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49-479: The Lightning name was announced on August 12, 2011. The team was a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) that began play for the 2011–12 season and won the league's first championship. The Lightning have won the most NBLC championships with six. On August 17, former Albany Patroons and Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry head coach Micheal Ray Richardson was announced as

98-626: A "role model to younger players." On October 30, 2011, the Power made their first-ever appearance in an official NBLC game, losing to the Quebec Kebs , 101–104, at the Colisée de Laval in Laval, Quebec . Brandon Robinson led Oshawa with 16 points and Tut Ruach added 10 assists, but they were overwhelmed by Tommy Mitchell and Royce Parran . This was the first regular season game in the history of

147-798: A domestic basketball minor league in Canada. Three franchises from the Premier Basketball League (PBL), the Halifax Rainmen , Quebec Kebs , and Saint John Mill Rats were the first to join the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). The teams had been unhappy with the officiating in the PBL. On May 12 of that year in Halifax, Nova Scotia , league CEO Andre Levingston held a press conference regarding

196-458: A losing record every season and a combined record of 17–55 since relocating to Mississauga. The team also had six different coaches during the span. In 2012, Oshawa's Brandon Robinson led the league in scoring and was named Rookie of the Year . Point guard Omar Strong became the team's all-time leader in three-point field goals , passing former All-NBL Canada selection Nick Okorie , and won

245-574: A person who was going to govern the league the right way." In June 2011, the league finalized rules for its first season. There would be seven teams, four of which qualified for the playoffs, and no divisions. It would follow FIBA rules and each team would play 36 games in the regular season. Team rosters could contain 10–12 players, at least two of them Canadian, and they had a salary cap of $ 150,000 Canadian . Players could earn potentially $ 70,000 in one season, and each game would draw an average of 3,000 fans, varying by location. Levingston envisioned

294-682: A sports stadium, it has hosted events such as the 2011 BDO Canadian Open of Curling , the IIHF World Junior Pre-Competition , and the Canadian Synchronized Skating Championships . On October 2, 2014, the Mississauga Power secured significant corporate support by announcing their partnership with BioSteel Sports Supplements Inc & Peak Sports Canada . This the second significant sponsorship announcement in

343-648: Is known as one of the best sports and entertainment facilities in the Greater Toronto Area and features a portable FIBA -size basketball court. The Hershey Centre is also the home to the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League as well as many other teams. It hosted wrestling , judo , taekwondo , and karate at the 2015 Pan American Games and goalball , powerlifting , and wheelchair rugby events at

392-704: The 2015 Parapan American Games . Before moving to Mississauga, when the Power were based in Oshawa , their home stadium was the General Motors Centre . The GM Centre is known to be home of the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League. Opened in 2006, it is a multi-purpose arena that has previously hosted Elton John concerts and Cirque du Soleil performances. It can hold up to 7,600 visitors and has special club seating. As

441-825: The 2017–18 season , the league stayed at ten teams following the Miracles and A's folding and the addition of the Moncton Magic and St. John's Edge in the Maritimes. The initially announced a team in Greater Sudbury , but was forced to delay their launch leaving the league with four teams in Ontario and six in the Maritimes, leading the Edge to play as a member of the Central Division. The Lightning won

490-661: The Division I level. Some of the other players Oshawa and Mississauga have drafted in the past include Anthony Petteway and Freddie Riley in 2014, Bol Kong, Dwight McCombs, and Eric Petty, Jr. in 2013, Chad Gillaspy, Amani Daanish, and Jamaal Smith in 2012, and Kevin Francis and Blain Labranche in 2011. Bold denotes still active with team. Statistics (regular season) as of the end of the 2014–15 season Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks NBL Rookie of

539-600: The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). Established in 2011 as the Oshawa Power, they played in the Central Division . The Oshawa team began play in the inaugural NBL Canada season, along with the London Lightning , Moncton Miracles , and Summerside Storm and three Premier Basketball League (PBL) teams. The Power were relatively unsuccessful in their four years of existence. They had

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588-451: The National Basketball League of Canada . Following the league's additions of the Halifax Rainmen , Saint John Mill Rats , and Quebec Kebs in May 2011, they joined that summer with the London Lightning , Moncton Miracles , and Summerside Storm . In a release from the team, they said they chose their nickname because it "epitomizes the force of a community coming together as one." Before

637-844: The Sixth Man of the Year Award . In June 2015 , it was announced that the Power franchise sold to Raptors to create of Raptors 905 , the NBA Development League affiliate to the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The D-League team would play their home games at the Power's arena, the Hershey Centre . The franchise was established in 2011 as the Oshawa Power, and they played their first season in

686-586: The 2011–12 season, where only four teams could qualify for the postseason, they failed to make the playoffs. Nevertheless, Brandon Robinson led the league in points per game for that season. In April 2013, an official announcement was made that the Power would relocate to Mississauga for the 2013–14 NBL Canada season . The Power played their home games at the Hershey Centre , located in Mississauga , Ontario . The stadium, which opened in October 1998,

735-476: The 2012 game, players Joey Haywood and Eddie Smith chose each team through a fantasy draft. The best performer in the game was named All-Star Game Most Valuable Player . Starting with the next All-Star game, the league began matching top players from the Central Division with those from the Atlantic Division. At least three Canadian players were required on each team. The NBL Canada discontinued

784-639: The 2016–17 season. The 2014–15 season ended in controversy as the Windsor Express were declared winners of the championship series after the Halifax Rainmen failed to show for the seventh and deciding game. The Rainmen organization claimed the reason for not appearing in the game that night because their players feared for their safety following a physical altercation earlier in the day with the Express. The Rainmen and its players were fined by

833-577: The Atlantic Division, while the remaining four competed in the Central Division. The league grew to nine teams in the 2013–14 season by adding the Brampton A's and Ottawa Skyhawks , while the Montreal Jazz folded. Two teams relocated within their same regions with Oshawa Power moving to Mississauga and Summerside to Charlottetown as the Island Storm . The league returned to eight teams

882-565: The Central Division, but mostly played against Atlantic Division teams. Before the 2019–20 season , the league folded the Cape Breton Highlanders and Saint John Riptide as their respective owners tried to sell the teams and the league shrank to eight teams. During the season, the COVID-19 pandemic caused games to be suspended on March 12, 2020. The season was then entirely cancelled as the pandemic closed arenas and travel

931-470: The Kebs defeated the Miracles at the Colisée de Laval . Within a week, every team in the league had played at least one game. The NBL Canada's opening season brought in marquee players such as Gabe Freeman , Anthony Anderson , and Lawrence Wright. Amid the 2011 NBA lockout , six players with past experience in the National Basketball Association (NBA), including Eddie Robinson and Rodney Buford , joined

980-653: The Lightning's first head coach. The Lightning would go on to win the 2012 NBL championship, defeating the Halifax Rainmen 116-92 on March 25, 2012 at the John Labatt Centre to take the best-of-five championship series three games to two. Carlos Knox was unveiled as the new Lightning head coach on July 17, 2014. He led the team to an 18–14 record. Knox was dismissed in August 2015 after hiding player Jonathan Mills' positive drug test results from Vito Frijia and

1029-573: The NBL Canada as a more stable alternative to other North American minor basketball leagues with players living close to home while playing professionally. The NBL Canada held its first draft on August 21, 2011, at Rogers Centre . The Power selected Morgan Lewis of the University of Findlay with the first overall pick . Jerome Brown, who was picked fifth overall by the Mill Rats, was

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1078-509: The NBL Canada as well. Oshawa started strong in their home opener at the General Motors Centre against the Moncton Miracles in their following game, capturing a 107–80 victory. Strickland parted ways with the Power on December 21, 2011, after leading the team to a 6–11 start to the season. Durrant said, "We appreciate all that Coach Strickland has done for this organization." It was also announced that David Joseph, best known as

1127-548: The NBL Canada's inaugural year, Canadian sports analyst Alex Walling claimed it was a success, commenting, "The NBL could hold its head up high. It has been a great season and they've gained a great deal of creditability. They've earned the kudos." Levingston touted the league because it "played a full schedule on every set date and never had a problem." Shortly after the season, in April, the NBL Canada held its first All-Star Game at Halifax Metro Centre . For its second season,

1176-473: The NBL Canada. The London Lightning, coached by Micheal Ray Richardson , soon emerged as the top team in the league, going 28–8 by end of the regular season, which lasted until March 4, 2012. The team defeated the Halifax Rainmen, 3–2, in the best-of-five NBL Canada Finals series to claim the championship. They drew a league-high 5,106 fans to the John Labatt Centre for the game. Following

