London Thunder Lewisham B.C.

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

London Thunder
LeagueNBL D3 South East
Established2007 (2007)
HistoryLewisham Thunder
2007-2015
London Thunder
2015–present
ArenaThe Thunderdome
LocationLewisham, England
Head coachSteve Bucknall
WebsiteOfficial website

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 run 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.

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

The Thunder, in partnership with King Henry School, 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
Season Division Tier Regular Season Post-Season National Cup
Finish Played Wins Losses Points Win %
London Thunder
2015–16 Dev SE 5 5th 18 9 9 18 0.500 Did Not Qualify 1st Round
2016–17 D4 SE 5 4th 18 12 6 24 0.667 1st Round 1st Round
2017–18 D4 SE 5 7th 18 7 11 14 0.389 Did Not Qualify 3rd Round
2018–19 D4 SE 5 2nd 18 12 6 24 0.667 Winners 1st Round
2019–20 D3 SE 4 2nd 15 11 4 23 0.733 No Playoffs 2nd Round

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