Wikipedia - Reading Rockets

The Reading Rockets are an English semi-professional basketball club based in the town of Reading, England. Founded in 1997, the Rockets compete in NBL Division 1, the second tier of the British basketball system.

History

The Rockets were formed in 1997 by current owner Gary Johnson together with his son Matt, starting in Division 3. The club won promotion at the first attempt, and in the National Basketball League reorganisation of 2000, England Basketball replaced Division 1 with the eight-team NBL Conference as the second-tier. Subsequently, Division 2 became Division 1 where the Rockets found themselves.

The Rockets remained in Division 1 for just one season, finishing second and beating Oxford in the Championship Final, thus winning promotion to the NBL Conference. In the 2001-02 season they finished seventh in the NBL Conference. In the following season, the Rockets continued their rise, finishing in third place. In 2003, the National Basketball League was rebranded as the English Basketball League, and once again was restructured with a new format, with Rockets finishing in second place in the new EBL Division 1. In the following season the Rockets finished third and were runners-up to Worthing Thunder in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

The club completed its most successful season ever in 2008-09, going undefeated to win all four national championships. The club applied to join the British Basketball League (Top division of the British Basketball System) as a member franchise for the 2012–13 season but was unsuccessful. In the 2013-14 season the Rockets completed the treble and were Play Off Championship finalists. Rockets’ Ladies won the Division 2 Southern league in 2014. As a stepping stone into the Senior Men's team, the Rockets’ run academies at the John Madejski Academy and the Henley College.

The club has squads ranging from developing Under-12s to the Division 1 senior men's side, and coaching staff regularly visit local schools and run satellite clubs as part of the Community Rockets scheme.

In 2022, the Rockets applied to join the British Basketball League starting from the 2023–24 season.

Die Reading Rockets sind ein professionelles Basketballteam in der NBA G League und das Farmteam der Philadelphia 76ers. Das Team hat seinen Sitz in Reading, Pennsylvania, und trägt seine Heimspiele in der Santander Arena aus.

Die Rockets wurden 2001 als Fayetteville Patriots gegründet und spielten zunächst in der NBA Development League (jetzt NBA G League). 2014 zog das Team nach Reading, Pennsylvania, um und wurde in Reading Rockets umbenannt.

Die Rockets haben in der NBA G League noch nie eine Meisterschaft gewonnen, aber sie haben zweimal das Finale erreicht (2005 und 2013). Zu ihren bemerkenswertesten Spielern gehören:

* Jimmy Butler
* Will Bynum
* Hollis Thompson
* Furkan Korkmaz

Die Reading Rockets bieten ihren Fans eine unterhaltsame und aufregende Basketballerfahrung. Das Team ist bekannt für seine athletischen Spieler und sein schnelles Tempostil. Die Rockets sind auch in der Community aktiv und unterstützen eine Vielzahl lokaler Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen.