A day after winning the National Basketball League Canada Championship, the London Lightning were given the star treatment at city hall.
Wearing their official Lightning blazers, the players walked the red carpet into city hall Tuesday, with Marcus Capers leading the way carrying the NBLC Championship trophy.
Mayor Matt Brown presented each player with a certificate of achievement in a ceremony held in the council chambers. The certificate read "the City of London would like to recognize your outstanding achievement in winning the 2017 National Basketball League Championship. The City of London is proud of the excellence demonstrated by the London Lightning, their commitment to a winning culture, and their contributions to the London community."
The Lightning earned their third NBL Canada Championship title Monday night after beating the Halifax Hurricanes 129-116 in Game 6 at Budweiser Gardens. During their entire playoff run, the Lightning lost only two games.
"Congratulations on a job well done. This has been an absolutely tremendous season," Brown told the players. "I had a little bet with the mayor of Halifax[that the Lightning would win the championship], so thank you very much. He is going to have to send some Halifax things my way because of your hard work."
The mayor also took a few minutes to thank team owner Vito Frijia, who was unable to attend Tuesday's ceremony.
Guard Kyle Johnson said, having never been to city hall before, he wasn't sure what to expect but that the whole team appreciated the support.
"Man, this is crazy. I didn't know we would be honoured so quick," said Johnson. "The fan support has always been good here throughout the whole year. It's nice the city has something like this so quickly after we win."
That sentiment was echoed by Head Coach Kyle Julius.
"This is another example of how much the community cares about us. It's an honour to be a part of this whole thing, it's an honour to be recognized, and it is special to play in an environment like this," said Julius.
With the off season now upon them, the players will get to enjoy a much needed break.
"That was six months of seven day a week pressure, working hard, pushing their bodies, pushing their minds -- so they will take some time off," said Julius. "The off season is a grind. It's a different type of grind but we have to work hard to make sure that these guys come back... a lot of these guys played so well they will have a lot of other opportunities now, other leagues, other teams in our league. So it's a new pressure now and a new commitment to winning."
