It was on the 13th of August that Scotland's only professional basketball team, the Glasgow Rocks were bought out by millionaire businessman, Steve Timoney, who is also owner of the WBBL's Caledonia Gladiators. It's therefore no surprise that the Rocks have undergone a rebrand and will now be known as the Caledonia Gladiators in the British Basketball League.
This makes them one out of just 3 teams in the British Basketball League with both men's and women's sides, a point of emphasis for Timoney and his wife Alison when it came to purchasing the Rocks.
“Our reason for acquiring both a men and women’s professional franchise is that we believe both should be viewed on an equal footing," said Timoney in a press release for the Caledonia Gladiators. "We will invest in a culture that looks at our basketball players and does not see men and women but sees athletes. Indeed, that sees Gladiators. We will develop our club with equality of opportunity in our DNA; growing our club together where any individual and club successes will be inextricably bound to the success of our community.”
The Gladiators will be playing at the Emirates Arena and The Lagoon in Paisley this season, with their first matchups against the Surrey Scorchers and the Newcastle Eagles in the BBL and WBBL respectively.