The Den Helder Suns are a professional basketball club based in Den Helder, Netherlands. The club was founded in 2016 and currently plays in the BNXT League. The team has played at the highest domestic level since years. The Suns play their home games in the Sporthal Sportlaan, which has a capacity of 1,000 people.
After the bankruptcy of the Netherlands' professional BV Den Helder team during the 2013âÂÂ14 season, a professional basketball representative team from Den Helder was missing for three seasons. In 2016, the Suns organisation was founded with the goal of making a return to the Dutch Basketball League (DBL). On June 30, 2017, Den Helder Suns announced it would return to the highest level in the 2017âÂÂ18 season. On July 14, 2017, the Suns announced "Peter van Noord head coach Den Helder Suns."
In its first DBL season, Suns finished in the eight place of the regular season, above last-placed BAL. Captain Tjoe de Paula, who played for different clubs from Den Helder before, got his number retired on 19 April 2018.
Since the 2021âÂÂ22 season, the Suns play in the BNXT League, in which the national leagues of Belgium and the Netherlands have been merged.
For the 2025-26 season, the clubs application for a license in the BNXT League was initially rejected due to uncertainties to meet their financial obligations throughout the season. The club reapplied for a license and was received one a month after the initial rejection. The economic uncertainties for the club however persisted, leading the club to decide not to reapply for a license for the 2026-27 season. The club expected they were going to be unable to meet the requirement of a proper basketball floor and maintaining a salary for a general manager. They hope to participate in a new league of the NBB which would be ranked between the BNXT League and the Promotiedivisie.
On 19 April 2018, Suns retired its first number as Tjoe de Paula was honored, who played for BV Den Helder during the periods 2001âÂÂ2003, 2004âÂÂ2006, 2008âÂÂ2009 and 2017âÂÂ18.
BNXT League Dutch Rising Star of the Year
The following players were the leading scorers for Den Helder in each DBL season: