The president of basketball team London Lions aims to make them a global brand as they are set to make history against NBA team Portland Trail Blazers.
The historic match against the NBA franchise at the Moda Centre in Oregon will be played at 9pm UK time on Monday 12 October.
Following a domestic quadruple winning season and defeating EuroLeague’s – the highest tier of European competition – Paris Basketball in an invitational cup this month, Lenz Balan is committed to continuing to bring success to London’s only basketball club.
He said: “We have been intentional about wanting to build a global basketball brand and club.
“That means building community, having an elite talent pathway to bring through players who can play at the top levels.”
He believes the pre-season game against Portland exemplifies their commitment to their ambitions and that they’re ‘not messing around’.
The London club became the first British team with a Jordan kit deal this summer and the domestic league struck a deal with DAZN to air all games for free.
The Lions have announced a watch party will be held for the Portland game that will be private to season ticket holders and members of the Lions community.
The Chairman of the London Lions Supporters Club, Phil Groves, will be travelling to the United States to see his beloved club make the step towards international recognition.
The 43-year-old NHS worker did not hesitate to book a solo trip to Portland when the event was announced in August.
He said: “I was sitting at home and got a text message from a friend saying: ‘Have you heard the Lions are going to the states to play an NBA team?’ I thought it was a practical joke.
“If they told me it was at 3am on a Thursday you’d still catch me there.”
He has supported the club since their move from Milton Keynes to London after the 2012 Olympics.
As they waited for the Copper Box arena to be repurposed from handball to basketball, the Lions played their 2012/13 season at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
He added: “I used to come home smelling of chlorine because the court was right next to the swimming pool and my flatmates would ask if I’d been swimming and I’d say, ‘no I went to the basketball.’
“To think the team that I turned up to watch in an old leisure centre with pound coins is now playing an NBA team, it’s crazy.”
The Super League Basketball Championship, England’s top division, tipped off last week and the Lions are current favourites to retain the title.
A 5 October meeting between EuroLeague executives could see the British favourites invited to the top European competition where they would compete against giants like Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich and Besiktas Istanbul.
Balan said: “I think the Lions deserve a seat at the table.
“I have a lot of faith that they’ll figure it out. We’ll work everyday to try to prove ourselves and that were worthy of being at the table.”
Featured image credit: London Lions.
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