Royal College was the first school in Sri Lanka to introduce basketball as a sport for students. Reports say that the College initiated the sport in 1958. Royal College has produced countless National players within the said period providing testament to the quality of basketball at the College.
The first annual Royal-Thomian Basketball encounter played for the D. S. Senanayake Challenge trophy was introduced in 2003. The first Royal-Gateway Basketball encounter played for the Alles-Gunasekara Cup was introduced in 2018.