It’s easy to get excited about the future of British basketball given the current level of interest being shown in the sport on these shores - but without funding, it can only go so far.
Enter 777 Partners, who own the London Lions and purchased 45 per cent of the British Basketball League for £7million on December 20 2021.
Adam Weiss, Vice President of 777 Partners, believes the development of British talent can help drive basketball forwards and further legitimise an oppressed sport in the United Kingdom.
“If the rapid development we’ve overseen since coming in continues, we should be in the NBA by next season! It’s been pretty exciting,” Weiss exclusively told The Mirror.
“We're putting the infrastructure in place to ensure the success of the game - we're literally incubating the sport here in the UK.
"There's a fertile environment of talent that's walking around London, just as it was walking around Toronto 30 years ago, and now Canada is producing as much NBA talent as any other city in the United States.
“The most important part is to develop the foundations of this British talent coming through.
"The talent is walking around; if you're a 6ft 4ins 10-year-old in the US or in Canada or elsewhere, someone's putting you on a basketball court - but that doesn't happen here. Players are diverted away from the basketball court.
“It’s about giving talented players the access and the coaching, as players leave at a young age because they cannot develop their game here.
"There’s just not that secondary or tertiary level here, so it’s about creating that infrastructure not just in London but all over the country. We want all the teams in the league to have that pathway to produce players.”
It is not just the men’s game that Weiss is referring to when he passionately discusses his vision for the future of British basketball with an optimistic glint in his eye.
While the men have captured the imagination of fans on their European adventure, the London Lions women’s team claimed WBBL silverware.
Thanks to star players like Holly Winterburn and Kennedy Leonard, the Lions claimed the WBBL Cup with an 87-47 hammering of Newcastle Eagles in the final.
Weiss wants to ensure there is an academy and clear player pathway to develop and inspire future generations of avid basketball players in the UK.
“We want to develop the same sort of infrastructure for girls just as with boys to ensure there's a breadth of talent in the league,” Weiss said.
“We have a business that helps develop young girls for women's leagues around the world, so it's a fundamental aspect to our presence.
“There are great British basketball players in the WNBA and elsewhere in Europe and - just as we're doing with the men's team - we’re making sure that we bring talent back to Britain.”
As the Lions welcome the Bakken Bears to the Copper Box for the final chapter of their European ride tonight, Weiss hopes 777 Partners’ investment can not only develop British talent in the future, but also align London community culture with the immensely growing passion for basketball in the United Kingdom.
“The UK is an aberration in the basketball universe. All around Europe there is basketball street culture: France have been one of the best teams in the world for the last decade, plus Spain and Eastern Europe,” Weiss declared.
“Basketball has not evolved in the UK at the consumption level and the professional participation level. It’s the second most played sport by youth, and it’s the second-least funded sport.
"There’re systemic inhibitors to the growth of the sport, which we intend to address. The inequitable impact of the lack of funding is disproportionately affecting diverse communities and lower classes.
“Basketball is an organic game - and there’s been legislative walls that have prevented growth here. There’s clearly a demand for it; the UK is the second-biggest NBA League Pass market in the world, and The Last Dance was the most popular documentary here for a while.
“There’s an insatiable appetite here for basketball - we just need to feed it. We can do that through product on the court and the development of content and culture by resonating with the disaffected communities in South London.”
While Weiss talks the talk when it comes to the long-term development of domestic basketball talent and the burgeoning British fanbase, he is confident the BBL can attract the best players outside of the NBA in the world, rather than seeing them go to European powerhouses like Spain or France.
He believes the UK can rival the likes of global leagues in China and Australia, which are other attractive destinations for prolific international talent.
“There’s no reason why people should go elsewhere in Europe or to places like Australia or New Zealand,” Weiss added. “The UK and London is English speaking, it’s a familiar culture.
"We just need to establish this as a place in the minds of agents and NBA executives where players can come to further their career.
“Previously, it was sort of a scarlet letter in someone's career - they came to London, and that was kind of the end.
"Now, agents and general managers are starting to see London as a place to accelerate their career and launch into the higher levels of Europe and back in the NBA. What isn’t attractive about London?”
London certainly appears to be an appealing place to play basketball at the moment.
With the women lifting trophies, the men made history as the first British team to make it to the second round of European competition, becoming the first team to win a European match in 26 years as they found success in the FIBA Europe Cup.
They achieved such success after signing players like Marquis Teague, a first-round selection by the Chicago Bulls in the 2012 NBA Draft.
While their European run comes to an end on Wednesday, the Lions have offered an exciting glimpse into the future of British basketball. If it is up to Weiss and 777 Partners, it is merely just the start.
