By Andrew Gamble
The British Basketball League (BBL) celebrated the return of the All-Star Game to its calendar - but CEO Aaron Radin warned that, without funding, this country’s LeBron James would likely turn to equestrian.
On Sunday, the very best talent on offer in the British Basketball League flocked to London’s Copper Box for the first men’s All-Star Game in 11 years, as well as the inaugural women’s All-Star Game. It was a roaring success, with fans treated to stunning plays in each game as well as the captivating Slam Dunk and Three-Point contests.
While undoubtedly pleased with how the event shaped up, Radin was already turning to the future. He understands that for basketball to truly flourish on these shores, the talent must be steadily developed and cultivated with effective resources.
READ MORE: All-Star captain Teddy Allen is British Basketball League's very own Paul Pierce
“It was all alien to me when I arrived and started to learn about how government funding works - or doesn’t work,” British Basketball League CEO Aaron Radin told reporters at the All-Star Game. “I went to some governing body meeting with a bunch of acronyms, and before the meeting I got the digest version of how government funding works in the UK. It’s really focused on how to get medals in the Olympics so it’s individual sports - rowing, fencing, equestrian, which gets five times the amount of funding that basketball does.
“I walked in the room, a naive guy who basically just arrived from Mars, and said, ‘You guys could have the next LeBron James in this country right now, like a 10-year-old living with a single mother, and based on the way you guys fund sports, he’s going to ride a horse’. That sucks, for basketball here but it also sucks for the horse.”
While there may not be a LeBron James in the British Basketball League, there is a Paul Pierce if you ask Teddy Allen. Despite joining in December, the Leicester Riders star has already established himself as one of the league’s offensive superpowers and it didn’t take long for there former CEBL MVP to leave his mark on the men’s All-Star Game.
Allen poured in 31 points to claim the All-Star Game MVP award as he captained his South team to a dominant victory littered with flashy dunks and half-court shots. But the preceding women’s All-Star Game tipped off the festivities and provided a breath of fresh air away from the NBA's own superstar showcase as each team fiercely battled for bragging rights - perhaps more than the silverware on offer.
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The South ran away in the fourth quarter, leaning on the likes of Katherine Tudor (17 points), Savannah Wilkinson (19) and captain Temi Fagbenle (20) to grind out the victory. Fagbenle claimed MVP honours at the Copper Box and her Lions teammate Shanice Beckford-Norton heaped praise on the staging of the inaugural women’s All-Star Game.
“Coach told us in the changing room that we’re the best players in the league and playing in the All-Star Game for a reason, so just go an enjoy it,” Beckford-Norton exclusively told Mirror Sport. “We fight against each other during the season but now it’s time to enjoy each other.
“[The All-Star Game] is something to look forward to. It breaks up the competitiveness for everyone to enjoy this - it’s a great atmosphere. The league did a good job to keep the competitiveness while making sure it was a fun and entertaining event for fans, and players were able to play as themselves without any structure.”
Sunday’s British Basketball League All-Star showcase mimicked the fun and entertaining sideshow skills challenges seen over the NBA’s annual All-Star Weekend. The exhilarating Slam Dunk Contest - won by Josh Sharma - saw players throw down tremendous efforts before a celebrity panel of judges, including the Royal Guard. And while the NBA had ‘Steph versus Sabrina’ in the three-point contest, the British Basketball League pitted Matt Morgan (London Lions), Megan Gustafson (London Lions), Aaryn Rai (Cheshire Phoenix) and Georgia Gayle (B. Braun Sheffield Hatters). Morgan emulated his idol Steph Curry to come out on top as the captivated crowd went wild.
“It’s all about putting on a show for the fans to be honest, and they seemed really engaged and super loud throughout,” Morgan, who scored 17 points in the All-Star Game, told Mirror Sport. “I had a great time - obviously winning the three-point contest helps, but the South swept for the day.”
For Radin, the long-term future of the British Basketball League resonates less with All-Star showcases, despite the success of the 2024 instalment, and more with player retainment. He hopes for longer-term deals for be league’s best players, as well as the emergence of a local star.
“The best thing that could ever happen to this league is to have a top British player rise up through this league and play here, or come back here,” Radin continued. “Sports is about hope and memory. Hope is about creating the hope for what Team GB can be - whether they make it or not is relevant but its not fully relevant; it’s about having that arc of the story along the way, and so there’s a lot of foundational elements that really aren’t in place yet to enable that.”
