
| 2019–20 | WBBL | 1 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Pool Stage | 1st round | Mark Clark | ||||||
| London Lions | ||||||||||||
| 2020–21 | WBBL | 1 | 3rd | 20 | 16 | 4 | 32 | 0.800 | Winners, beating Newcastle | Winners, beating Nottingham | Pool Stage | Mark Clark |
| 2021–22 | WBBL | 1 | 1st | 24 | 24 | 0 | 48 | 1.000 | Winners, beating Sevenoaks | Winners, beating Sevenoaks | Winners, beating Newcastle | Mark Clark |
| 2022–23 | WBBL | 1 | 1st | 22 | 21 | 1 | 42 | 0.955 | Winners, beating Leicester | Winners, beating Leicester | Winners, beating Leicester | Mark Clark Styliani Kaltsidou |
| 2023–24 | WBBL | 1 | 1st | 20 | 20 | 0 | 40 | 1.000 | Winners, beating Essex | Styliani Kaltsidou | ||
Players edit
Current roster edit
Note: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
|
Honours edit
- Winners (1): 2023–2024
- Winners (2): 2021–2022, 2022–23
- Winners (3): 2020–2021, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Winners (4): 2020–2021, 2021–2022, 2022–2023, 2023–24
- Winners (2): 2021–2022, 2022–23
References edit
- ^ "London Lions and Barking Abbey join forces". WBBL. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "London Lions win WBBL Trophy". WBBL. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "London Lions claim first WBBL title with Trophy triumph". women.hoopsfix.com. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ Chasing perfection: Will London complete an undefeated season?
- ^ "London Lions crowned EuroCup Women champions". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-10.