The Windsor Express are a Canadian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team based in Windsor,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, competing in the Basketball Super League. The Express play their home games at the WFCU Centre.

History

On June 28, 2012, the NBL announced that Windsor had been awarded an expansion team for the 2012–13 season. As the eighth franchise, the league created divisions and placed the Express in the Central Division. On August 1, 2012 the team nickname was officially confirmed. The Express name is partially a tribute to the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

and to the rail yards on the banks of the Detroit River. The team compiled a 22–18 record in its inaugural year, placing second in the Central Division and being seeded 3rd in the playoffs. It lost its only post-season series, a semifinal against the Summerside Storm, three-games-to-two. On April 17, 2014, the Express won their first championship against the Island Storm (formerly Summerside Storm), 121–106. The Express were named the 2015 NBL of Canada Champions on April 30, 2015 when the Halifax Rainmen forfeited game 7 after events that transpired earlier in the day. Halifax opted to forfeit the game and leave Windsor, where the game was set to take place, due to an on-court altercation between the two teams earlier in the day. On May 11, 2023 it was announced that the 3 other teams the Express competed with in the NBLC would be leaving the league to form the Basketball Super League along with The president of

The Basketball League The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball league. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and has since expanded. TBL's regular season runs from Feb ...

, David Magley. Well the Express initially held off of joining the BSL in favor of exploring other options, it was announced on August 29, 2023 that Windsor would be joining the league for its inaugural season.

Home arenas

Originally opened in 2008, the WFCU Centre is a sports-entertainment arena in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, Canada. The arena has a capacity of 7,000 when setup for basketball. The Express share the arena with the

Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975� ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

. In 2019 The Express proposed a bid to renovate the Windsor Arena to become the new home of the Windsor Express and local recreational activities. In 2021, the proposal was denied by the City.

Current roster

Season-by-season record

References

External links

* {{Ontario Sports National Basketball League of Canada teams Basketball in Windsor, Ontario Basketball Super League (North America) teams Basketball teams in Ontario Basketball teams established in 2012 2012 establishments in Ontario