There is no secret that basketball is a popular sport worldwide, with names like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Lebron James carrying it to new heights in the NBA.
But is it just a matter of time before basketball’s popularity spreads from America to Britain?
Jimmy Bower is a prominent figure in basketball around the Gloucestershire area as the head coach of Gloucester City Kings. Bower believes that there is a hunger for the sport in the U.K. and it is ready to make it’s impact in the country.
“It’s there,” the coach said.
“I work with schools in the local era and with youth programs and I coach our Under 10s as well, there are so many kids that want to play the game. It’s such an inclusive game, it’s a really truly multicultural worldwide sport. It’s ready, but England has some work to do.”
Bower’s statement is backed up by Sport England’s Active Lives Survey from 2023, which shows that over 1 million children and young people are playing basketball on a weekly basis. Perhaps the most telling stat, is the fact this is the highest it has been in over five years.
While the sport is growing in Great Britain. There aren’t too many British players in the NBA that young players in the U.K. can look up to, with just nine British players to have ever played in the league.
The Kings’ head coach wants to make sure he is a part of this rise, but mentions he has his own aspirations for himself in basketball, and that is to help give young players a better pathway into the sport.
“I grew up in this area, and for me it is about delivering something to our younger players that I never had, to give them a real pathway to go on and do great things in this sport.” Bower said.
Although basketball in Britain still has a long way to go despite it’s recent rise in the country, aspiring players in Gloucestershire have plenty of role models to look towards for inspiration, including the Gloucester City Kings.
Bower’s first season as head coach of the NBL Division 3 team finished with a 6th place finish, and when talking about what is something he learnt from this season that he can take into the next, Bower stated he is going to stick with the players that have the ambition to play for Gloucester.
“Go with those guys who are all in.” The Kings’ coach explained.
“Those guys that are committed, those are the ones you’ve got to put your time into.”
