The Quebec Kebs () were a professional basketball team located in

Laval, Quebec Laval is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in Can ...

, formerly based in

Quebec City, Quebec Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. The Kebs were part of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franchis ...

. They also played in the Atlantic Division of the

Premier Basketball League The Premier Basketball League (PBL) is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived under new management for t ...

. Prior to May 2008, they played in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. Kebs is short for Kebekwa, a

phonetic spelling A phonemic orthography is an orthography (system for writing a language) in which the graphemes (written symbols) correspond consistently to the language's phonemes (the smallest units of speech that can differentiate words), or more generally ...

of the word '' Québécois'', or "Quebecers." Prior to folding, the team was briefly renamed the Laval Kebs.

History

2006–07 season

The team held a survey to name the team and 66% of the people preferred the name Kebekwa (a

of the word '' Québécois'', "Quebecers"). The team earned a trip to the playoffs in their inaugural season and were defeated by the

Strong Island Sound Strong may refer to: Education * The Strong, an educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States * Strong Hall (Lawrence, Kansas), an administrative hall of the University of Kansas * Strong School, New Haven, Connecticut, United St ...

108–97 in the first round.

2007–08 season

Going with a fresh new image, the team changed its logo and color scheme. The team won its season opener 108–106 against the

Manchester Millrats The Saint John Riptide were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saint John, New Brunswick, that had home games at Harbour Station. They were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the Atlantic Division. ...

on October 12, 2007, at the

Pavillon de la jeunesse The Pavillon Guy-Lafleur, formerly Pavillon de la Jeunesse, (1970-2024) is an indoor arena, in Quebec City, Quebec on the grounds of ExpoCité. It opened in 1931 as an amphitheatre to replace the Victoria Park Arena destroyed in 1943, it was refer ...

. While the team finished with a 15–19 record, the Pavillon was the location of the 2008 ABA Championship Series, so the team gained an automatic Final VIII berth. Home-court advantage could not save them from first-round defeat, as the Kebs lost in the quarterfinals to the Texas Tycoons by a score of 122–120. After the ABA playoffs, the team chose to join the PBL, announcing they would simply be the Quebec Kebs.

2009–10 season

The Kebs changed their home arena from the

Pavillon de la Jeunesse The Pavillon Guy-Lafleur, formerly Pavillon de la Jeunesse, (1970-2024) is an indoor arena, in Quebec City, Quebec on the grounds of ExpoCité. It opened in 1931 as an amphitheatre to replace the Victoria Park Arena destroyed in 1943, it was refer ...

in Quebec City to

PEPS The Laval University Sports and Physical Education Complex, PEPS is a sports complex located in Quebec City, Quebec, on the Université Laval campus. PEPS opened in 1970 and includes an outdoor stadium ( Telus Stadium), an indoor stadium, two ...

at L'Université Laval in

Sainte-Foy, Quebec Sainte-Foy (; ) is a List of former municipalities in Quebec, former city in central Quebec, Canada alongside the Saint Lawrence River. It was 2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec, amalgamated into Quebec City at the start of 2002. Most ...

2010–11 season

Due to controversial officiating in the PBL playoffs, the Kebs, together with the

Saint John Mill Rats The Saint John Riptide were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saint John, New Brunswick, that had home games at Harbour Station. They were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the Atlantic Division ...

and the

Halifax Rainmen The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, form ...

, left the PBL in April 2011.

2011–12 season

On 12 May 2011, the Kebs were one of three teams announced as founding members of the

. The Kebs were one of seven teams competing in NBL Canada's inaugural season, joining past PBL rivals the

and

along with new teams the

London Lightning The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, with home games at Canada Life Place. The team competes in the Basketball Super League (North America), Basketball Super League. History The ...

Moncton Miracles The Moncton Miracles were a Canadian professional basketball team in Moncton, New Brunswick. Established in 2011, they were a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). The Miracles played their home games at the Moncton C ...

Oshawa Power The Mississauga Power were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Mississauga, Ontario, that competed in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). Established in as the Oshawa Power, they played in the Central Division (NBL Cana ...

, and

Summerside Storm The Island Storm is an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2011–12 season. The Storm plays ...

2012

Initially the team announced it would change arenas to

Colisée de Laval The Colisée de Laval is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Laval, Quebec, Canada. Built in 1954, it has been the home of many minor league ice hockey, minor league and junior ice hockey teams. In 2019, the Les Pétroliers du Nord of the Ligue ...

and was rebranded as the Laval Kebs, however, the team folded before the start of the

2012–13 NBL Canada season The 2012–13 NBL Canada season was the second season of the National Basketball League of Canada. The regular season began on Friday, November 2, 2012, when the Summerside Storm hosted the Saint John Mill Rats. The regular season ended on Saturd ...

when the ownership of the team was transferred to the league. The team was replaced in the NBL Canada by the

Montreal Jazz The Montreal Jazz () were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team played its only season in the National Basketball League of Canada in the 2012-2013 season, in place of the Laval Kebs. The Jazz playe ...

Final roster

Injured reserve

Season-by-season record

References

External links

Official website of the Quebec Kebs

- Frozen Hoops ABA. Covering the Canadian teams. {{NBLCdefunct Defunct American Basketball Association (2000–present) teams Former Premier Basketball League teams Sport in Laval, Quebec Basketball teams established in 2006 Basketball teams disestablished in 2012 National Basketball League of Canada teams Basketball teams in Quebec 2006 establishments in Quebec 2012 disestablishments in Quebec