Derby Storm was a former

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

(BBL) franchise from the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. The team took the decision to sit out the 2002–03 season after failing to find a suitable venue for home games. Despite early efforts for a new arena, the franchise never returned to playing action. Founded in 1984 as the Derby Turbos later changed to Derby Rams in 1985. (which NBA head coach Nick Nurse was a player/coach), the team was a founder member of the

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

-based professional BBL when it was set up in 1987. Another name change took place in 1991, becoming the Derby Bucks, and in 1993 the franchise withdrew from the BBL due to financial problems, but was "rescued" and allowed to re-enter before the new season began. Future

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

coach and NBA championship winner Nick Nurse coached here in 1990. The team became known as the Derby Storm in 1995 and was the first British

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

club to own their own venue, the Thunderdome Storm Arena, which was in fact a converted factory. The compact arena was definitely one of the most characteristic venues in the League, and often the subject of many jokes from rival fans. Storm were given permission to "sit out" the 2002–03 season, to generate finance and find an alternative venue, but having not returned since, the franchise membership with the BBL has lapsed. Basketball remained in the city however as fans took it upon themselves to take control of Storm's reserve team and reform them as

Derby Trailblazers The Derby Trailblazers are an English semi-professional basketball club based in Derby, Derbyshire. The club was founded in 2000 as a feeder club for the now-defunct Derby Storm, and wear the same blue and white colours as their predecessor. The ...

. The Blazers adopted one of Storm's former homes, the Moorways Centre, as their home venue.

Season-by-season records

Notes

{{reflist Defunct basketball teams in the United Kingdom Sport in Derby

Season-by-season records

See also

Notes