London Lightning

{{Infobox Basketball club

| name = London Lightning

| logo = LondonLightningNBL.PNG

| image_size = 205px

| founded = 2011

| league = NBL Canada 2011-2023
BSL: 2023–present

| history = London Lightning
2011–present

| arena = Canada Life Place

| location = London, Ontario

| colours = Yellow, black, white
{{Color box|#FFCC00|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|black|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|white|border=darkgray}}

| owner = Vito Frijia

| gm = Mark Frijia{{Cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/mark-frijia-promoted-to-general-manager/n-5544882 |title=Mark Frijia Promoted to General Manager |website=OurSports Central |date=26 August 2019}}

| coach = Jerry Williams

| championships = 7
(2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024)

| website = [https://www.lightningbasketball.ca/ lightningbasketball.ca]

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| a_body= 000000

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The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, with home games at Canada Life Place. The team competes in the Basketball Super League.

History

The Lightning name was announced on August 12, 2011.{{cite web| url = https://lfpress.com/news/london/2011/08/12/18547261.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120402135654/http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/08/12/18547261.html| archive-date = 2012-04-02| title = Lightning choice for pro basketball team {{!}} London {{!}} News {{!}} London Free Press}}

The team was a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) that began play for the 2011–12 season and won the league's first championship. The Lightning have won the most NBLC championships with six. On August 17, former Albany Patroons and Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry head coach Micheal Ray Richardson was announced as the Lightning's first head coach.{{cite web| url = https://lfpress.com/sports/basketball/2011/08/17/18565196.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111217140441/http://www.lfpress.com/sports/basketball/2011/08/17/18565196.html| archive-date = 2011-12-17| title = Coach knows highs, lows {{!}} Basketball {{!}} Sports {{!}} London Free Press}} The Lightning would go on to win the 2012 NBL championship, defeating the Halifax Rainmen 116-92 on March 25, 2012 at the John Labatt Centre to take the best-of-five championship series three games to two.{{Cite web |url=http://lightningbasketball.ca/view/londonlightning/home-page |title=NBL: London Lightning | Home Page |access-date=2012-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408142507/http://lightningbasketball.ca/view/londonlightning/home-page |archive-date=2012-04-08 |url-status=dead }}

Carlos Knox was unveiled as the new Lightning head coach on July 17, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/sports-story/4638952-coach-knox-takes-lightning-in-new-direction/ |title=Coach Knox takes Lightning in new direction |work=londoncommunitynews.com |access-date=July 19, 2014}} He led the team to an 18–14 record.{{cite web|title=2014-15 Standings|url=http://www.nblcanada.com/14569/2014-15-standings|website=NBLCanada.com|access-date=17 August 2015}} Knox was dismissed in August 2015 after hiding player Jonathan Mills' positive drug test results from Vito Frijia and the league. He was replaced by former Mississauga Power head coach Kyle Julius later in the month.{{cite web|title=Lightning dismiss Knox|url=http://lightningbasketball.ca/p/14539/nr/100185/lightning-dismiss-knox|website=LightningBasketball.ca|access-date=29 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911200426/http://www.lightningbasketball.ca/p/14539/nr/100185/lightning-dismiss-knox|archive-date=11 September 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=London Lightning coach Carlos Knox kept test secret|url=https://lfpress.com/2015/07/30/london-lightning-coach-carlos-knox-kept-test-secret|newspaper=The London Free Press|access-date=17 August 2015}}{{cite news|title=London Lightning set to name Kyle Julius head coach|url=https://lfpress.com/2015/08/17/london-lightning-set-to-name-kyle-julius-head-coach|newspaper=The London Free Press|access-date=17 August 2015}}

Julius would lead the Lightning to back-to-back championship appearances in 2016 and 2017, winning the championship in the latter.{{cite web |url=https://lfpress.com/2017/06/12/julius-resigns-coaching-position-from-london-lightning |title=London Lightning coach, owner deny serious conflict led to coach quitting |work=The London Free Press |date=13 June 2017}} He would be replaced by former Niagara College and interim Niagara River Lions head coach, Keith Vassell.{{cite web |url=http://globalnews.ca/news/3693311/london-lightning-hire-new-coach-for-upcoming-nbl-season/|title=London Lightning hire new coach for upcoming NBL season |work=GlobalNews.ca |date=24 August 2017}} Vassell led the Lightning to another championship in 2017–18, but was fired after a 4–4 record in the 2018–19 season.{{cite web |url=https://lfpress.com/sports/basketball/london-lightning/lightning-dump-coach-vassell-after-lack-lustre-start |title=Lightning dump coach Vassell after lack-lustre start |work=The London Free Press |date=11 December 2018}}

