London Lions (basketball)

London Lions
2023–24 London Lions season
League	SLB
Established	1977; 47 years ago (1977)
History	Hemel Hempstead Lakers 1977–1985 Hemel Royals 1985–1996 Hemel & Watford Royals 1996–1997 Watford Royals 1997–1998 Milton Keynes Lions 1998–2012 London Lions 2012–present
Arena	Copper Box Arena
Capacity	6,000
Location	Hackney Wick, Greater London
Team colours	Black, white, red, grey
General manager	Brett Burman
Head coach	Petar Božić
Team captain	Sam Dekker
Ownership	Tesonet[1]
Championships	Men: 3 BBL Championship 2 BBL Playoffs 3 BBL Cup 1 BBL Trophy Women: 3 WBBL Championship 4 WBBL Playoffs 2 WBBL Cup 4 WBBL Trophy
Website	Official Website
Home Away

London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England, and compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB).

The team was originally founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead Lakers. Following an ownership take over by Vince Macaulay in 1993, the club subsequently relocated to Watford, and then Milton Keynes, where they were known as Milton Keynes Lions. It was in Milton Keynes that the team won its first silverware in 2008, the BBL Cup. The Lions relocated to London in 2012 and play its home games at the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, as well as occasional EuroCup matches at Wembley Arena.

The Lions were purchased by 777 Partners in 2020, ending Macaulay's 27-year tenure of ownership. After the threat of bankruptcy following the end of the 2023-24 season, the club was rescued for the 2024-25 season under the ownership of Tesonet, minority shareholders of BC Žalgiris.