User:Ballplayer7/Lambda Basketball League

Lambda Basketball was founded in 1990 by Thorn Edwards, Martin Rodrigues and Mark Chambers. Following Gay Games III held in Vancouver, Canada. The three teams returned to Los Angeles to form Lambda Basketball. The teams that competed in Gay Games III were named, LA Motion, LA Quake (AKA LA Heat) and the Silver Medal winners Long Beach Lancers (aka Rebels).

The creation of Lambda Basketball brought the first GLBT basketball league to Southern California and produced two of the premier travel teams in the country, Los Angeles Heat and Long Beach Rebels.

In 1991 Chicago hosted the first National Gay Basketball Championships, founded by Samual Coady. In 1991 Lambda Basketball was represented in Chicago by a mix of players that won the Championship beating the San Fransisco Pacers. In 1992 and 1993 the Long Beach Rebels won the Championship.

Between 1991 and 1993 Lambda Basketball expanded to over 40 members and had a league of four (4) teams, but also during this time the league began suffered great loses between due to HIV related deaths.

In 1994, Lambda Basketball was represented at Gay Games IV in New York City by the LA Heat and the Long Beach rebels. The Long Beach Rebels brought home the Gold Medal in a rematch of the 1990 gay games championship against the San Fransisco Pacers.