1225-702: The Power picked up Blain LaBranche and Kevin Francis that same night. LaBranche, who played for the UBC Thunderbirds in college, was known as a strong three-point shooter, while Cleveland State 's Francis was noted for his size and attitude. In mid-October, Oshawa held two intra-squad games in Pickering High School and G L Roberts Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Ontario . Their official 18-man training camp roster featured players

1274-471: The Year . In addition, the top player in the NBL Canada Finals wins Finals Most Valuable Player . After the 2015–16 season , the league started announcing Commissioner's Awards to groups that helped support it, including ownership groups, teams, and referees. These awards were first handed out by Dave Magley . Until the 2013–14 season , the NBL Canada held All-Star Weekend every year. In

1323-479: The basketball market for BioSteel Sports Supplements Inc . Earlier in the summer BioSteel Sports Supplements Inc became the exclusive sports drink provider for Canada Basketball . Mississauga Power's official mascot was "POW". This mascot was easily one of the most recognizable mascots in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) and around the Greater Toronto Area. POW has been seen across

1372-556: The caliber of Lewis, Brandon Robinson , Tut Ruach , Denham Brown , and Omari Johnson. Gary Durrant said, "We are very pleased with the guys we have on our training camp roster. I can't wait for everyone to see how entertaining and dynamic our guys are. Be prepared to be amazed by the Power." However, before the season began, Brown signed with Ciclista Olímpico of the Liga Nacional de Básquet in Argentina . Durrant called him

1421-540: The championship in both seasons, having won four of the first seven titles up to that point. Following their delayed start, NBL Canada expanded into Northern Ontario with the addition of the Sudbury Five for the 2018–19 season . However, the league lost another Ontario team when the Niagara River Lions left to help found the rival Canadian Elite Basketball League . St. John's was again a member of

1470-592: The city in various community and city events like the Toronto Auto Show. Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. The Power have had two first overall draft picks in franchise history: Morgan Lewis (selected in 2011 ) and Jordan Weidner (selected in 2014). Both draftees hailed from the United States, but neither of them played college basketball at

1519-538: The creation of the NBL Canada. By the end of the summer, the London Lightning , Moncton Miracles , Oshawa Power , and Summerside Storm were established and had announced that they would join the league. There had also been unsuccessful attempts to start up teams in Fredericton, New Brunswick , and Kingston, Ontario . John Kennedy, a native of Windsor and a sports executive based in Los Angeles ,

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1568-441: The event after the 2014 game . The commissioner of the NBL Canada is the league's chief executive and is elected by the board of directors and a group of representatives from each team. Since Magley's resignation in 2017, Audley Stephenson has been acting as deputy commissioner. Mississauga Power The Mississauga Power were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Mississauga , Ontario , that competed in

1617-518: The father of San Antonio Spurs player Cory Joseph , would assume the role until an interim head coach was named. Joseph assisted Jim Barclay at Centennial College in Toronto and therefore was not capable of taking up the full-time job. After having Joseph coach two games, both of which were defeats, Oshawa introduced former Duke Blue Devils captain Robert Brickey as their head coach for

1666-463: The finals. Statistics below are for all-time leaders at the end of the 2022 regular season. The NBL Canada annually announces the winners of eight awards. Players can be named Most Valuable Player , Canadian of the Year , Defensive Player of the Year , Rookie of the Year , Newcomer of the Year , Sixth Man of the Year . The league also awards the Coach of the Year and Executive of

1715-440: The first Canadian to be taken in the draft. The event was viewed by more than 6,000 people online from 93 countries. 180 players from across the world attended the preceding NBL Canada combine. The first player to be signed into the NBL Canada was Canadian Yannick Anzuluni , who joined the Kebs on a three-year contract on August 17, 2011. On October 29, in the first game of the NBL Canada's inaugural 2011–12 NBL Canada season ,

1764-486: The following season due to Ottawa falling below league standards and failing to repay a loan to the league. Prior to the 2014–15 season , the league announced its first national broadcast deal with beIN Sports . Starting with the 2014–15 season , two regular season games were scheduled to be aired each week with special coverage for playoffs and special events such as the All Star Weekend. The deal ran through

