The Kansas City Tornadoes were an American professional basketball team based in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, and members of

The Basketball League The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022. The Bask ...

(TBL).

History

On September 27, 2017,

North American Premier Basketball The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022. The Bas ...

(NAPB) announced a team that will play in

, and

Calvin Thompson Calvin Thompson (born June 27, 1964) is an American basketball coach and a member of the University of Kansas' 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, 1986 Final Four team. He holds Kansas' record for most consecutive free throws made a ...

would be the head coach and general manager. On November 10, the team name was revealed as the KC Buzz as well as naming the assistant coaches and first players signed. On November 20, 2017,

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

sent a request to the Kansas City team to change the name and logo since they "have the trademark on the bumblebee as well as the word B-U-Z-Z." that is attached to their mascot Buzz. By the end of the month, the NAPB team had changed their moniker to the Tornados, sometimes written as "Tornado's" by their social media. The Tornados started their inaugural season playing their home games at the Municipal Auditorium. However, by March 2018, the team began playing home games at

Avila University Avila University is a private Roman Catholic university in Kansas City, Missouri. It is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and offers bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Its 13 buildings are situated on a campus of in K ...

due to scheduling issues. After their inaugural season, the NAPB changed its branding to

(TBL). Concurrently, the Tornados rebranded as the grammatically correct Tornadoes. They also announced they were pursuing a new venue and named Eddie Corporal as the head coach.

Kevin Loder Kevin Allen Loder (born March 15, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Kansas City Kings in the first round (17th pick overall) of the 1981 NBA draft. A swingman born in Cassopolis, Michigan, Loder p ...

was named chief operating officer of the team. On July 28, 2018, Loder announced via Facebook Live that the team will be competing at the

Hy-Vee Arena The Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports arena ...

. After the season began, the Tornadoes ran into several scheduling issues leading to canceled and rescheduled games. The team decided to end their season early and sit out of the playoffs despite having the second best record at the time. The team did not return for the 2020 season.

Roster

References

External links

Kansas City Tornadoes website
{{The Basketball League Sports in the Kansas City metropolitan area 2017 establishments in Missouri Kansas City Tornadoes Basketball teams established in 2017 Basketball teams in Missouri Former The Basketball League teams