London Lions basketball team has collaborated with ‘cene to release the first-ever magazine dedicated to the inter-section of basketball, culture and community in the UK.

Entitled 'BASELINE', the first issue was released last month, with 5,000 print copies being available at home games at the Copperbox in Stratford, London.

This comes amidst a landmark study from the Lions which shows that 25% of Londoners say that people from fashion and sports are the most prominent cultural influences in their life.

“The choice to turn to print as part of our content output, whilst others retreat from it, is purposeful and is reflective of our ambitions to create meaningful relationships with new fans. ”

— Oliver Emery, SVP of Content at London Lions

Alongside the release of the zine, the London club are making other moves to strengthen ties between these sections of society, having recently gifted a vibrant new basketball court to a community in Tower Hamlets - designed by artist, Alvaro Barrington.
The London team are aiming to print 10,000 copies of each issue by spring as they are eager to highlight the importance and legacy of print. The magazine is distributed for free in venue at the Lions' home games as well as in shops, cafes and restaurants around their home area of Hackney.

The first issue contains interviews with NBA star from the Toronto Raptors, OG Anunoby, writer and poet JJ Bola and actor and filmmaker Femi Oyeniran who all talk about the influence that basketball has had on their lives and respective careers.

The Lions worked with Kent-based firm, Cene Media, who took care of the building and printing of the publication. Henry Dean was editorial lead for the launch, acting as editor-in-chief, writer and creative quarterback on the project. The next issue is due to be released at the start of January with a wide array of features and interviews covering the world of culture, fashion, entertainment and sport.

Senior Vice President of Content at London Lions, Oliver Emery, said: “BASELINE is a marker of the Lions intent to embrace the culture around our sport and give a voice to the artists in our community; both locally and within the sport. We’ve chosen to shun the traditional gameday programme, as we continue to shake the cobwebs off the old guard of British Basketball.

“We want to offer more to our fans in venue - as well as opportunities for the community to engage with us in bars, coffee shops and youth centres across the Boroughs. Baseline is our way to do that, working in tandem with our community projects and basketball programming.
”The zine also allows us to give our players a voice, bringing some of their more complex stories to life in a way that is harder across our short-form social media channels. Without a camera in sight, we’ve seen players open up more for written content and we’ve been in awe of their incredible stories on social justice, representation and identity.
”The choice to turn to print as part of our content output, whilst others retreat from it, is purposeful and is reflective of our ambitions to create meaningful relationships with new fans. We want our audience to feel our brand identity through the touch of the paper and be able to dip in and out of our culture, as provided by a physical product. The initial reception to BASELINE has been phenomenal and we look forward to continuing to work with Henry Dean and the ‘cene team, to bring the art, fashion and community around our sport to life through each episode of BASELINE.”

About Cene

Cene Media won the KPBA magazine of the year for 2022, 2020, 2019 & 2018, ‘cene® Magazine was created for those in Kent, looking to push creative and alternative boundaries. There are many in the county courageously shaping a scene where ideas, imagination, originality and drive are the currency. Cene Media's printed and digital content, events and social interaction is determined to both motivate and support those at the forefront of Kent's creative culture.

About Henry Dean

Henry Dean is a British writer, director and image maker. After growing up on the fringes of the M25, he spent time living in Paris and Las Vegas before returning to live and create in London. His work moves effortlessly between the gritty and the glamorous, making the everyday feel spectacular. Henry has crafted commercials for brands including Dr. Martens, Paul Smith, YouTube and Major League Baseball, while collaborating with some of the world’s top cultural talent like Mac Miller, Stormzy and Rita Ora. Henry wore an NBA jersey to his first school disco — with a deep-rooted passion for basketball, he is an advocate for the sport’s growth in the UK and beyond. To learn more about Henry and his work, visit henrydean.co.uk or follow him on social media @henryitdean.

An e-zine of the magazine can be found at: https://www.thelondonlions.com/baseline/issue-001.