London Lions add Karlie Samuelson ahead of Euro campaign

Samuelson boasts a hugely successful career playing in the US and Europe, winning the Spanish National League twice, the Queens Cup twice and the Belgian National League.

And she is the latest British player to return to the UK from overseas after the recent growth of the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL), joining from WNBA side Los Angeles Sparks.

The forward has excelled as a three-point shooter in her career – sitting second in the league last season for three-point percentage – and is set to bring an abundance of knowledge and experience to the London side from a career which has spanned the globe, most notably the USA, Australia and Europe.

Lions completed a second successive domestic clean sweep last season, winning the WBBL Playpoff title, Championship, Trophy and Cup and are building a roster ready to succeed domestically and in Europe, where they will be joining a number of the continent’s elite women’s teams. 

General manager Vanja Cernivec said: “We are delighted Karlie will be joining the Lions after her WNBA season with the Sparks. She brings EuroLeague and WNBA experience with her and to have another GB star in our roster for this ambitious season, is super exciting.

“Karlie will be a real asset to us on and off the court, we can’t wait to welcome her into the Lions family.”

Lions, the premier basketball club in the UK, has continued to fuel the rise of women in sport after its impressive dominance in British basketball, securing a place in the EuroLeague Women qualifiers for 2023/24.

It is the first time the Lions have reached this stage – signalling a momentous occasion for female sport – and the prestigious EuroLeague Women qualifiers will see six of Europe’s leading basketball teams compete.

Lions enter as an unseeded team and will face either TTT Riga (Latvia), Polkowice (Poland), or DVTK Hun-Therm (Hungary) in a home-and-away series, with London hosting the first leg. 

If the Lions fail to secure a victory in the qualifiers, they will be relegated to the EuroCup Women for the regular season and will join the only other UK team, Caledonia Gladiators, in playing on European soil this season.

Head coach Stella Kaltsidou will now lead her team towards winning the qualifiers and achieving historic success in the EuroLeague Women, considered the pinnacle of basketball outside of the NBA. 

The Lions have enjoyed growing crowds at the Copper Box Arena, with a significant step up in the team’s talent contributing to their success and achievements.