The long-awaited return of the British Basketball League’s legendary All-Star Game is over as the event’s 10-year absence ends this Sunday in London and we had the pleasure of chatting to Jamell Anderson, the only Manchester Giants player picked for the roster, ahead of the big day.
A 33-year-old small forward, Anderson has won everything you could hope to during his time in the BBL, lifting two Championships, two BBL Cups and one cup Trophy during his five-year spell with the Leicester Riders, and is now making more history as one of just three Giants in the 2024 All-Star fixture.
Having first moved to Manchester in 2021 and then spending a season at nearby Cheshire Phoenix before returning last year, Jamell remains one of the most exciting and experienced players in the division but was still nonetheless humbled to be picked for All-Star men’s North team.
Also making wholesome headlines as the first husband-wife duo to play in the event and representing the same team, no less, we spoke about everything from Georgia and the honour of being selected for the game, to the home crowds at the National Basketball Performance Centre at Belle Vue and more.
— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) March 13, 2024
Jamell Anderson is the only male Manchester Giants player for the first All-Star Game in a decade.
So for those who might not know too much about the event, can you give them a taster of what to expect from the BBL All-Star Game?
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“Yeah, I mean, from my standpoint it’s just exciting to be part of such a big event. Like you said, it’s not been happening for the last 10 years, so there’s a lot of excitement around, first of all being a part of it, but also the fans being able to come and see some of their favourite players playing.
“There’s also the dunk contest, lots of entertainment and yeah, it’s going to be great.”
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Good stuff. And, obviously, you’re the only male Manchester Giants player picked for the All-Star North team — how much of an honour is it to be representing Great Manchester on that stage?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m representing the Giants, I’m representing my hometown of Nottingham, representing my family; I’ve got a lot of flags for that game and I’m pretty excited to be there, especially with my wife and daughter.
Absolutely. You’re not the only Giants player across both events or even the only Anderson for that matter. How special is it going to be for your partner to both be playing?
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“Yeah, Georgia [Anderson] is the captain of the women’s team so that’s quite special. I mean, we’ve talked about it quite a lot actually and we’re just kind of like in shock.
“We feel really, really honoured to both have been selected and it’s a unique situation to say the least.”
Definitely, what a moment to soak in. Now what about more of a background about the rest of the team and the season for those who might not be aware of the Manchester Giants?
“Everyone on my team is really exciting. We’ve got guys that can dribble amazingly with their eyes closed and pull off every move you think of; we’ve got really good shooters and guys that can literally rip the rim off. Literally.
“One of our players ripped the rim off the basket right in the middle of practice this year, so we had to stop training and wait to get a new one, I’m not exaggerating. That’s the men’s team for you.
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“But yeah we’ve got a real range of talents and players and at loads of different heights as well. Small, tall, young, experienced — I think if you come to a Giants game, you’re going to tick every single box of everything that you would want from a basketball game.”
How would you describe the atmosphere at your home games over at Belle Vue?
“It’s fast-paced, it’s family-friendly, it’s loud, intense and I think that being indoors in Manchester”, he laughs, “and being able to watch something as entertaining as that is a win-win”.
Now, we’ve obviously bigged up Manchester Giants plenty here but one what about the All-Star event itself, are there any talents or opponents you’re excited to be coming up against?
“Nah, I don’t want to give any players any kudos. These are all people that I’m playing against but I would say I’m pretty excited to take the floor with all of them.
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“To be honest, it’s not very often you get the best players all in one place at one time and I’m just hopeful that everyone stays healthy. Also, it’s a really competitive game.”
Have you ever been involved in any kind of All-Star/mixed game like this before?
Funnily enough, me and Georgia actually played on a charity game once where we were both on the same team and she threw me an alley-oop pass and I missed it, so yeah, I was doing in the bad books for a bit after that one, but nothing like this before so I’m pretty excited about it.
Yeah, I’m sure you were doing the dishes for a while. Well, it might be down in London but for those back home who might want to check it out, where can they watch it?
So I would start by going to the British Basketball League website. Obviously, for anyone who was able to get tickets and make the trip, brilliant, but you’ll find every streaming platform and every television channel that it’ll be broadcasted on there so you can find out what time and where.
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Mega. And lastly, just out of curiosity, who’s your favourite basketball player of all time?
The return of the British Basketball League’s All-Star Game at the Copperbox Arena will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and their YouTube channel. Fans can tune in from 12:15pm on Sunday, 17 March HERE.
The Women’s All-Star Game, where Georgia Anderson will be leading the Northern team out onto the court starts at 12:30pm and will feature a halftime mascot and kids’ skills contest.
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This will then be followed by the Slam Dunk and three-point contests from 2:30pm before the men’s event tips off at 3:30pm and, as Jamell mentioned, you can find out all other information on the BBL website.
We wish the Andersons and their teammates all the best for the action tomorrow and what better way to celebrate the event’s return than by winning it for the North?
