Absheron Lions

Absheron Lions
Absheron Lions
Nickname	The Lions
Leagues	Azerbaijan Basketball League
Founded	1 January 2022
History	Absheron Lions; (2022–present)
Location	Baku, Azerbaijan
Head coach	Erhan Toker

Absheron Lions (in Azerbaijani: Abşeron Lions Basketbol Klubu) is a professional basketball club based in Baku, Azerbaijan. The team currently competes in the Azerbaijan Basketball League, the country's top-tier basketball competition. The team was founded in 2022.^[1]

History

The Absheron Lions were founded in 2022 with the aim of revitalizing professional basketball in the Absheron region. The club debuted in the Azerbaijan Basketball League in the 2022–23 season, finishing in fourth position and reaching the semi-finals.^[2] The following year, they reached the semi-finals again. In the 2024–25 season, Absheron reached the semi-finals for the third consecutive time, after advancing past the play-in.^[3]

As the third placed team in the previous season, Lions qualified for the 2025–26 FIBA Europe Cup qualifying rounds, where they will make their European debut.^[4]

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Absheron Lions roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.
C	0	Sadikov, Mahammad	2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
G	1	McAlpine, Aubrey	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
SG	2	Abdullayev, Ismayil	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
PG	3	Robinson III, Larry	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
G	4	Hikim, Ayinde	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
PG	4	Babayev, Necef	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
F	7	Shaw, Jalen	2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)
F/C	9	Davis, Jaja	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
F	12	Yavas, Omer	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)
SF	17	Salmanzade, Elchin	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
F	22	Jenkins III, William	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)
SG	24	Huseynli, Mahammad	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
G	30	Johnson, Cedric	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)