History
News of the planned team began appearing in April 2023 with Kristaps Janičenoks voicing support for their inclusion in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League. The team was intended as a privately financed club with key sponsors including Riga Technical University, Betsafe, Sportland, Dienas Bizness, Sporta Avīze, and Cēsu pilsētas sporta skola identified. On July 13, 2023, it was announced that a new team named Rīgas Zeļļi will take part in Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, Latvian Basketball League and Latvian Basketball Cup. Its president is sports manager Edgars Buļs and former player Artūrs Šēnhofs is taking the role of a general manager. Previously, both worked together as hosts of a basketball show "Ūdenszeļļi" on television. Club offers everyone to become its member by donating money, in return having a word in teams' decisions. It has also created a mobile app for a team to communicate with teams' management. It presents itself as the most innovative sports organizations in Latvia. On July 14, 2023, it was announced that the head coach of the team will be Juris Umbraško. On September 19, Andris Biedriņš, the first Latvian basketball player ever drafted in the National Basketball Association, NBA, joined the club as its ambassador. On September 30, 2023, Zeļļi played the first official game in a team's history beating Keila KK, Keila Coolbet in Arena Riga. The first foreign player signed by Zeļļi was Georgian forward George Natsvlishvili. After the start of debut season Rīgas Zeļļi signed an American point guard Nigel Johnson (basketball), Nigel Johnson. Later he was replaced by Canadian shooting guard Isiah Osborne. On January 20, 2024, Rīgas Zeļļi announced that the team was joined by Aleksandrs Samoilovs, a two-time European silver medalist in Beach volleyball. It was meant to be a marketing campaign and he actually played in only one game, scoring two points against KK Viimsi. On February 29, 2024, Rīgas Zeļļi signed a long-standing center of the Latvian national team Mārtiņš Meiers until the end of the season. 10 days later team also signed Australian center Jordan Hunter (basketball, born 1997), Jordan Hunter.Players
Current roster
Depth chart
Honours
*Latvijas Basketbola līga, Latvian League: :::''Runners-up (1)'': 2024 LBL Play-offs, 2024 ::::''Bronze (1)'': 2025 LBL Play-offs, 2025 *Latvian Basketball Cup, Latvian Cup: :::''Runners-up (1)'': 2024 *Latvian–Estonian Basketball League, Latvian–Estonian League :::''Runners-up (1)'': 2024–25 Latvian–Estonian Basketball League, 2025Season by season
References
External links