British basketball star Jamell Anderson has called for change both in society and with the promotion of the sport in the UK.
The 32-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant year, winning a phenomenal gold medal as part of the England 3x3 side at the Commonwealth Games, but his journey to success has been a tough one experiencing incidents of racism as a teenager. In a chat with Mirror Sport the Commonwealth champion opened up on a harrowing encounter he experienced when he was younger.
"I was going for a run, I think I was about 14 maybe, I was jogging through the estate to try and get my fitness up," the Cheshire Phoenix player explained during Black History Month. "Then somebody shouted the ‘n word’ out the window as they were driving by. At that age it was quite scary because you don’t know what to think. Is he going to turn around? Is this guy going to cause me any problems, do I have to watch my back for the rest of this run?
“But the older I got and the more I understood the world that we were living in, I was able to lean on my mum, my dad, friends and role within the sporting world which at that age were my coaches.”
Anderson enjoyed his childhood growing up on what he described as a multicultural estate of Clifton in Nottingham, but sadly he was still subjected to horrific abuse. This wasn’t his only experience of racial abuse, as it also occurred during a basketball game which affected not only his team, but the entire game.
"There were a few scenarios that happened,” he began. “There was one experience where we played in a game, and one of the players blurted out some sort of racial remark, everybody heard it. There was a big scuffle and, I don't know if the game finished, but I remember it bringing the whole team together.
"It taught everybody that this is something you're going to face maybe in life, but we can't react the way we did. We wanted to fight. But thankfully we all learnt a lot from it."
Despite not wanting to ever be in a scenario like that, Anderson was thankful that on this occasion, he was not alone.
“Thankfully it wasn’t a situation where I was running and I was on my own," he added. "I had the coaching staff to make sure it didn’t get out of control and I had the players to make me feel I was necessarily threatened by the situation.”
Anderson has certainly overcome those difficult situations and has since compiled an exceptionally successful career that spans over a decade. He has won every piece of silverware in the British Basketball League (BBL) – including three league Championships, the BBL Play-offs and BBL Cup on two occasions, one BBL Trophy and an appearance at EuroBasket amongst NBA stars for Great Britain last month. But this summer was arguably his finest moment as Anderson captured the first ever basketball 3x3 gold medal at the Commonwealth Games alongside teammates Kayne Henry, Myles Hesson and Orlan Jackman.
The team snatched a last-gasp 17-16 overtime victory in the gold medal match to make history and Anderson recalled the incredible experience.
"It was a crazy experience. Somebody had a video of me reacting to the girls when they had just made the final,” he said with pride. They were all coming out of the arena and I gave them a big hug, I was super excited for them.
"That's because, before the Commonwealth Games, we travelled to two countries and played in some tournaments, both in the men's and women's teams. It felt like we were on a mini tour together. We were going in there with one goal in mind, which was the gold medal and thankfully we came out with that. It was a really awesome experience, not just the Commonwealth Games but the preparation phase.
"I enjoyed every second of it and to win gold for England like that, in England, is one of the best experiences I've ever had."
While he was extremely happy with his incredible achievement, Anderson claimed it received a lack of coverage, which left him disappointed.
"I’m a little surprised at how little press that has got. I do think shining a light on those moments would be amazing for the black community,” he said.
“I couldn’t think of a reason why the first gold in basketball wouldn't just be posted everywhere. Forget that fact that we’re all black, that is amazing, especially in the sporting world. I think there is room for improvement in situations like that.”
According to Sport England, Basketball is the second most popular team sport after football for children in Year 1-11 in school, according to a survey completed in 2019-20. Anderson also shared his thoughts on how the sport of basketball can continue to increase its popularity in the UK.
"Basketball is the second most played team sport in England after football," he said. "When you talk about people playing the sport, we're right up there. The issue comes back to what we are talking about now. When a team wins in the BBL, is it getting enough press?
"Are we doing enough to promote the players in this league? We got players who play in the NBA, we got players that played at a high level in Europe. We have players like myself in the Great Britain and England team playing here in the UK. Are we doing enough to promote that?
"Are we doing enough to show the next generation that this is all here, and that you can play at a high level and make a career from it? I don't personally don't think so. The ability to watch the games and the ability to get involved and come and watch the games live, is so much easier now than it ever has been.
"I just feel like now it takes more time and investment and I don't just mean money. For example newspapers having a space in the paper where they show the results every week. Those sorts of things will help the league get to a place where everyone understands and knows about it."
You can find out more about the British Basketball League and buy tickets for upcoming matches via https://www.bbl.org.uk/
