The Manchester Giants are an English basketball club from the city of Manchester in the northwest of England.
For the 2019-20 season, the Magic will compete in the National Basketball League Division 2 North. They play their home games at the Manchester Basketball Centre, which was part-funded by former NBA star John Amaechi. A sister team, the Manchester Mystics, compete in the top-tier Women's British Basketball League.
History The Magic were first established in 1997, originally as a reserve squad for the nearby Manchester Giants, entering the newly founded NBL Division 3 for the 1997/1998 season and winning immediate promotion as league runner-up and playoff champions. A change in direction from their one-time parent club saw the fledgling team become independent mid-way through their first season in Division Two, choosing the City of Manchester Attitude as their new name. A first league title was to follow at the end of the 1999/2000 season, with the club joining the top flight just as the national league was being restructured, forming the short-lived NBL Conference.
After rebranding as the Manchester Magic, the club enjoyed over a decade of success in the top tier of the English Basketball League, with the highlight being a triple title success in the 2007/2008 season, claiming the National Cup alongside the league and playoff titles. The team then took the shock decision to play in Division 3 for the 2011/12 season, in order "to forge a much closer link between the youngsters... and the men's team", in the words of club director Joe Forber. The club worked their way back up the English leagues in record time, winning Division 3 at the first attempt to earn a return to Division 2, and then gaining back-to-back promotions with a runner-up spot in Division 2 in the 2012/13 season.
Since returning to Division 1, the Magic have claimed both the National Cup and National Trophy in the 2014/15 season, alongside second-place finishes in both the league and the end-of-season playoffs.
Club honours
National Cup 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016 National Trophy 2015, 2016 EBL Division 1 League Champions 2008 EBL Division 1 Playoff Champions 2008, 2010 EBL Division 2 League Champions 2000 EBL Division 3 League Champions 2012 EBL Division 3 Playoff Champions 1998
Season-by-season records
Season Division Tier Pos. Played Won Lost Points Playoffs National Cup National Trophy Patrons Cup National Shield Manchester Giants B1997-98D342nd26151130Winners1st roundDNEDNE City of Manchester Attitude1998-99D233rd2418636Semi-Final2nd roundDNEDNE1999-00D231st2420440Runner-Up2nd roundDNEDNE Manchester Magic2000-01Conf24th219718Semi-FinalQuarter-FinalDNEDNE2001-02Conf25th189918Semi-FinalSemi-FinalDNEDNE2002-03Conf25th22121024Semi-Final1st round1st roundDNEDNE2003-04D124th2216632Quarter-FinalQuarter-Final1st roundDNEDNE2004-05D126th22121024Quarter-FinalQuarter-Final1st roundDNEDNE2005-06D124th2619738Semi-FinalQuarter-Final1st roundDNEDNE2006-07D123rd2217534Runner-UpWinnersSemi-FinalDNEDNE2007-08D121st1816232WinnersWinnersSemi-FinalDNEDNE2008-09D122nd1815330Runner-UpRunner-UpRunner-UpDNEDNE2009-10D122nd2216632WinnersRunner-UpRunner-UpDNEDNE2010-11D126th1871114Quarter-Final3rd round1st roundDNEDNE2011-12D3 Nor41st2219338Runner-Up2nd roundDNEDNEQuarter-Final2012-13D232nd2215730Runner-Up3rd roundDNE1st roundDNE2013-14D125th26161032Quarter-FinalSemi-FinalRunner-UpDNEDNE2014-15D122nd2417734Runner-UpWinnersWinnersDNEDNE2015-16D121st2623346WinnersDNEDNE2016-17D122nd2621542WinnersDNEDNE2017-18D128th24111322Quarter-finalsDNEDNE2018-19D1214th262244Did not qualifyDNEDNE2019-20D2 Nor35th1810822Did not qualify3rd round
References
External links Official Manchester Magic website