British basketball state of play: SLB's Liverpool expansion latest, governing body progress and Sheffield Sharks' second signing
The forthcoming Super League Basketball season will be contested by 10 teams - even though the arrival of an expansion franchise from Liverpool is still to be announced.
Tip-off on the 2026/27 season is still two months away but the fixtures will be revealed sometime in early August, when confirmation is expected - if it hasn’t come beforehand - of the new Liverpool team.
Rumours of a 10th team have been around since last August when The Yorkshire Post broke the news that the SLB was hastily trying to launch a new franchise to counter what at the time was a very live threat from Marshall Glickman’s GBB League to “disrupt traditional structures”, after controversially being awarded the licence from the governing body to run the professional league from this September.
With the game still trying to rebuild an administrative structure following the costly fallout of that damaging period - some estimates suggest millions of pounds was lost from the game - Super League Basketball has ploughed on with their ambitions to launch a new team.
It is understood the new Liverpool franchise will play out of the M&S Bank Arena where Mersey Tigers played from 2008 to 2010. They have a chief executive in situ and have hired players, but have yet to appoint a head coach.
The team’s parent company Kings Dock Sports Group Ltd is listed on Companies House and its director Jason Dolan, an American investor, is also a director of the league.
Settlement reached
SLB also announced this week it had reached a mutually agreed settlement with former British Basketball League employees over the employment tribunal brought against them.
The claimants have been approached for comment.
British basketball restructure
Great Britain Basketball announced on Tuesday that it is “moving towards a fresh governance structure – with a new-look leadership and brand for the organisation” in the wake of the British Basketball Federation going into liquidation in December.
An interim delivery group comprising representatives from across the game to support GB’s 5-on-5 and 3x3 teams has begun consulting stakeholders with a view to having the new structure in place by March 2027.
Paul Blake, chair of the GB interim delivery group, said: “It's been very positive to see the time, effort and passion provided from different parts of the sport, who have come together to deliver the programme in recent months.
“It's certainly been a real team effort. I'm confident we are building a sustainable base, which will allow us to push forward and create a positive future for Great Britain Basketball.”
The process has not been without controversy, though, with former GB player Hannah Shaw questioning the lack of female representation in the steering groups and Sam Neter, a respected member of, and promoter of, the basketball community, announcing on social media that he had “resigned from the process due to being unaligned on the direction of travel”.
It is understood the liquidation of the British Basketball Federation is still ongoing.
Second signing for Sharks
SLB teams are busy building their rosters for the new season and Sheffield Sharks are no different, announcing on Wednesday evening their second signing of the summer.
Coming hot on the heels of the return of Donovan Clay, Sharks have added 26-year-old guard Adrian Delph from North Carolina.
Delph played D1 basketball at North Appalachian State and won the league in Luxembourg last year, scooping the finals MVP award among other individual honours.
Sharks head coach Atiba Lyons said: “Adrian is a strong guard who will offer a lot to us for the new season.
“He consistently improved throughout his college career and has had some great experience both overseas and in the G League, culminating in a very impressive season in Luxembourg in 2025-26.”