Home arenas

Originally opened in 2002, Canada Life Place is a sports-entertainment centre, in London, Ontario, Canada. The arena has a capacity of 9,000. The Lightning shares the arena with London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.{{cite web|url=https://www.canadalifeplace.com/arena-info |title=Arena Info |work=CanadaLifePlace.com |access-date=October 14, 2024}}

Personnel

{{Basketball roster header

| team = London Lightning

| color1 = #000000| bg1 = #FFCC00| color2 = #FFCC00| bg2 = #000000}}

{{player3 | num = 6 | nat = CAN | first = Marvin | last = Binney | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 195 | year = 1990 | month = 12| date = 15 |inj=yes}}

{{player3 | num = 0 | nat = USA | first = Mo | last = Bolden | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 10 | lbs = 205 | year = 1989 | month = 08 | date = 18 }}

{{player3 | num = 60 | nat = USA | first = Marcus | last = Capers | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 180 | year = 1989 | month = 12 | date = 21 }}

{{player3 | num = 35 | nat = USA | first = A. J. | last = Gaines | pos = G/F | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = | year = 1993 | month = 12 | date = 5 }}

{{player3 | num = 14 | nat = USA | first = Mareik | last = Isom | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 9 | lbs = 217 | year = 1994 | month = 07 | date = 25 }}

{{player3 | num = 13 | nat = CAN | first = Otas | last = Iyekekpolor | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 8 | lbs = 220 | year = 1996 | month = 06 | date = 20}}

{{player3 | num = 21 | nat = CAN | first = Abednego | last = Lufile | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 240 | year = 1994 | month = 06 | date = 08}}

{{player3 | num = 32 | nat = USA | first = Randy | last = Phillips | dab=basketball | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 8 | lbs = 240 | year = 1995 | month = 07 | date = 17 }}

{{player3 | num = 5 | nat = USA | first = Omar | last = Strong | pos = G | ft = 5 | in = 9 | lbs = 175 | year = 1990 | month = 05 | date = 16 }}

{{player3 | num = 10 | nat = USA | first = Jaylon | last = Tate | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 170 | year = 1995 | month = 01 | date = 16 | inj=yes }}

{{player3 | num = 15 | nat = CAN | first = Garrett | last = Williamson | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 200 | year = 1988 | month = 06 | date = 15 }}

{{Basketball roster footer

| head_coach =

{{player|||Doug Plumb}}

| asst_coach =

{{player||CAN|Nate Benjamin}}

| team_manager =

{{player|||}}

| roster_url = http://www.lightningbasketball.ca/14525/2017-2018-roster

| access-date = December 27, 2019

| transaction_url = http://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/74/Canadian-NBL/team/952/London-Lightning/transactions/2016

}}

Season-by-season record

rowspan="2"\|Season	rowspan="2"\|Coach	colspan="4"\|Regular season	colspan="4"\|Post season
class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
2011–12	rowspan="3"\|Micheal Ray Richardson	28	8	.778	1st	5	2	.714	Champions
2012–13	33	7	.825	1st	6	2	.750	Champions
2013–14	23	17	.575	4th	6	6	.500	Conference semi-finals
2014–15	Carlos Knox	18	14	.563	3rd	2	3	.400	Conference quarter-finals
2015–16	Kyle Julius	26	14	.650	1st	10	6	.500	League runners-up
2016–17	Kyle Julius	35	5	{{winpct\|35\|5}}	1st	11	2	{{winpct\|11\|2}}	Champions
2017–18	Keith Vassell	27	13	{{winpct\|27\|13}}	1st	11	6	{{winpct\|11\|6}}	Champions
2018–19	Keith Vassell Elliott Etherington	22	18	{{winpct\|22\|18}}	1st	2	3	{{winpct\|2\|3}}	Division Semifinals
2019–20	Doug Plumb	15	9	{{winpct\|15\|9}}	colspan=5 \|Season curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic
2023–24	Doug Plumb	20	12	{{winpct\|20\|12}}	2nd	2	1	{{winpct\|2\|1}}	-
colspan="2"\|Totals	227	105	{{winpct\|227\|105}}		53	30	{{winpct\|53\|30}}	4 championships

References

External links

{{Official website|https://www.lightningbasketball.ca/}}

Category:National Basketball League of Canada teams

Category:Sports clubs and teams in London, Ontario

Category:Basketball teams in Ontario

Category:Basketball teams established in 2011

Category:2011 establishments in Ontario

Category:Basketball Super League (North America) teams