Winnipeg Thunder

Last updated
Winnipeg Thunder
Leagues World Basketball League (1992)
National Basketball League (1993–1994)
Founded1992
HistoryWinnipeg Thunder
1992–1994
Arena Winnipeg Arena
Capacity12,393
Location Winnipeg, Manitoba
Team coloursBlack, teal, white, silver
    
Head coach Tom Nissalke
Ownership Sam Katz and John Loewen
Championships0

The Winnipeg Thunder was a professional basketball franchise based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 1992 to 1994. The Thunder played its inaugural season in the World Basketball League, which folded before the schedule ended. The club then joined the nascent National Basketball League, where it played for the 1993 and 1994 seasons. [1]

Contents

The Thunder enjoyed considerable public and corporate support at the outset, which later dwindled due in part to league instability and increased competition in the local minor-league sports market, following the establishment of the Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball club. The club's financial backers included Sam Katz and John Loewen.

The Thunder played its home games at the Winnipeg Arena. It would eventually be succeeded by the Winnipeg Cyclone, which represented the city in the International Basketball Association from 1995 to 2001.

Team information

Mascots

The Thunder's mascots were Kaboom and Baby Boom. [ citation needed ]

Roster

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010)</span> Baseball league - 1993 to 2010

The Northern League was an independent minor professional baseball league. It was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the organized minor leagues. The league was founded in 1993 and folded after its 2010 season when financial stability became a problem. The three teams remaining in the league when it folded joined with the remaining teams in United League Baseball and the Golden Baseball League to form a new independent organization called the North American League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bud Grant</span> American football player and coach (1927–2023)

Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons; he was the team's second (1967–83) and fourth (1985) head coach, leading them to four Super Bowl appearances, 11 division titles, one league championship and three National Football Conference championships. Before coaching the Vikings, he was the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for 10 seasons, winning the Grey Cup four times.

Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located in the Polo Park district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitoba Moose</span> American Hockey League team in Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, that competes in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The National Basketball League was a professional basketball league based in Canada that lasted only one and a half seasons in 1993 and 1994. It rose from the ashes of the World Basketball League which folded after the 1992 season, which had teams in various Canadian and American cities; the new league combined several former WBL teams based in Canada and new franchises. The NBL's first game was played on May 1, 1993 when the Cape Breton Breakers visited the Halifax Windjammers. The Breakers won the regular season championship with a 30-16 record, but they lost the championship finals to Saskatoon three games to one.

The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitoba Junior Hockey League</span> Junior ice hockey league

The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Oilers</span> American ice hockey team

The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa Oilers name was shared with Tulsa's former minor-league baseball team that pre-dated the Tulsa Drillers. To reduce confusion in local news reporting, the hockey team was often called the "Ice Oilers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City Blue</span> American minor league basketball team of the NBA G League

The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue compete in the NBA G League as members of the Western Conference. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center, an arena shared with the Thunder.

The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball League</span> Womens professional basketball league in Australia

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is a professional women's basketball league in Australia composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League (NBL).

The Winnipeg Cyclone was a professional basketball club based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that competed in the International Basketball Association from 1995 to 2001. The Cyclone played its home games at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. However, the Cyclone did not enjoy significant popularity, usually playing before sparse crowds. The club was backed largely by local businessman Earl Barish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OHA Senior A League (1890–1979)</span> Canadian senior ice hockey league (1890–1979)

The Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League was a top tier Canadian senior ice hockey league in Ontario from 1890 until 1979. The league was sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Association and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and its clubs competed for the Allan Cup.

Winnipeg has been home to several professional hockey, football and baseball franchises. There have also been numerous university and amateur athletes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Mullens</span> British-American basketball player

Byron James "B. J." Mullens is a British-American professional basketball player for the Taipei Taishin Mars of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). Born in the United States, he holds British citizenship due to his English mother. He was drafted 24th overall by the Dallas Mavericks and immediately traded to the Thunder in the 2009 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Manitoba</span> Football club

FC Manitoba is a Canadian soccer team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The club was founded in 2010 as WSA Winnipeg. In 2020, the club was acquired by a new ownership group and re-organized and branded as FC Manitoba.

Swords Thunder was an Irish basketball team based in Dublin. The team competed in the Super League and played its home games at the ALSAA Sports Complex.

Reginald Gene Cross is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball with the Miami Dade Sharks and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Cross was selected in the 1987 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but never played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He instead played professionally in the American Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in France, Spain and Turkey. Cross is the most recent player from the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to be selected in an NBA draft.

The KBF Premier League, also known as the KBF National Basketball Classic League, is the premier basketball league for clubs in Kenya. The league currently consist out of twelve teams. The most successful team in the history of the league is KPA with nine national championships.

References