‘Elite hoops’ London Lions plan schmick den

Article posted by Coliseum, March 27^th, 2025

Image: Copper Box, Ian Patterson, CC BY 2.0

The British professional basketball team London Lions has announced it plans to leave its Stratford (UK) home – the Copper Box Arena – and build a new basketball stadium.

‘Newham Recorder’ stated that the new arena would serve as the long-term home for the men’s and women’s teams while also acting as a hub for youth programs and community engagement initiatives.

The London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England (UK) and compete in the Super League Basketball (the top-level men’s basketball competition in Great Britain).

The 6,000-capacity Copper Box Arena is a multisport venue built for the 2012 Summer Olympics located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England (UK). It serves as the home arena of the London Lions.

‘Newham Recorder’ further stated that the Lions, who currently play at the Copper Box Arena, said the new stadium would “put London in a prime position” to become a “premier global destination for basketball”.

The plans have been welcomed by the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan who is working with the club to identify a site for the stadium.

Asserted Tomas Okmanas, Co-Founder of Tesonet and Owner of the London Lions, “The London Lions has the potential to build a basketball stronghold in Europe powered by incredible local talent and strong ties to a rapidly growing fan community. The Lions have the appetite to compete – and win – against the best in Europe and we are thrilled to support them on this journey. Such ambitions and goals require a dedicated top-tier venue. We are announcing our intention to build a fitting new home for the Lions to usher in a bright new era for the club and the City.”

Vilnius (Lithuania)-based Tesonet is a rapidly growing business accelerator and investor having a solid track record in Cybersecurity, HealthTech, EdTech, and Growth Tech. The company’s interests stretch beyond a single industry, field, or market. Tesonet leverage the broad expertise along with their decades of experience to help the ambitious founders scale globally.

The plans follow a commitment from the London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to set up a first-of-its-kind basketball taskforce to grow the game in the capital.

Enthused Mayor Khan, “I am thrilled to support the London Lions as they pursue their ambitious vision to establish a state-of-the-art basketball facility in our City. This venue can be a major new hub for basketball in the capital creating positive opportunities for the young people, attracting new fans to the sport and hosting more events which would provide a significant boost to the economy.”

Lenz Balan, head honcho of the club, which currently tops the Super League Basketball standings, said, “We want to create a world-class home for the elite hoops and a place where the community can come together.”

The Lions will continue to play at the Copper Box while the plans for the new stadium are moved forward.

More details on the development timeline and location will be announced in the coming months.

The Lions are among Britain’s most decorated clubs having won multiple British Basketball League Championships and competed in EuroCup Basketball (second-tier professional basketball club tournament).

The British Basketball League Championship, often shortened as the BBL Championship, is the top-level men’s professional basketball league in the United Kingdom. Established in 1987 the competition was administered by the now-folded British Basketball League and comprises 10 teams from both England and Scotland (UK). Presently, the Super League Basketball, a consortium of clubs, runs the show of the championship.

Leicester (UK)-based the British Basketball League (BBL) was a men’s professional basketball league in Great Britain. Since its establishment in 1987 the BBL represented the highest level of basketball competition within the United Kingdom. The organization that operated the competition, the Basketball League Limited, folded in July 2024 after the British Basketball Federation terminated its operating license. It was succeeded as the top-level men’s basketball competition with the Super League Basketball.

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