Manchester Basketball will host their inaugural ‘RepTheCity’ event against the Bristol Flyers this Friday, celebrating the city.
It’s set to be an action-packed evening geared toward showcasing what Manchester has to offer. The team will wear a specially commissioned ‘City Edition’ jersey and bucket hats manufactured by official club partner, Castore.
The jersey displays Manchester’s iconic phone code ‘0161’ often mentioned in songs and paintings of the city.
Team captain Zak Irvin said, “Friday is a great opportunity to connect with the city. There will be loads of Manchester tunes and the first 500 fans in the building will get free bucket hats.”
Irvin moved to Manchester in January 2025, from the Grand Rapid Gold, the Denver Nuggets affiliated G-League side. Irvin has spoken glowingly about the city since making the switch across the Atlantic.
“The city has embraced me with open arms, the people of Manchester are so genuine and really care about the sport. It’s been a very welcoming environment for me.”
The club is also keen to celebrate the city’s industrial heritage and its’ spirit of hard work. The symbolic Bee is a reflection of that.
“We take great pride in the city” says Irwin. “This is an opportunity to show what we’re able to do as a team. We’ve got a bunch of blue-collar guys who love to work hard every day in practice on the court. It’s been amazing to show that off to not only the UK but Europe as well.”
The RepTheCity game’s half time Dunk contest is returning as last year’s champion, TJ Prado, is back defending his crown against junior Giants duo Kelvin Clement and Yoma Imieye.
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Manchester Basketball’s ‘hoop bus’ will also make its debut outside their NBPC arena. Fans will have the chance to score baskets competing against local presenter and content creator, Mordzs.
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CEO Claire Bradbury said: “Our partnership with Streetbus is one we’re really excited about, it’s a fun experience that blends basketball, music and gaming culture. We’re the only sport that can do that authentically.”
Manchester Basketball are having a successful season thus far, sitting 3rd in the standings, putting them in a great position to enter the playoffs with a high seeding.
In their last match, Manchester put on a dominant display in a 92-67 win against the Bristol Flyers in the quarter finals of the SBL Cup.
Irvin said, “It was a good win for us to progress through in the cup. We’re confident, no matter who the opponent is, and Bristol are a great team.”
“All the fans, no matter who you are, come and support the team.”
Tipoff is set for 7:30PM on Friday the 30th of January at the NBPC arena, Belle Vue. Tickets for the event are available here.