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.

O Reading Rockets é um time de basquete profissional localizado em Reading, Pensilvânia. A equipe compete na Liga G, a liga de desenvolvimento oficial da National Basketball Association (NBA). Os Rockets são afiliados do Philadelphia 76ers da NBA.

A equipe foi fundada em 1981 como Reading Aces e jogou na Continental Basketball Association (CBA). Os Aces venceram dois campeonatos da CBA em 1982 e 1984. Em 2001, a equipe mudou seu nome para Reading Rage. Em 2009, o Rage se juntou à NBA Development League (agora G League) como membro fundador.

O Reading Rockets joga seus jogos em casa no Santander Arena, um estádio com 8.500 lugares localizado no centro de Reading. A equipe tem uma base de fãs forte e apaixonada, e os jogos do Rockets são sempre animados e cheios de energia.

O Rockets tem uma história de sucesso na G League, tendo vencido o campeonato da liga em 2013. A equipe também produziu vários jogadores que passaram a jogar na NBA, incluindo Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams e Jrue Holiday.

O Reading Rockets é uma parte importante da comunidade de Reading. A equipe fornece entretenimento e excitação para os fãs de basquete de todas as idades, e também ajuda a promover a cidade de Reading em todo o país.