London Lions

London Lions is a British basketball club from London, based in Stratford (East London). The team competes in the British Championship and the European Cup. In this article, we will tell you about its history, leading players, and home arena.

History of the London Lions

The history of the London Lions began in 1977 under the name Hemel Hempstead Lakers in the town of Hemel Hempstead. In its early years, the team played in the lower divisions, gradually forming a professional structure and improving its level.

Over the following decades, the club's name changed several times. This was typical of British basketball at the time. In 1994, the team moved to the capital and was renamed the London Lions. The club became associated with the country's largest city, attracting increased interest from basketball fans and sponsors. The team's ambitions at the national level also grew. The London Lions became a regular participant in the British Basketball League (BBL), establishing themselves among the league leaders in the late 1990s and regularly making the playoffs. The club found itself among the league leaders thanks to stable management and the recruitment of strong foreign players.

In 2020, the London Lions were acquired by 777 Partners, marking the end of Vince Macaulay's 27-year ownership of the club. At the end of the summer of 2024, it was announced that the club had been bought by the Lithuanian technology company Tesonet.

The team's colours are black, white, red and grey.

In July 2025, the club underwent a major rebranding and updated its logo. It features a geometric lion's face combined with an image of a basketball — a symbol of strength, concentration and connection to the game. Above the animal's head is a crown, a reference to the lion being the king of beasts. It is a kind of symbol of the club's leading role. The logo also includes the year of its founding, 1977, emphasising its historical roots. The logo's style — clean lines, minimalism and forward momentum — reflects the team's desire for progress and development.

The club is actively developing its academy, youth programmes and women's team. Its activities are aimed at preparing future stars of British basketball.

Club achievements

London Lions is one of the most successful clubs in the BBL. The club's main achievements include:

1. BBL victories in 2002, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
2. Victories in the BBL Cup and BBL Trophy.
3. Victories in the BBL Playoffs.

In the 2020s, the club began competing internationally, participating in the Basketball Champions League (BCL). In the 2023/24 season, the London Lions women's team won the EuroCup. This achievement was historic for British club basketball. The men's team's best result was reaching the semi-finals in the 2023/24 season.

Club management

The president and head of the club is Lenz C. Balan, who has chosen a strategy of long-term development for the team. London Lions is owned by Tesonet in conjunction with Žalgiris Kaunas (a Lithuanian basketball club and investor). The new owner provided financial support and strategic development after the financial difficulties experienced under the previous owner.

Team general manager Iason Tranos is responsible for the sports roster, player transfers and team management issues. D'andri St Marthe manages basketball operations and the day-to-day running of the club. Pulo Makaula is the press officer. Cheleene Gordon is responsible for operations.

The team's head coach is Tautvydas Sabonis, son of legendary Lithuanian basketball player Arvydas Sabonis and brother of Domantas Sabonis (NBA). The club signed a contract with him in July 2025. He is one of Europe's leading young coaches, with experience at Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) in various positions on the coaching staff.

Team composition

The team includes quite experienced players who demonstrate high performance in matches.

The captain of the London Lions is Ovie Soko, who plays forward, closer to the centre. His professional career began in Europe after the NCAA, playing in France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Japan, before returning to his homeland in Great Britain. He signed a contract with the London Lions in 2019. Ovie Soko immediately became one of the team's leading players.

Other notable London Lions players include:

1. Kameron McGusty – the team's leading scorer and playmaker, best in the EuroCup in points and assists.
2. Joel Scott – a powerful forward who has made a significant contribution to the offence and is the team's second-leading scorer in the EuroCup.
3. Tarik Phillip – an experienced point guard who leads in assists and scores consistently.
4. Joel Scott and Deane Williams make a significant contribution in points and rebounds.

In 2024, several of the club's players received prestigious awards in the world of sport. Matt Morgan was named British Basketball League Player of the Year for his performance during the season. Sam Dekker is the MVP of the British Basketball League finals.

Arena

The London Lions play their home games at the Copper Box Arena, located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. The stadium can accommodate 6,000 spectators during basketball matches. It was built for the London 2012 Olympic Games (it is one of the Olympic arenas). The arena has been home to the London Lions since 2013.

The indoor sports facility has stands around the playing field, fan zones, cafés, bars and a club merchandise shop. One of the arena's advantages is its location: it is close to Hackney Wick (Overground) and Stratford (Underground/DLR/Overground) stations. This makes the stadium easy to get to.

There are plans to increase the arena's capacity to 15,000 seats. A project for a multi-purpose basketball stadium capable of hosting international matches is currently under development.

Arena plan

The arena plan shows the location of the main basketball court, perimeter stands, VIP areas, media areas, and built-in training facilities for the main team and youth academy. It also shows the entrance areas and foyer.

Season statistics

Club statistics in the EuroCup in the 2025-26 season (as of the end of 2025).

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