Brampton Honey Badgers
Canadian professional basketball team based in Brampton, Ontario.
Last updated
The Brampton Honey Badgers are a professional basketball team in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), based in Brampton, Ontario. Their home court is the CAA Centre. The franchise began in 2018 as the Hamilton Honey Badgers, playing at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre from their first season in 2019 through 2022. Head coach Alex Cerda has led the team since his hiring in 2026.
The CEBL announced Hamilton as one of its six original teams on May 2, 2018. On June 12, 2018, the league revealed the team’s name and logo, inspired by the fearless animal, and named former Toronto Raptors executive John Lashway as team president. Jermaine Anderson became general manager on December 19, 2019. The Honey Badgers won their first game on May 12, 2019, defeating Edmonton 103–86 at home.
That season, they beat the Niagara River Lions in the playoffs but lost the CEBL Finals to the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Their first championship came on August 14, 2022, a 90–88 victory over the Scarborough Shooting Stars, which earned them a spot in the 2022–23 BCL Americas.
On November 28, 2022, the league announced the team would permanently relocate to Brampton due to renovations at FirstOntario Centre. On March 4, 2025, Canadian businessman Leonard Asper purchased the Honey Badgers from the CEBL, making them the league’s eighth privately owned team. Asper is the older brother of Winnipeg Sea Bears owner David Asper.
Notable players include Elijah Mitrou-Long, Christian Vital, and Brianté Weber. The team’s honours include CEBL Championships, Eastern Conference titles, regular-season top-team finishes, All-CEBL selections (First and Second All-Star Teams, All-Canadian Team), and individual awards such as CEBL Finals MVP, Coach of the Year, Canadian Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year, and the Community Ambassador Award.
Origins & Identity in Hamilton
The Brampton Honey Badgers trace their roots back to May 2, 2018, when the Canadian Elite Basketball League revealed that Hamilton, Ontario, would be home to one of its six founding franchises for the league's inaugural 2019 season. Just over a month later, on June 12, 2018, a press conference unveiled the team's identity: the Hamilton Honey Badgers, a moniker drawn from the reputation of the honey badger as the most fearless creature on Earth.
That same event introduced John Lashway, a former Toronto Raptors executive, as the franchise's president. The organization would later bring in Jermaine Anderson as general manager in December 2019. The team called the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton home from their debut season through 2022, building their competitive identity in that original market before the eventual permanent move westward to Brampton.
Competitive Journey & First Championship
The Honey Badgers' inaugural campaign in 2019 kicked off with a statement: a 103–86 home victory over Edmonton on May 12. That season they advanced to the playoffs, knocking out the Niagara River Lions before falling short in the CEBL Finals against the Saskatchewan Rattlers. The frustration of that near-miss set the stage for redemption. On August 14, 2022, the franchise captured its first championship, edging the Scarborough Shooting Stars 90–88 in a nail-biter.
That title also secured a berth in the 2022–23 BCL Americas, elevating the team onto an international stage. Over the years, the Honey Badgers have accumulated a deep shelf of honours, including Eastern Conference titles, regular-season top-team finishes, and multiple All-CEBL selections. Individual accolades have spanned the CEBL Finals MVP, Coach of the Year, Canadian Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Clutch Player of the Year, and Community Ambassador Award, reflecting a culture that values both on-court excellence and off-court engagement.
Relocation & New Ownership
The Honey Badgers' move from Hamilton to Brampton was not a matter of choice but of circumstance. On November 28, 2022, the CEBL announced that renovations to the FirstOntario Centre would force the franchise to relocate permanently to Brampton, Ontario, where they now compete at the CAA Centre. The transition marked a new chapter for a team that had spent its formative years in Hamilton. Ownership dynamics shifted again on March 4, 2025, when Canadian businessman Leonard Asper purchased the Honey Badgers from the CEBL.
Prior to that sale, the team had been league-owned, but Asper's acquisition made the Honey Badgers the eighth privately owned franchise in the CEBL. Notably, Leonard is the older brother of David Asper, who owns the Winnipeg Sea Bears, linking two Canadian basketball franchises through a single family. The team is now led on the sideline by head coach Alex Cerda, who was hired in 2026.
Notable Players & Roster Legacy
The Honey Badgers have attracted a steady stream of talent that has helped define their competitive identity. Among the most recognizable names to wear the franchise's colours are Elijah Mitrou-Long, Christian Vital, and Brianté Weber, each bringing a distinct skill set that contributed to the team's playoff runs and championship success. The roster's depth has been a factor in the organization's ability to contend consistently in the CEBL, earning multiple All-CEBL Team selections across both the First and Second All-Star Teams, as well as All-Canadian Team honours.
The team's culture, shaped by leadership figures like former Raptors executive John Lashway and general manager Jermaine Anderson, has emphasized both competitive intensity and community connection, as evidenced by the Community Ambassador Award on the franchise's honour list. Under the current coaching regime of Alex Cerda, the Honey Badgers continue to build on that foundation from their Brampton home at the CAA Centre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Brampton Honey Badgers?
They are a professional basketball franchise based in Brampton, Ontario, competing in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). The organization was originally established in 2018 under the Hamilton Honey Badgers name before relocating to Brampton in 2022.
Who coaches the Brampton Honey Badgers?
As of 2023, Mike Morreale serves as the team's head coach.
Ranked in
More in Basketball teams in Canada
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Brampton Honey Badgers (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced