The Winnipeg Thunder was a professional basketball franchise based in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, from 1992 to 1994. The Thunder played its inaugural season in the

World Basketball League World Basketball League (WBL) was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada that ran from 1988 to 1992. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the ...

, which folded before the schedule ended. The club then joined the nascent National Basketball League, where it played for the 1993 and 1994 seasons.NBL Statistics
/ref> 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 The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of the Norther ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

club. The club's financial backers included

Sam Katz Samuel Michael Katz (born August 20, 1951) is a Canadian businessman and former politician who was the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 2004 to 2014. He is the owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and a member of the Order of Manitoba. He wa ...

and John Loewen. The Thunder played its home games at the

Winnipeg Arena Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located in the Polo Park district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The arena was the city's premier ice hockey venue from 1955 to 2004 and is best remembered as the home of the first Winnipeg Jets franchise, whi ...

References

National Basketball League (Canada) teams Sports teams in Winnipeg Defunct basketball teams in Canada World Basketball League teams Basketball teams established in 1992 Sports clubs disestablished in 1994 1992 establishments in Manitoba 1994 disestablishments in Manitoba Basketball in Manitoba {{Canada-basketball-team-stub