The Winnipeg Sea Bears captured the 2026 Canadian Elite Basketball League Championship following a 98-84 victory over the Brampton Honey Badgers on Saturday, August 15.
In front of 12,519 fans at Canada Life Centre - a new all-time CEBL attendance record - Winnipeg secured the first championship in franchise history and completed a memorable playoff run in front of its home supporters.
Brampton opened the game with a 7-0 lead before Xavier Moon scored Winnipeg's first basket nearly seven minutes into the opening quarter. From there, the Sea Bears steadily took control, outscoring Brampton 26-18 in the second quarter and 27-18 in the third to build a lead they would not surrender.
Moon finished with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting, along with seven rebounds and six assists in nearly 39 minutes. He was named CEBL Finals MVP, earning the third championship of his CEBL career.
"I'll put this at number one," Moon said. "Coming to a new organization that hadn't won a playoff game - this one is much, much sweeter than the first two. Best fans in the league, hands down. Without these fans, I don't know what the outcome would have been."
Winnipeg's Simon Hildebrandt added 24 points and six rebounds, while also delivering the championship-clinching basket during Target Score time. The moment carried special significance for the Winnipeg-born player and the Sea Bears organization.
On May 27, 2023, the late Chad Posthumus - a Sea Bear and Winnipegger who remained an important part of the organization - scored the first Target Score winner in franchise history. On Saturday, another Winnipeg player delivered the final basket of the championship season.
"Chad, even though he's not with us today, he still means so much to this organization, so much to the city," Hildebrandt said. "I remember when he hit that first target score winner and how special that moment was for everybody. So to be compared to that, to hit the last one today - it's special."
Sea Bears Head Coach Mike Raimbault also reflected on the connection following the game.
"I was talking to Chad's folks right before I left the floor. His dad got to go up the ladder and cut down a piece of the net. If Chad was watching and could handpick who was going to hit that shot, I think it would be Simon."
Before the game, Moon had encouraged Hildebrandt to embrace the opportunity to compete for a championship in his hometown.
Jelani Watson-Gayle provided a major lift off the bench, scoring 17 points in the first half to tie the CEBL record for most points in the first half of a championship game. He finished with five three-pointers, tying the league's Finals record for three-pointers made in a championship game.
Isiah Osborne and DJ Burns combined for 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, contributing at both ends of the floor throughout the championship victory.
"The entire organization deserves this," Raimbault said after the final horn. "Last night, the entire front office was putting towels on chairs together. It really permeates from the top down - from David Asper all the way through to every person behind the scenes who maybe doesn't get the accolades, but makes all of this possible."
Sea Bears Owner and Chair David Asper, who has described the franchise through the words Prairie Dirt, Canadian Shield and Wheatfield Soul, reflected on what the championship represented for Winnipeg.
"We are Winnipeg," Asper said. "The rest of the country, the rest of the world through social media, saw who and what we are. I'm immensely proud of that. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever you do - you belong here."
The championship capped a resilient playoff run for the Sea Bears, who entered the post-season after losing three starters in the week before the playoffs. Winnipeg defeated Saskatchewan at home, won on the road in Vancouver and then returned to Canada Life Centre to claim the league title before the largest crowd in CEBL history.
