There are few more relatable Wisconsin sports figures on social media than Sam Dekker. The former Wisconsin Badgers star from Sheboygan, Wisconsin has made his basketball journey from the NBA to Europe on that fans have followed closely and easily. Today, the London Lions of the British Basketball League announced that they had signed Dekker to play for them this upcoming season:
IT'S OFFICIAL! ✍️ @dekker
We are very happy to confirm the signing of the talented forward with NBA & EuroCup experience – Sam Dekker! 🇺🇸 #wearelondon #londonlions #samdekker #BritishBasketball pic.twitter.com/gDvIdPOXj1— London Lions Basketball (@LondonLions) August 7, 2022
The London Lions franchise has been around since 1977, but has enjoyed a great deal of success in most recent years. Originally, the team was called the Hemel Hampstead Lakers. The name, of course, was inspired by the NBA’s Los Angles Lakers.
Over the next 35 seasons, the team moved around a bit. They became the Watford Royals and then the Milton Keynes Lions. In 2012, the franchise moved to London to play in the Copper Box arena, which had been built for the 2012 Olympic Games.
In 2013, the team joined the British Basketball League and finished sixth in said league. They have, however, made the league’s playoffs in every season since they joined and won the first British Basketball All-Stars Trophy in 2017. They also won the BBL Cup in 2019 and the British Basketball League Trophy in 2021. Last season also saw the London Lions make their European debut.
Sam Dekker Has the Experience to Take the Lions to the Next Level
The London Lions indicated in their Tweet announcing the signing that they signed Sam Dekker due to the experience he has in both the NBA and Euro Cup. As a NBA player, Dekker has played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards. He was signed by the Toronto Raptors last offseason, but was released after appearing in just one game.
In Europe, Dekker has played in both Russia and Turkey. In his first season abroad, Dekker played for Lokomotiv Kuban. He averaged 11.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. After play was cleared to resume following the COVID-19 shutdown, Dekker played for Turk Telekom. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He also shot over 45% from three. Last season, he returned to Turkey and played for Bahcesehir basketball club. He averaged 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
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