Queens Pride
| Queens Pride | |||
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| Conference | Eastern | ||
| Division | Northern | ||
| Founded | 1979 | ||
| History | Newark Pride (1979-2015) Queens Pride (2015-present) | ||
| Arena | Rucker Stadium (formerly "The Asphalt Savannah") | ||
| City | Queens, NY | ||
| Team colors | Royal Purple, Gold and Black
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| Owner(s) | Kit Inari (male fennec fox) | ||
| RL Primary Contact | Troy_Ryder | ||
| General manager | Christopher Dunphy | ||
| Head coach | Rocky Couture | ||
| Assistant coach | Philip Clay Tacuri (male panther) | ||
| Lead trainer | Thomas Shea (male tigon) | ||
| Championships | 2 (2001, 2007) | ||
| Conference titles | 2+ | ||
| Division titles | 2+ (2013, 2017) | ||
| Retired numbers | 28 (Valencia Zeraus) 57 (Ferdinand Bengtzing) | ||
The Queens Pride are a professional basketball team based in Queens, New York. They play in the Northern Division of the Eastern Conference in the Furry Basketball Association (FBA) along with the Albany Alphas, Bangor Tides, and the Plymouth Taproots.
Franchise History
History of the Pride (1979-2000)
The Pride was founded in 1979 in Newark, New Jersey by Eatian Kilson. The Pride's goal at the of their join was to have a strong Northeastern team to that will be able to put New Jersey in a good light and build a strong basketball community as they join along with the Hamilton Mariners. During his time the Pride has made a strong presence in the FBA by always appearing in the post season of the league. As the league grew so did his ambitions to gain a championship trophy for the Pride. Unfortunately his ambitions were cut off as his team would never able to reach the conference finals. In 1996 in a bold move to increase their presence by adding a "Savannah" based theme. Working with marketing and public relations "Newark Stadium" was nicknamed "The Asphalt Savannah" praising it bold uniqueness. He also drafted one of the most prominent members to his team Guadalupe Figueroa, a Mexican red fur, with a strong inside game. Along with a lynx named Lynn Pradens who was drafted in 1999, the two became the strength and backbone of the team. In the 2000-2001 season the Pride carved their way into basketball history as with their team who only been only present in the post season before has overcome their shortcoming and not only won the division championship but won the eastern Conference finals and made it to the FBA final against the Montana Howlers. For the first time over their introduction in the FBA in 1979, after 21 years of work, The Pride came home with a trophy. Kilson ambition was met, his goal reached, he didn't want to stop and set to work again to go for a three-peat to secure the Pride place in history.
The Lioness and the Curse (2003-2013)
The two year between The Newark Pride trophy wins wasn't so kind to them. First being at the beginning of the season, Lynn Praden was injured and was bench for half the season. Because of this bad turnabout of event, the Pride ended showing their true colors, with their reliance on Lynn and Figueroa was so prominent that the team fail to make it past the first round of the post season. Kilson though disappointed didn't' give up on his ambition. Sadly the next year, Guadalupe Figueroa didn't sign back up with the Newark Pride despite their best efforts as she found a better offer at Montana. This left a large hole in the team and begin to start rumors that something was wrong with the team. Kilson saw that the team can't be saved by him anymore and with his current empire crumbling before him he did the best thing for himself and announce his retirement from the FBA. When he put up the team for sale a young and aspiring rat came to him willing to try her luck in this new business. Felicia May Denton sign the paper as Kilson handed over the right of the Newark Pride to her. There was a lot of mistrust circling around Denton when she acquired the team, mainly because she was a rat. The people of Newark didn't generally like her, and the players weren't sure that the plan for them or the team since she was young and inexperienced. The first thing to happen was the reorganization of management as she let go the general manager and the trainer and the marketing team. She wanted to started fresh and hire all new staff but kept the coach Raymond Leddy.
Rebuilding Again (2013-2022)
The Broken Crown Era - 2013-2017
The years following Denton’s takeover were supposed to be a rebirth. Instead, they became a slow and painful struggle between ambition, public distrust, and a team that could not decide what it wanted to be. Despite that, 2013-2014 surprised everyone. Under newly assembled leadership, the Newark Pride clawed their way to a 37-43 record, just barely enough to secure the division title. Newark celebrated, but the celebration was hollow. The team was bounced early from the postseason, and critics quickly called it a “paper crown.” The Pride had technically won, but no one believed they were strong.
