London Towers were a professional basketball team based in London, England. They enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s, collecting 3 titles in the British Basketball League as well as regularly competing in European competitions such as the Euroleague and EuroCup. They contested a fierce rivalry with fellow London team Greater London Leopards for much of this spell. After several years of decline with financial difficulties and venue issues, owner Costi Zombanakis pulled the first team from the BBLin the summer of 2006, and although the team continued in the regional English Basketball League, the London Towers brand folded in 2009.
Franchise history
High risers
Established as Tower Hamlets, in the borough of the same name, the London-based team entered NBL Division 2 in 1984. By 1989 they finished eleventh, out of the eleven teams in the league and were due to be relegated. However, the Carlsberg League Division 1 was suffering a membership crisis at the time and was about to be reduced to just seven teams. With the newly built Docklands Arena available as a possible venue not too far from the team's base, the Tower Hamlets franchise was admitted to country's top professional league as London's representatives, rebranded as London Docklands for the 1989-90 season.
On the move again
The following season the Docklands team left the giant arena as they, in common with other basketball teams at the time, struggled with the cost of a big arena rent. They returned "home" to Tower Hamlets and the Newham Leisure Centre, although their first two seasons yielded just three League victories.
Towers rise
It was 1991 when the franchise which came to sit astride British basketball finally gained its most well-known label. Renamed London Towers, but still playing at Newham the club's fortunes turned around in the 1991-92 season, as they finished fourth, and a move to the Sobell Sports Centre in Islington saw them finish third in 1993. In 1994 they moved to Wembley Arena, and it was there that they enjoyed their best seasons, winning five titles in two seasons, from 1995 to 1997.
Euro trip
The 1996-97 season saw the Towers make their European debut appearance, competing in the newly named EuroCup. After qualifying from the group stage with a 4–6 record, they exited the competition in the round of 32 losing to Saratov by five points over two legs. The following season also saw them take part in the Eurocup, this time finishing bottom of their group with a 1–9 record. The team took a break from European competition for the 1998–1999 season following the merger with Crystal Palace, but went on to take part in further European competitions including the Saporta Cup, NEBL, and even the prestigious Euroleague in 2001. Over this time the Towers managed some impressive victories against large European clubs like Olimpia Milano and Darussafaka, Turkey. Towers were the third English Club team to beat an Italian Series A team in Italy after Crystal Palace and Solent Stars.
Moving in together
Once more though, in 1998 the Towers home venue proved too expensive and the team moved out of Wembley, "merging" with fellow BBL team Crystal Palace and splitting games between the two arenas until in 1999 they moved full-time to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. In 2005, the Towers launched a second team, London Towers II, in the English Basketball League as a stepping-stone for their development players. In their first season in Division 3, the team finished runners-up.
End
Despite working on plans to build their own arena for a number of years, linking with their community and development work, in 2006 the London Towers first team pulled out of BBL, for a "one year break". In common with at least two other teams who followed this path at around the same time, they were never to return. The second team London Towers II continued to fly the flag for a few seasons, competing in the English Basketball League Division 3 and operating the club's youth and development teams, before also folding.
