Winnipeg Cyclone

International Basketball Association (1995-2001)

Background

The Winnipeg Cyclone were a minor league basketball squad that played in the International Basketball Association (IBA) during the late 1990’s. The Cyclone replaced the similarly named Winnipeg Thunder on the local basketball scene. While the more ambitious Thunder played at 12,000 seat Winnipeg Arena, home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, the lower-budget Cyclone used the much smaller Winnipeg Convention Centre whose 2,600-odd seats were still more than the Cyclone required.

For most of the their existence, the Cyclone were the only Canadian entry in the IBA and played against American competition from the Great Plains states and the Upper Midwest. For the Cyclones final two seasons from 1999 to 2001, the Saskatchewan Hawks provided a Canadian rival.

Notable Names

Arthur Agee, one of the two Chicago schoolboy stars of the 1994 documentary classic Hoop Dreams, played with the Cyclone during the IBA’s debut season in 1995-96.

In 1998 the Cyclone signed the former NBA star Darryl Dawkins, legendary for his backboard-shattering dunks, to coach the team. “Chocolate Thunder” helmed the Cyclone for two years, winning the IBA’s Coach-of-the-Year Award following the 1998-99 season.

The Cyclone folded along with the rest of the International Basketball Association following the completion of the league’s sixth season in 2001.

In Memoriam

Head Coach Darryl Dawkins (Cyclone ’98-’00) passed away on August 27, 2015 at age 58. New York Times obituary.

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