By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The London Lions have been on the rise in recent years and the English squad will participate in the upcoming Basketball Champions League Qualifiers.
The Lions will clash against Neptunas Klaipeda on Tuesday (September 22) and the game will be covered live by the BBC Sport channel which will further serve to globalize the sport and contribute to the rise of Basketball Champions League.
Per BBC:
The Basketball Champions League is an annual competition for European clubs, organised by Fiba, the world governing body for basketball. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions, although some clubs can receive a wildcard.
London Lions have been handed a tough qualfying round tie in their first season in the Basketball Champions League as they face Neptunas Klaipeda. The Lions hope to become the first British side to play at the top level in European club competition since London Towers played three seasons in the EuroLeague from 2000-2003.
If the Lions can beat the Lithuanian side in on Tuesday, they will face the winners of the other qualifying match, Tsmoki-Minsk of Belarus and Bulgaria’s Balkan Botevgrad, for a chance to enter the eight team group stages.
The Lions will look to some of their big names in securing victory including Justin Robinson, who was named the British Basketball League’s player of the year in 2018 and 2019, former NBA player Byron Mullens and Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who was part of the London Royals side who beat the Lions in the 2019 Trophy Final.