Rīgas Zeļļi
| Rīgas Zeļļi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Zeļļi | ||
| Leagues | Latvian–Estonian Basketball League Latvian Basketball League European North Basketball League | ||
| Founded | 2023 | ||
| Arena | Komandu Sporta Spēļu Halle (Team Sports Games Hall) | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 | ||
| Location | Riga, Latvia | ||
| Team colors | Pink, blue | ||
| President | Edgars Buļs | ||
| General manager | Artūrs Šēnhofs | ||
| Head coach | Juris Umbraško | ||
| Website | rigaszelli | ||
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Rīgas Zeļļi is a professional basketball team based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in the summer of 2023.[1]
History
News of the planned team began appearing in April 2023 with Kristaps Janičenoks voicing support for their inclusion in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.[2] The team was intended as a privately financed club with key sponsors including Riga Technical University, Betsafe, Sportland, Dienas Bizness, Sporta Avīze, and Cēsu pilsētas sporta skola identified.[2]
On July 13, 2023, it was announced that a new team named Rīgas Zeļļi will take part in Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, Latvian Basketball League and Latvian Basketball Cup. Its president is sports manager Edgars Buļs and former player Artūrs Šēnhofs is taking the role of a general manager. Previously, both worked together as hosts of a basketball show "Ūdenszeļļi" on television.
Club offers everyone to become its member by donating money, in return having a word in teams' decisions. It has also created a mobile app for a team to communicate with teams' management. It presents itself as the most innovative sports organizations in Latvia.[3]
On July 14, 2023, it was announced that the head coach of the team will be Juris Umbraško.[4]
On September 19, Andris Biedriņš, the first Latvian basketball player ever drafted in the NBA, joined the club as its ambassador.[5]
On September 30, 2023, Zeļļi played the first official game in a team's history beating Keila Coolbet in Arena Riga.[6]
The first foreign player signed by Zeļļi was Georgian forward George Natsvlishvili.[7] After the start of debut season Rīgas Zeļļi signed an American point guard Nigel Johnson.[8] Later he was replaced by Canadian shooting guard Isiah Osborne.[9]
On January 20, 2024, Rīgas Zeļļi announced that the team was joined by Aleksandrs Samoilovs, a two-time European silver medalist in Beach volleyball.[10] It was meant to be a marketing campaign and he actually played in only one game, scoring two points against KK Viimsi.[11]
On February 29, 2024, Rīgas Zeļļi signed a long-standing center of the Latvian national team Mārtiņš Meiers until the end of the season.[12] 10 days later team also signed Australian center Jordan Hunter.[13]
On August 2, 2025, Rīgas Zeļļi has officially announced its participation in the upcoming season of the European North Basketball League. Club president Edgars Buļs emphasized that European North Basketball League offers a guaranteed number of games, which is crucial for player development and fan engagement. The decision reflects the club’s long-term vision and ambition to grow on the European stage.[14] Starting with the 2025–26 season, Rīgas Zeļļi will play their home games at the newly built Komandu Sporta Spēļu Halle (Team Sports Games Hall) in Riga. The hall can accommodate up to 3,000 spectators. The club also announced that its budget could reach up to €1 million, the highest in its history.[15]
Season by season
| Season | League | Regional | Europe | Latvian Cup | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Latvian League Runner-up |
Latvian–Estonian League 6th Place |
did not participate | Latvian Cup Runner-up |
Juris Umbraško |
| 2024-25 | Latvian League Bronze |
Latvian–Estonian League Runner-up |
did not participate | Latvian Cup Semifinal |
Juris Umbraško |
Players
Current roster
| Rīgas Zeļļi roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: December 3, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Denis Krestinin | ||
| PF | Rodijs Mačoha | Jānis Bērziņš | |
| SF | Frankie Fidler | Dāvids Vīksne | |
| SG | Roberts Bērziņš | Rolands Šulcs | Uģis Pinete |
| PG | JP Pegues | Juris Vītols | Raivo Kudrjavcevs |
Squad changes for the 2025–26 season
InNote: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
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OutNote: Flags indicate national team, as has been defined under FIBA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIBA nationality.
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* Left/joined the team during the season
Historical rosters
| 2024–25 season roster | |||
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | #7 Krišs Helmanis | #24 Rolands Freimanis | |
| PF | #14 Zigmārs Raimo | #22 Francis Lācis | #12 Kristers Skrinda |
| SF | #32 Dāvids Vīksne | #15 Uģis Pinete C | #17 Dans Galdiņš |
| SG | #8 Roberts Bērziņš | #10 Rolands Šulcs | |
| PG | #3 Toms Skuja | #20 Robert Ford III | #1 Juris Vītols |
Coaches
- Juris Umbraško 2023–present
Honours
- Latvian League:
- Latvian Cup:
- Runners-up (1): 2024
- Latvian–Estonian League
- Runners-up (1): 2025
References
- ^ "Team profile". September 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Janičenoks: ja 'Rīgas Zeļļu' projekts būs sakārtots, tad jāļauj viņiem spēlēt LIBL". www.delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ "Par un ap komandas izveidi | "Rīgas Zeļļi" podkāsts EP. 1". 28 September 2023 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Debitanti "Rīgas Zeļļi" ar galveno treneri Umbraško paraksta trīs gadu līgumu". Sportacentrs.com. July 14, 2023.
- ^ Andris Biedriņš atgriežas basketbolā, kļūstot par "Rīgas Zeļļu" biedru un vēstnesi
- ^ "Results". www.estlatbl.com.
- ^ Official announcement on Rīgas Zeļļi Instagram account
- ^ 'Rīgas Zeļļi' pēc Skujas savainojuma piesaista amerikāni Džonsonu
- ^ "Rīgas Zeļļi" veic izmaiņas sastāvā – pievienojas Osborns, komandu atstāj Džonsons
- ^ "Zeļļi" nolūko papildinājumu: Samoilovs debitēs profesionālajā basketbolā
- ^ Box Score
- ^ Ilggadējais Latvijas izlases centrs pastiprina "Rīgas Zeļļu" groza apakšu
- ^ Kings centre Jordi Hunter has signed a short-term deal in Latvia
- ^ "«Rīgas zeļļi» izvēlas ENBL: ambīcijas un pragmatisms starptautiskajā basketbolā". lente.lv (in Latvian). August 2, 2025.
- ^ ""Rīgas Zeļļu" budžets jaunajā sezonā būs lielākais kluba pastāvēšanas vēsturē". delfi.lv (in Latvian). September 24, 2025.
External links
- Official website (in Latvian)