Riders abroad: Mackenzie and Lall make CEBL Conference Finals

Leicester Riders duo TJ Lall and Kimbal Mackenzie are headed to the CEBL Championship weekend!

The Canadian pair have spent the summer with the Niagara River Lions, who booked their place in the Eastern Conference final with a game to spare. 

Four CEBL teams will compete for the coveted CEBL Championship Trophy at the Langley Events Centre, the River Lions’ Conference Final taking place on August 11. 

Mackenzie and Lall showed out in the River Lions’ final game of the regular season. 

Lall had an impactful outing with a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and a block. Mackenzie scored 17 points and dished seven assists to direct the Niagara offence as the starting point guard.

“I feel like we’re all together all the time,” Lall said after the game. “Our defence picked up throughout the season, and we’re gaining trust with each other.”


Want to see Lall and Mackenzie in action?

Get tickets to our home preseason opener against USA Select!


Quote credit: Niagara River Lions

Watch: TJ Lall leads the biggest upset in TBT history

TJ Lall led the biggest upset in “The Basketball Tournament” history, as India Rising knocked off number one seed Red Scare 77-67.

Lall hit the game-winning dagger to send the Brown Ballers into the second round.

It was his game-leading 26th points of the night, which he combined with five rebounds and five assists in a stat-sheet-stuffing display.

He caught fire from deep, going 4-9 from three.

India Rising will take on 2019 champions Carmens Crew in the second round, moving one step closer to the $1 million prize money.

Watch the highlights below


Want to see Lall in action?

Get tickets to our home preseason opener against USA Select!

TJ Lall to compete for $1 million in ESPN’s “The Basketball Tournament”

Riders’ recent signing TJ Lall is set to suit up to compete for $1 million in The Basketball Tournament (TBT)!

TBT is a 64-team, single-elimination open tournament where the winning team takes home a prize of $1 million.

Teams will play through six rounds of knockout basketball until an eventual winner is crowned.

TJ will compete for India Rising, his first game tipping off on the 26th of July. All the games are available to watch on the ESPN player.

“It’s a great opportunity to be able to play for India Rising in TBT,” said Lall.

“I’m looking forward to the experience. Thank you to Gautam and the Brown Ballers for making this happen!”


Want to watch TJ live in action?

Get tickets to the Riders’ preseason home opener against USA Select!

5 things you may not know about TJ Lall

Canadian/British forward TJ Lall has become the sixth member of our 2022/23 roster.

To help you get to know more, here are some things you may not know about our new man:

He ended a 30-year championship drought 

In his final college season, Lall led Brock University to their first OUA title since 1992. 

In front of a sold-out crowd, Lall put up a game-high 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists on the Badgers’ way to a 95-75 blowout against Queens University.

He dominated, going 11-16 from the field 4-7 from three, getting it done in all aspects of the game to bring long-awaited silverware back to his university. 

He was named MVP in college 

Lall dominated the OUA in his final college year. His 22 points and 7.9 rebounds per game earned him the honours of First Team All-Canadian, OUA West MVP and OUA West First Team All-Star. 

Not only did he lead the Badgers to their first title in three decades, Brock University also made an appearance at the U SPORTS Final 8 Tournament. 

They posted a regular-season record of 14-1 in the OUA West and won three straight playoff games to make their first appearance at the national championships since 2017-18.

He was the number one pick in the 2020 CEBL Draft

As a 23-year-old, following his college career at Carleton University, Lall was selected number one overall by the newly established Ottawa BlackJacks in the 2020 CEBL draft. 

The three-round draft saw 21 players selected from 10 universities across Canada, and Lall was deemed the best prospect of all for a bran new franchise. 

Ottawa Head Coach Taffe Charles told the Waterloo Region Record described him as “athletic”, “a really good two-way player” and ,” a very good rebounder” after their selection. 

He was a national champion boxer

Sport runs in the Lall family, as TJ’s dad was a kickboxer.

Lall took up the sport competitively until the age of 15, even winning a national championship!

Lall ultimately settled on hoops over the ring, but remains a huge boxing fan.

His favourite player was Allen Iverson

During the early 2000s, Allen Iverson made waves across the basketball landscape.

His flashy handles and elite scoring captured the imagination of Lall, who greatly admired “AI”.

Along with Tracey MacGrady and Kevin Garnett, he was one of the first to get him into the sport, kickstarting what would become his professional career.


Want to see Lall in action? Buy tickets to the Riders’ preseason home opener against USA Select!