By 2013, the true face of the Pride was not Felicia Denton, it was Valencia “The Queen” Zeraus.
Drafted in 2008 and a New Jersey native, the lioness had become the starting point guard and team captain, holding the franchise together through management chaos and fan unrest. Her elite play peaked during this era, earning multiple All-Star selections, the 2014 assist title, and league-leading steals earlier in the decade. Zeraus was the heart behind the 2013 Newark division title and later carried the team through its relocation to Queens in 2016, helping lead the 2017 division-winning Queens Pride in what became her final season. When she retired after 2016-17, the Pride lost more than a player, they lost their identity. Her #28 would later be retired, marking the end of the pride's last true Queen.
The following year proved them right.
2014-2015 (32-48) saw the roster unravel. Denton’s aggressive front-office purge had left the team with no continuity. Fans still didn’t trust her, and attendance at Newark Stadium dropped. Even with Nightfire Kitsura as general manager and Dunphy coaching, the Pride looked directionless, talented but disorganized, like a lion that had forgotten how to hunt. The 2015-2016 season (37-27) was a brief illusion of recovery.
For the first time since the championship years, the Pride played disciplined, physical basketball. Dunphy and Kitsura finally had the roster they wanted: tough, fast, and defensive-minded. But once again, the postseason ended early. Newark had grown tired of almosts.
Felicia Denton realized something crucial: The Pride’s curse wasn’t just on the court. It was in Newark.
The Exodus - 2016
In the summer of 2016, Denton made the most controversial move in team history. She relocated the Pride from Newark to Queens, New York. The Newark Pride became the Queens Pride, abandoning “The Asphalt Savannah” and rebranding Rucker Stadium into a new home of royalty. Their colors shifted from sand yellow to royal purple, symbolizing a team that no longer wanted to survive, it wanted to rule. Newark fans felt betrayed. Many never forgave Denton. But in Queens, something changed.
The 2016-2017 Queens Pride exploded to a 49-31 record, claiming another division title. For the first time in over a decade, the Pride looked powerful again. Rucker Stadium became loud, dangerous, and proud. Queens embraced the team that Newark had rejected. They still fell short in the postseason, the curse lingered, but the Pride were no longer invisible. They were feared again.
After the Crown: The Collapse
What followed was the cruel twist of history.
2017-2018: 34-46
2018-2019: 24-56
2019-2020: 32-48
2020-2021: 21-59
2021-2022: 20-60
The relocation had brought short-term fire, but it burned too fast. Aging contracts, failed drafts, and mounting pressure crushed the team. Dunphy’s system stopped working. Queens fans, once passionate, turned restless. Felicia Denton’s empire was once again crumbling, just like Kilson’s before her. The Pride had not just lost games.
They had lost their identity.
The Fox Takes the Throne (2022-present)
In 2022, the final collapse came. Felicia May Denton sold the Queens Pride. The new owner was Kit Inari, a calculating, brilliant fennec fox. One of his first moves was ruthless and symbolic. He removed Dunphy as head coach and made him general manager instead, putting Rocky Couture, a fiery caracal, in charge of the team. The Pride were no longer ruled by rats or lions. They were now ruled by a fox. And everyone in the FBA knew. When a fox takes over a wounded pride, it’s never just to save it. It’s to rebuild it.
Season by Season Records
- 2013-2014 - 37-43
- 2014-2015 - 32-48
- 2015-2016 - 37-27
- 2016-2017 - 49-31
- 2017-2018 - 34-46
- 2018-2019 - 24-56
- 2019-2020 - 32-48
- 2020-2021 - 21-59
- 2021-2022 - 20-60
- 2022-2023 - 25-55
- 2023-2024 - 30-50
- 2024-2025 - 31-49
Players
Current Roster
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| Reserves | Deep Reserves | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2025-2026 Budget for | Total Cap |
Contracts Paid |
Buyouts | Available |
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| Queens Pride | 71.0 | 58.5 | 0 |
12.5 |
Queens Pride Team Contracts
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Team Images
