Jamell Anderson ready to rep Nottingham as BBL All-Star

IMAGE CREDIT: MANSOOR AHMED / AHMEDPHOTOS

Jamell Anderson grew up in the city of Nottingham with few examples of basketball stardom to follow, and now as one of only two homegrown talents selected to the men’s British Basketball League All-Star game this Sunday, he’s proved figuratively and literally it is possible.

“It’s a great step forward for the league to have homegrown talent playing at this level, it shows that we can do that,” Jamell, who was set to join Gabe Olaseni as the other home grown player in the game until he withdrew, told Hoopsfix.

“And I’m pretty sure that I won’t be the last [British All-Star]. I’m sure there’s a lot more players to come through and I’m just happy to fly that flag.

“Representing my home city of Nottingham is cool,” he added. “I don’t know if there ever has been a Nottingham kid that’s been an All-Star in the professional league in this country.

“I’ve played in this league for 14 years now so to get that recognition feels amazing. I know when I first started playing basketball if you told me I was going to be an All-Star in the professional league here I wouldn’t have believed you, so I’m thankful.”

The 6’8″ forward will share the moment with his wife Georgia, the WBBL all-time assists leader and current point guard of the Manchester Giants, who will captain the All-Star women’s North team.

“Georgia is a way better basketball player than I am, so I’m thankful to be in the same mention as her,” he exclaimed.

“We’re doing all this for our daughter now, so for her to grow up and see this one day will be a huge memory for all of us.”

Men’s North team head coach Gareth Murray highlighted Anderson’s defensive capabilities and effective three-point shooting upon his selection.

Despite the Giants having the second worst record in the league, the forward has had a career best scoring year so far, posting 15 points per game.

https://twitter.com/britishbasketm/status/1763306960605098341

Talking about this season’s challenges, Jamell said:

“I play basketball because I love it and I play basketball because it puts food on the table. I’m thankful to be able to do both of these things and to the Manchester Giants organisation for giving me that opportunity.

“I wake up every day and I give everything I’ve got to try and win games so whether we win or lose, I hold my head high and I will keep doing that for the rest of my career.”

And as Jamell turns 34 in July, he is beginning to think about the transition after his playing days, working a role with the national governing body, Basketball England, while hosting a podcast.

‘In the Gap’ is a show hosted by Jamell, fellow British Basketball League star Patrick Whelan and former BBL MVP Geno Crandall.

After gaining the All-Star bragging rights over his co-host Patrick, Jamell said: “I hadn’t thought of that, maybe on the next pod I’ll bring that one up seen as though it was his head coach who picked me. I’ll be like ‘Patrick maybe I’m coming for your job next year!’”

And while the two-time BBL champion continues to navigate his on and off court career, he believes the league and All-Star game is only going in one direction.

“The league is on an upwards trajectory so something like this is just a showcase of that,” he concluded.

“There’s a lot more interest, there’s a lot more investment and we’re getting played on a lot more channels around the world not just in the UK, so it’s just another positive opportunity to showcase the British talent and the British league.”

Limited tickets for this Sunday’s All-Star Game are still available here.

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