The long game
Professional Basketball in Chatham-Kent
Our long-term vision is to build enough participation, community support, fan interest and basketball culture to bring professional basketball to Chatham-Kent.
Why Chatham Kings Exists
Nick grew up going to a program called 3rd Level. It ran on the third floor of a church, after school, and it wasn't a basketball program at all — it was a room. Kids did chores, hung out, and there was always someone there who knew their names.
He'll tell you it was one of the best things in his life at that age: there was somewhere to be between the last bell and dinner, and someone who noticed if you didn't turn up.
That’s where this starts — not with a team, but with a place to play, a way to get better, and adults who notice when a kid doesn’t turn up. The camps, the training and the after-school program we’re building matter on their own, whether or not a professional team ever tips off here.
How Basketball Grows Here
What's real today, what comes next, and the horizon — in that order.
What families can join now
Running nowReal programs, running in Chatham-Kent, that kids can be part of right now.
What we're building
Not running yetThe next programs, in the order families are asking for them. None of these are running yet, and we won't say they are until they are. A rep or club team is not on this list.
Professional basketball in Chatham-Kent
Not running yetThe long-term vision: enough participation, community support, fan interest and basketball culture to bring professional basketball to Chatham-Kent. Nothing about a team or a league is confirmed.
The Long-Term Vision
A professional team matters because of what sits underneath it. When a town has one, it has more reason to keep gyms open, run programs and keep coaches around — and a twelve-year-old has somewhere to point.
So we’re building from the bottom up: kids playing this year, a community that shows up, local businesses behind it, and fan interest that can be demonstrated rather than assumed. One potential professional pathway currently being explored is the Basketball Super League, where Chatham-Kent has been publicly discussed as a possible market.
To be direct: no franchise has been awarded, no league has committed to Chatham-Kent, and we aren’t tied to any one league. This is a long-term vision, not a done deal.
The youth programs matter in their own right. Professional basketball is the long-term horizon — the thing a town builds toward once enough kids are playing and enough people care. It's about where the organisation is going, never a promise about any one player.
Chatham-Kent already has good basketball. The Chatham-Kent Wildcats, the school teams, and the other programs in this community have put a lot of kids into this game, and we want to see all of them do well. If your kid's next step is one of their teams, that's a win — we'll help them get ready for it. This is about growing the sport here and getting more kids playing, not competing over the ones already on a roster.
We're not starting a rep or club team, and we're not registering a program with Ontario Basketball. Our programs exist to get more kids playing — and to help them make the teams that already exist.
Add Your Name
Community support is what makes the case. Tell us you want professional basketball in Chatham-Kent.
It Starts With Kids Playing
The best thing anyone can do for basketball in Chatham-Kent is get a kid on the court. Holiday Hoops runs this Christmas break, and training is booking now.