It didn’t take me long to understand basketball’s true reality in this country. The strife and perils that seem to curse this sport.

Since the late 80s, the propriety league in this country has been the BBL – not Brazilian Butt Lift, but British Basketball League – which has seen promising peaks and turbulent troughs.

It’s housed some prestigious talent, which often gets overlooked. Head coaches have gone on to coach championship teams in the NBA. Players have gone on to lucrative careers in other pockets of the globe. We’ve seen teams play in Europe and even conquer it.

What always follows these bursts of beamish hope are tragic lows. More recently, the country’s most promising team, The London Lions, had their eyes set on breaking through the European threshold, making them a true pioneer in British basketball history; and they came close.

The adjacent women’s team claimed victorious in the Eurocup, earning themselves a spot at the coveted Euroleague level, and the men made a hardy run into the playoffs. However, it was all short-lived. Soon after this success, the governing bodies announced the team’s harsh road to liquidation. Closely followed by the league itself.

Before British Basketball imposed the regretful termination of the league, basketball in this country looked promising. It was steadily on the rise in popularity, witnessing a spike in 2023, with over 344,000 recorded yearly participators. 

777 Partners, a Miami-based investment firm, pumped a hefty seven million pounds into the league under their 45.5% league share. They were also majority owners of the county’s best team, the aforementioned London Lions.

777 Partners reeked of financial controversy, from their ambiguous track records to the spiralling rumours that whipped up a stir across the basketball community. As long-time fans of the sport and league, we anticipated something; unfortunately, it came at the demise of the country’s great basketball hope.

The club made history as the first British team to qualify for the Europcup playoffs. Led by ex-NBA player, Sam Dekker and a promising starting five that, on certain nights, looked like they could go the whole 9 yards. With their success squandered and the players now scattered across various leagues worldwide, we must start again.

Like most sports, success and ambition trickle down to the masses. The hopeful supporters. We diligently observe our favourite teams and players on their journey, showing irrefutable adoration through thick and thin. It motivates us to go out and mimic. To perpetuate our juvenile dreams of one day being on that stage, watched and followed by fans. There needs to be a driving force which will always be at the top of the hierarchy.

The talent in this country will only be as good as its superior representation. 

And then there’s the question of resources…

As an adult, I have since explored other sports, all of which are seamlessly accessible and come with no bite. It adds context to the hardship of hoops. 

There is no basketball equivalent to tennis clubs. No easy-to-book system invites kids to turn up and play. No consistent court measurements or regularly serviced equipment. To put it frankly, it’s a shambles. The courts are often compounded into multifunctional recreational facilities, so you almost always have to shoot over youths playing football.

The standard, regulated hoop sits 10ft or, for the metric-lovers, 3.05m from the ground. A court in Hackney boasts two modestly sized basketball courts back-to-back. Unfortunately, no two hoops are the same size. What gives?

Imagine playing on a football pitch where one goal is 24ft and the other 14ft. It would be anarchy.

I’ve often wondered why brands don’t push the agenda. In 1996, a grant was approved to install 10,000 basketball goals nationwide. Heavily funded by Adidas, the initiative was to grow a community of sport-lovers while also growing an association between a brand and a sport.

Where’s that initiative run off to? Coming up to 30 years later, these hoops are in debilitating conditions and are desperate for a spruce-up. It doesn’t take a thorough Google search to discern how affordable installing decent, permanent hoops is. 

Finsbury Park
Clapham Common
Bethnal Green Gardens
Ravenscourt Park

I can wax lyrical about the benefits of falling in love with a sport when you’re young. The journey from aspiring athlete to fanatic fan is unparalleled. You create bonds with old teammates, expand friendship groups, keep fit, and adopt the nuances of culture. Basketball is no exception to this, and in its short history of burgeoning prevalence in the UK, it’s accomplished a great deal with an embarrassing lack of support.

With a newly refurbished league and the continued excitement around the Copper Box Arena and its London Lions, let’s see what the future holds for basketball.