Named after the donkeys done up to look like zebras on Avenida Revolucion—timeless local icons since the days of Prohibition—the Tijuana Zonkeys are the border city’s stake in the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico, billed as the “most important basketball league in northwest Mexico.” Games happen March through July in Tijuana’s municipal auditorium on Boulevard Diaz Ordaz, also the site of lucha libre matches and the occasional concert. Per the league’s rules, quarters run for only 10 minutes, making for a more intense dynamic. Each team includes four international players, many of whom have played professionally in Europe and Japan, and at least four locals, one of whom must be under the age of 21.
The Zonkeys came to be after their predecessors, the Galgos, underwent an image overhaul and changed their name to the Cosmos in 2005, followed by the Dragones, an ABA team that folded in 2008. Now entering their sixth season, last year brought their first championship win, against Culiacan’s Caballeros.
Tijuana Zonkeys Play Hoops
