London Thunder Lewisham B.C. Explained

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London Thunder
League:NBL D3 South East
History:Lewisham Thunder
2007-2015
London Thunder
2015–present
Arena:The Thunderdome
Location:Lewisham, England
Coach:Steve Bucknall
Website:Official website

The London Thunder are an English basketball club, based in the borough of Lewisham, London, England.

History

The club was established in September 2007.[1] The club has developed from a community session with 12 youngsters to a registered charity engaging with over 200 registered players and 1000+ young people every year.[2] The club is led by Steve Bucknall, the first Englishman to play in the NBA.

In 2018, the club were visited by Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, running a skills session with a number of junior players.[3]

The Thunder entered the Men's English Basketball League in 2015. The club won the Division 4 Playoff final in 2019.[4] [5]

Players

Former Thunder player Kavell Bigby-Williams signed a one-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA in July 2019.[6] He currently plays for the Erie BayHawks in the NBA G League.[7]

Former Thunder player Rowell Graham-Bell currently plays for CB Almansa in Spain's LEB Oro.

Josh Uduje Josh Uduje who initially attended Coastal Carolina has now committed to Utah State for his final 2 years

Home venue

In December 2012 the club were approached by the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, the charitable body overseeing the sports and leisure aspect of the New Bermondsey Regeneration project. The club were offered the opportunity to take on a tenancy of a converted warehouse situated within the development location. This opportunity was on the premise that the new development (to include a 3,000-seat arena with show court) will become the eventual permanent home of the club. The Thunderdome, officially launched in July 2014, means that the Thunder are therefore one of the few clubs in the country to manage their own dedicated basketball facility.[8] [9]

Academy

Thunder, have in previous years been involved in the academy programme and in partnership with King Henry School, have run an under-19 team in the Academies Basketball League, the second tier under 19s basketball competition in the United Kingdom.[10]

Season-by-season records

SeasonDivisionTierRegular SeasonPost-SeasonNational Cup
FinishPlayedWinsLossesPointsWin %
London Thunder
2015–16Dev SE55th1899180.500Did not qualify1st round
2016–17D4 SE54th18126240.6671st round1st round
2017–18D4 SE57th18711140.389Did not qualify3rd round
2018–19D4 SE52nd18126240.667Winners1st round
2019–20D3 SE42nd15114230.733No playoffs2nd round

Notes and References

  1. Web site: London Thunder Basketball Club – Lewisham. lewisham.gov.uk.
  2. Web site: Charity Details. beta.charitycommission.gov.uk.
  3. Web site: Steph Curry Visits London with Under Armour & London Thunder. September 18, 2018.
  4. Web site: London Thunder Lewisham cruise to D4 Playoff title! | Basketball England. www.basketballengland.co.uk.
  5. Web site: London Thunder Lewisham Claim NBL D4 Playoffs Title. April 28, 2019.
  6. Web site: NBA: GB's Kavell Bigby-Williams signs a one-year contract with Charlotte Hornets | Basketball England. www.basketballengland.co.uk.
  7. Web site: Kavell Bigby-Williams: Back in action Tuesday. CBSSports.com.
  8. Web site: OVERVIEW - LondonThunderBasketball. https://web.archive.org/web/20160124083602/http://www.thunderbasketball.net/overview/4589367674. 2016-01-24.
  9. Web site: London Thunder's Converted Warehouse Latest Basketball Facility in Capital. March 4, 2015.
  10. Web site: KING HENRY SCHOOL.