The Winnipeg Sea Bears are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that competes in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). They play their home games at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
History On November 9, 2022, the Canadian Elite Basketball League announced that its 10th franchise would be in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
On November 30, 2022, the Winnipeg franchise officially unveiled their branding, announcing their name and logo as the Winnipeg Sea Bears. It was announced they would be playing at the Canada Life Centre.
On December 14, 2022, the Sea Bears announced that Mike Taylor was hired as the team’s inaugural head coach.
On May 27, 2023, the Sea Bears played their inaugural game in front of 7,303 fans, shattering the previous league attendance record by nearly 3,000. They won the game 90–85 over the Vancouver Bandits. The Sea Bears finished their inaugural season with a 12–8 record for second in the Western Conference and a home playoff game against the Edmonton Stingers. Winnipeg set another attendance record for their first playoff game with 10,580 spectators.
Prior to the 2024 season the CEBL announced that Winnipeg would host the 2025 CEBL Championship Weekend. The Sea Bears' second season started May 22, 2024 with a loss to the Saskatchewan Rattlers, played in the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. They finished the season with a 9–11 record, qualifying for the playoffs. The Sea Bears would be eliminated in the play-in round by the Calgary Surge by a score of 84–82.
The Sea Bears retired their first jersey on May 16, 2025 during their opening night of the 2025 season. The jersey that was retired was #33, Chad Posthumus, to remember and honour his legacy on and off the court after he died.
In the 2025 season, the Sea Bears had an 11–13 record in the regular season. As the CEBL Championship Weekend hosts, the Sea Bears received an automatic berth into the semifinals, where they would once again lose to the Calgary Surge, 90–79. Head coach and GM Mike Taylor was let go following the defeat and was replaced by assistant coach Mike Raimbault on August 28, 2025.
In the 2026 season, the Sea Bears went 14–10 in the regular season and finished in 2nd in the West division. Despite losing three key players prior to the playoffs (Emmanuel Akot, Jeremiah Tilmon Jr, and Teddy Allen), the Sea Bears would win their first playoff game in franchise history, beating the Saskatoon Mamba, 99–88, in the West semi-final. In the West final, the Sea Bears went on the road to defeat the Vancouver Bandits, 107–96, to advance to the CEBL Finals against the Brampton Honey Badgers. After game 1 of the best-of-three was canceled due to unplayable court conditions in Brampton, the league reverted the finals to a single-elimination game. In front of a league-record 12,519 fans at Canada Life Centre, the Sea Bears defeated the Honey Badgers, 98–84, to win their first championship in franchise history. With the win, the Sea Bears became the first West division team to win the CEBL title since the Edmonton Stingers in 2021.
Players Current roster Source:
Honours CEBL Western Conference Champions (1): 2026 Champions (1): 2026 Retired Jerseys +DatePlayerJersey No.May 16, 2025Chad Posthumus#33
CEBL Most Valuable Player +SeasonPlayer2023Teddy Allen
U Sports Player of the year +SeasonPlayerUniversity Team2023Simon HildebrandtUniversity of Manitoba Bisons
Developmental Player of the Year +SeasonPlayerUniversity Team2024Simon HildebrandtUniversity of Manitoba Bisons CEBL Coach of the year +SeasonCoachWL2023Mike Taylor128
CEBL Sixth Man of the Year +SeasonPlayer2023Jelani Watson-Gayle
All CEBL Teams
CEBL First team All Stars +SeasonPlayerPosition2023Teddy AllenGuard2024Justin Wright-Foreman2026Teddy Allen
CEBL Second Team All Stars +SeasonPlayerPosition2023E.J. AnosikeForward2024Teddy Allen Guard2025Simi ShittuForward
CEBL BUSINESS AWARD WINNERS:
Franchise of the year +SeasonTeam2023Winnipeg Sea Bears
Team Executive of the year +SeasonNamePosition2023Jason SmithPresident2024 CEBL Mascot of the year award +SeasonMascot2023Churchill the Sea Bear2024
Season-by-season record LeagueSeasonCoachRegular season PostseasonWonLostWin %FinishWonLostWin %ResultCEBL2023Mike Taylor 12 8 2nd West0 1 Lost play-in round2024 9 11 4th West0 1 Lost play-in round2025 11 13 4th West0 1 Lost Semifinal 2026Mike Raimbault 14 10 2nd West 3 0 Won CEBL ChampionshipTotals4642 —33
Notes
References
External links Official website