Liverpool Basketball Team Aims High with NBA Veteran Leadership

A new professional basketball team has been established in Liverpool, England, aiming to capitalize on the growing investment in European basketball. The team will compete in the upcoming season of the British Basketball League (BBL), known as the SLB. The ambitious project is set to be led by Roy Rogers, a former player and long-time NBA assistant coach. Rogers brings extensive experience from his tenure in the NBA from 2008 to 2025, during which he served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets when Omri Casspi played there, and for the Portland Trail Blazers during Deni Avdija's rookie season. Rogers also had a playing career, appearing in 137 NBA games, including 50 starts for the Vancouver Grizzlies, after being selected in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft. The SLB is currently dominated by the London Lions, who have won the last two championships and also compete in the EuroCup. Other notable teams in the league include Manchester Basketball and Newcastle Eagles. The recent loan of Keenan Evans to the London Lions highlights the league's increasing profile.