The Winnipeg Thunder was a professional basketball franchise based in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, from 1992 to 1994. The Thunder played its inaugural season in the World Basketball League

World Basketball League

World Basketball League was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1988 season. One of the major differences between it and other leagues was that it...

, which folded before the schedule ended. The club then joined the nascent National Basketball League

National Basketball League (Canada)

The National Basketball League that was based in Canada lasted only one and a half seasons in 1993 and 1994. It rose from the ashes of the World Basketball League which folded after the 1992 season, which had teams in various Canadian and American cities. The NBL's first game was played on May 1,...

, where it played for the 1993 and 1994 seasons.

The Thunder enjoyed considerable public and corporate support at the outset, which later dwindled due in part to league instability and increased competition in the local minor-league sports market, following the establishment of the Winnipeg Goldeyes

Winnipeg Goldeyes

The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 1994 to 2010, the team was a member of the Northern League.The...

 baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 club. The club's financial backers included Sam Katz

Sam Katz

Samuel Michael Katz, OM is the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is also a businessperson and a member of the Order of Manitoba.- Life before mayorship :...

 and John Loewen

John Loewen

John Loewen is a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1999 to 2005 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons in 2006 and 2008 as a Liberal...

.

The Thunder played its home games at the Winnipeg Arena

Winnipeg Arena

Winnipeg Arena was an indoor arena located at 1430 Maroons Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, across the street from Canad Inns Stadium and just north of Polo Park.Built in 1955, it was owned by community-owned Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation...

.