1813-713: The following year. The final league champions were the London Lightning , who defeated the Windsor Express 3–2 in the 2023 NBL Finals. Following the conclusion of the 2023 NBLC season the four remaining NBLC teams, the KW Titans , London Lightning , Sudbury Five and Windsor Express , broke away from the NBLC and helped found the Basketball Super League along with president of The Basketball League , David Magley . In mid-2011, discussion began of

1862-673: The league and the team ultimately filed for bankruptcy and folded. The following 2015–16 season , the league replaced the Rainmen with the Halifax Hurricanes . The new Halifax team returned to the championship game, defeating the London Lightning to win the title in their first season. The league expanded to ten teams in the 2016–17 season by adding the Cape Breton Highlanders and KW Titans . In

1911-413: The league. He was replaced by former Mississauga Power head coach Kyle Julius later in the month. Julius would lead the Lightning to back-to-back championship appearances in 2016 and 2017, winning the championship in the latter. He would be replaced by former Niagara College and interim Niagara River Lions head coach, Keith Vassell . Vassell led the Lightning to another championship in 2017–18 , but

1960-406: The remainder of the season. Before long under their new sideline leader, on January 4, 2012, leading scorer Akeem Wright was traded away to the Moncton Miracles in exchange for forward Andrew Francis. Brickey would help the Power finish off the season a relatively pleasant 9–10 and engineered a 4-game winning streak during his term, but his team ultimately finished fifth in the league at 15–21. In

2009-455: The remaining NBLC teams were merged along with teams from the TBL into the new Basketball Super League . The London Lightning have the most championships with six wins, the Windsor Express are second with two wins. The Halifax Rainmen and the Island Storm have appeared in two league finals failing to win the trophy. The Sudbury Five are currently the only active team to have never reached

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2058-499: The season as it was the only remaining member in the Maritimes ready to play in the 2021–22 season, leaving the league with only the four active teams in Ontario. In order to fill the schedule, the league agreed to inter-league series play with the US-based The Basketball League (TBL), run by former NBLC commissioner David Magley and his wife Evelyn. Following the conclusion of the 2022–23 NBLC season,

2107-450: The start of the 2011–12 NBL Canada season , the Power named former NBA player Mark Strickland their head coach. The decision to add Strickland was viewed as a big step forward by President of Basketball Operations Gary Durrant. The team decided to select Morgan Lewis with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBL Canada draft . Lewis also became the first player to be drafted in NBLC history. Along with University of Findlay 's star,

2156-476: The team salary cap remained at $ 150,000, with the possibility of an increase in the future. The NBL Canada also considered several cities in the Maritimes , Ontario , and Quebec , including Sydney, Nova Scotia . The league soon welcomed the Windsor Express after an ownership group from Windsor, Ontario , and Detroit , led by Dartis Willis Sr., began investing in the expansion team in June 2012. The team, which

2205-529: Was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franchises for the league's inaugural season. The league changed in size multiple times and had four active teams in its final season, all in Ontario , but historically the NBLC had several located in the Atlantic provinces . The league's season typically ran from November to April of

2254-582: Was approved into the league in late July, would play out of WFCU Centre . On the other hand, the Quebec Kebs, who had relocated to Laval, Quebec , in the offseason, left the league after experiencing challenges in their first year. By November, the Kebs were replaced with the Montreal Jazz , who would compete at Centre Pierre Charbonneau . In the 2012–13 season , the league consisted of eight teams separated into divisions: four teams competed in

2303-642: Was fired after a 4–4 record in the 2018–19 season . Originally opened in 2002, Canada Life Place is a sports-entertainment centre, in London, Ontario , Canada. The arena has a capacity of 9,000. The Lightning shares the arena with London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League . Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA -sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed. National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada ( NBL Canada ; French : Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada )

2352-586: Was named the first commissioner of the NBL. He previously had experience working with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). League president Andre Levingston spoke on his expectations of the commissioner, saying, "We wanted to make sure we had a person who was going to be committed and was willing to roll up his sleeves and work very hard, someone who understood business, had business relationship and

2401-451: Was restricted. The league initially delayed the start to the 2020–21 season as the pandemic continued into 2021. On March 4, 2021, NBL Canada announced there would be no 2020–21 season. During the hiatus, the Halifax Hurricanes and Moncton Magic both withdrew from the league while the St. John's Edge were not granted a new lease for their arena. Subsequently, the Island Storm withdrew from

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