Chris Grant resigns as Chair of the British Basketball Federation

By Sam Neter on October 12, 2025

Multiple sources have told Hoopsfix that Chris Grant has resigned as Chair of the British Basketball Federation (BBF), less than a month after world governing body FIBA announced the formation of a Taskforce for British Basketball Club Matters to oversee governance of the professional game.

Grant’s departure this week brings an end to his three-year tenure leading the federation during one of the most turbulent periods in the modern era of British basketball.

The ex-Chair took to LinkedIn on Thursday night, posting a Niccolo Machiavelli quote:

“For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.”

His resignation comes amid FIBA’s ongoing intervention and the BBF’s continuing High Court battle with Super League Basketball (SLB) over the legality of the federation’s 15-year exclusive licence with GBB League Ltd (GBBL) – a deal the BBF describes as ‘the greatest ever direct investment of funds into the professional league,’ with Grant saying it “heralds the biggest ever level of financial investment into the league”.

In a letter sent on 28 August 2025, FIBA told the BBF that it was “not in a position to ensure full compliance” with its statutes in relation to domestic leagues, prompting the creation of a dedicated Taskforce to “regularise” the situation.

The timing of Grant’s departure – almost exactly a month after the Taskforce was announced – raises further questions about the federation’s leadership, the stability of its board, and the direction of the organisation as it faces unprecedented scrutiny from FIBA, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the courts.

It remains to be seen what next steps follow, with no public announcements yet from FIBA regarding the findings or recommendations of its Taskforce.

Update (18:00 Sunday 12 October)
The BBF confirmed Grant’s resignation in a statement issued shortly after Hoopsfix’s initial report.

Citing personal reasons, the federation praised Grant for leading the organisation “through a significant period of growth, collaboration, and reform” and said he had “laid the foundations for continued success for British basketball on and off the court.”

Serving board member Grace Jacca has been appointed Interim Chair, with Sadie Mason acting as the accountable officer for ongoing UK Sport performance work.

The BBF’s full statement included a quote from Grant, saying:

“It has been a privilege to serve as Chair of the British Basketball Federation and I am proud of the progress we have made over the last three years… This was not an easy decision, but now the foundations are in place it’s the right time for me to step aside and make room for new leadership to complete the transformation of British basketball into the vibrant, professionally-run mass-market powerhouse that it deserves to be.”

It added that the BBF Board will begin the process of appointing a new Chair in due course

Do you like our work?

We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.

We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.

We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.

If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.

We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.

Support Hoopsfix