The British men’s Super League Basketball (SLB) is set to launch its third season on Friday, marking a significant milestone for the competition that replaced the long-standing British Basketball League in 2024. Leading the charge are the London Lions, who enter the campaign as defending champions of all four domestic titles and are preparing for a historic international fixture.
On 12 October, the Lions will travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers in a friendly match. If successful, the Lions will become the first British club to take on an NBA team. Lenz Balan, the Lions’ chief executive, described the opportunity as a fulfillment of a childhood dream.
“I’ve wanted to be in the NBA since I was six years old. This is the closest I’ve ever been,” Balan told BBC Sport. “This is a really important signal in the basketball world, in the sporting world. This is the ambition. We are absolutely trying to be one of the best clubs in the world.”
Beyond the high-profile friendly, the Lions aim to improve on their EuroCup performance from last season. Despite a group-stage victory over eventual runners-up Besiktas Gain, they finished eighth out of ten teams in the tournament. To bolster their European campaign, the club has secured notable signings, including loan arrival Keenan Evans, who won the 2025-26 EuroLeague title.
Domestically, the league has expanded to ten teams with the addition of Liverpool Basketball, up from nine last season. Paul Blake, owner of the Newcastle Eagles and an SLB director, highlighted the heightened standard of play. Having been involved in the sport for three decades, Blake stated, “It’s definitely the most competitive it’s been, pretty much in all those 30 years… The quality of players that are now in the league across the teams top to bottom is, for me, pretty much the highest level it’s been.”
Other British clubs are also making strides on the continental stage. Manchester Basketball made history earlier this week by becoming the first British side to win a qualifying round match in Fiba’s Basketball Champions League, defeating German side Wurzburg Baskets. Meanwhile, the Bristol Flyers are set to return to the European North Basketball League (ENBL), where Manchester finished as runners-up last season.
Attention will also shift to the women’s game as the Super League Basketball Women’s (SLBW) competition begins on Saturday, 3 October. The Cardiff Met Archers will host the defending champions, B Braun Sheffield Hatters, in the opening match.
Stef Collins, head coach of the Archers and a member of Great Britain’s 2012 Olympic squad, emphasized the importance of narrative and visibility for the women’s league. She pointed to the success of the WNBA and the recent Women’s World Cup in Berlin—where over 230,000 fans attended matches—as proof of growing demand.
“Women’s sport has shown that fans want to connect with the athletes, their personalities and their stories,” Collins said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to market women’s basketball differently and allow our players to be themselves.”
The Cardiff Met Archers roster reflects this blend of athletics and academia, featuring four salaried players pursuing master’s degrees alongside scholars, undergraduates, and working professionals. With ambitions to replicate the global growth seen in leagues like the WNBA, which recently surpassed one billion Instagram views for its clips, the SLBW aims to build a sustainable and engaging platform for female basketball talent in the UK.
Manchester’s BCL win is actually more significant than the Lions’ friendly. That was a real competitive milestone.
Liverpool joining is great for regional diversity. Ten teams should make for a much tighter, exciting season.
I’m skeptical about how competitive this friendly will be. Can SLB teams really contend with NBA roster depth?
So glad the women’s league is getting more spotlight too. The growth in visibility is undeniable right now.
A British club playing an NBA side? This is huge for the sport’s profile in the UK. Truly historic.