City of Birmingham Rockets explained

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City of Birmingham Rockets
League:NBL D1
History:City of Birmingham
2003–2017
City of Birmingham Rockets
2017–present
Arena:Nechells Centre
Capacity:400
Location:Birmingham, England
Website:Official website

The City of Birmingham Rockets are an English basketball club, based in the city of Birmingham, West Midlands.

History

The club was formed in 2003 as the City of Birmingham Basketball Club.

The founders of the club were looking to provide regular opportunities and a clear pathway for young people from Birmingham and the surrounding areas to play basketball. The club runs representative teams at various age levels from Under-11s through to seniors, based in one of the most deprived wards in the country, with participants drawn from all parts of the city.

The senior men's team entered the English Basketball League in 2014. The volunteer-led organisation's name was then changed to the City of Birmingham Rockets in August 2017 to recognise a partnership set up with Houston Rockets and NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon.[1]

Despite spending most of their existence with a focus on youth development and competing in the lower divisions of the English Basketball League, with new backing it has been mooted that the Rockets could join the British Basketball League[2] [3] in the near future; however, these plans appear to be hold at least for the 2019–20 season.[4] [5]

The Rockets' home venue was refurbished in 2021 with funding from 2K, the American video game company behind the NBA 2K game series.[6]

Players

Notable former players

Season-by-season records

SeasonDivisionTierRegular SeasonPost-SeasonNational Cup
FinishPlayedWinsLossesPointsWin %
City of Birmingham
2014–15D4 Mid53rd1697180.5631st roundDid not compete
2015–16Dev SW53rd20128240.6001st round1st round
2016–17D4 Mid55th18108200.556Did not qualify1st round
City of Birmingham Rockets
2017–18D4 Mid54th22166320.727Did not qualify1st round
2018–19D4 Mid55th1688160.500Did not qualify3rd round
2019–20D3 Mid42nd21174350.810No playoffs1st round
2020-21D2 Nor3Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22D2 Nor37th22913190.409Did not qualify2nd round
2022-23D2 Nor31st22211420.955Winners2nd round
2023-24D129th24915180.375Did Not Qualify

Honours

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Amardeep Bassey. NBA Legend Hakeem Olajuwon on Why He's Made Birmingham His Home – and What He Thinks of Trump. Huffington Post. 25 August 2018.
  2. Web site: Mark Woods. BBL Shake Up Format. MVP247 .
  3. Web site: Mark Woods. Hope Remains for Leeds Franchise. MVP247 .
  4. Web site: Sam Neter. Troy Deeney throws hat into ring for Birmingham BBL franchise . 10 March 2023 . Hoopsfix .
  5. Web site: Sam Neter. Investment group looking to establish BBL franchise in Birmingham . 27 January 2022 . Hoopsfix .
  6. Web site: Sam Neter. 2K to fund court refurb in conjunction with City of Birmingham Rockets . 23 November 2020 . Hoopsfix .
  7. News: Sam Neter . City of Birmingham Rockets take NBL D2 Playoff crown. 2023-04-26 . Hoopsfix . 2022-04-22.