Featured Images — British Basketball League/Manchester Giants (supplied)
Sport
A local Manc content creator is looking to set a world record by running around Old Trafford
Danny Jones
A local content creator, who specialises in running/hiking content (and sandwiches), is looking to raise money and potentially set a world record by jogging around Old Trafford.
Oh, and by jogging, we mean running – for a really, REALLY long time…
If you’ve never come across his channel before, let us introduce you to local influencer and videographer Sam Matthew, a.k.a. ‘Peaks and Pubs‘.
Boasting plenty of fans on both Instagram and TikTok within the world of trail running, the outdoors community and beyond, he’s set to toastreaching a very specific achievement by “turning a milestone into a mission” and doing laps around Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United Football Club.
As explained in the video, he’s now surpassed 74,310 followers, i.e. the same capacity of supporters you can fit inside the Theatre of Dreams itself.
We know, it’s distance running and feats of endurance aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they are a great way of raising money and awareness, not to mention possibly getting yourself in the official Guinness Book of World Records.
Explaining the challenge in the caption of the video, Sam writes: “There’s now enough of you lot following this daft account of mine on here to fill a stadium I’ve adored since I was a little boy. And that genuinely means so much to me.
“So why not celebrate the occasion by punishing my legs and raising money for good causes along the way? Donations are, of course, the aim, but I understand that not everybody is in the position to do that, so any engagement on this post is hugely appreciated.
“I mean it from the bottom of my heart that you lot genuinely make this all happen for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I get to do silly stuff like this on a random Wednesday [29 October]. Giving off pure ‘your unemployed friend on a Wednesday’ vibes, but I love it!”
Raising money for the club’s in-house Manchester United Foundation, which has already shown its support for the upcoming ultra-marathon distance event, they are also looking to generate crucial funds with the return of another annual charity event too.
The Foundation does some incredible work all year-round, if you’d rather swap running around Old Trafford for sleeping.
Once again, Sam will be kicking off the serious step-count from approximately 9am this Wednesday (28 Oct), he’s estimating it’ll take him around a whopping nine and a half hours, “with plenty of breaks for food and fluids”, thank god.
As the man behind most of the Bada Bing videos, we expect plenty of butties to fuel the running.
Furthermore, although he’s set to take on the distance solo for the morning, he’s invited as many people who fancy getting involved to come and join him for a lap or two from 12 noon onwards; hopefully, he’ll see the Guinness people popping along to see if he registers a world record while he’s at it, too.
We hope there are a few pints at the pub waiting for you at the end, as always, Sam.
Featured Images — Peaks and Pubs (supplied)/The Manc Group
Sport
Less than a month to go until a blockbuster Manchester derby in the WSL at the Etihad Stadium
Danny Jones
We’re just one month out until one of the best games on the football calendar: the Manchester derby in a Barclays Women’s Super League campaign that is shaping up to be one of the most tightly contested in some time, with multiple Lionesses and international stars on show.
Manchester City and Man United are both duking it out at the top of the table already, with the high-flying East Manchester club and last season’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup finalists both boasting plenty of reason to go into the game confident.
With Man City boasting not just the home advantage but the bonus of playing in front of a crowd at the Etihad Stadium, many are already expecting a blue moon to rise once again.
This season may have only just begun, but Man City Women have already shown plenty of promise and signs of early form. Barring an opening day blip against the champions, Andrée Jeglertz’s side have looked pretty prolific; Man United are right up there with them, meaning we’re bound for a good clash.
Netting well over a dozen goals – the most of any team in the league – theCityzens will understandably feel on the offensive when they host the visitors on Saturday, 15 November.
The Etihad recently hosted the Lionesses themselves in a close-fought fixture against Brazil this past October, with City legend Georgia Stanway herself getting on the scoresheet.
Man United are right up there with them, though, meaning we’ve got a derby day that shouldn’t disappoint. Let’s be honest, it rarely does.
Don’t you just love it when two rivals go into a clash in strong spirits?
Now both full England internationals are arguably fighting for the same position, too, you can expect the pair to get a rousing reception when they rock up/return to the Etihad.
All eyes will be on this WSL fixture, especially with members of the back-to-back Euros-winning Lionesses squad taking to the pitch on both sides.
Clinton, Park; Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, as well as more international stars such as Viv Miedema and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw – there’s going to be so much talent on show.
Speaking to The Manc ahead of the match, first-team star and City vice-captain, Kerstin Casparij, gave us their thoughts on the historic and always hard-fought rivalry…
What does the Manchester derby mean to you?
The derby means more to me every year. It’s not just 3 important points, but also pride and bragging/banter rights. This year, I’d say it’s also about redemption for me, considering our home loss last season.
Are there any standout memories of derby day that come to mind?
I think the away win at Old Trafford two years ago is a nice memory. Being booed for the full 90 minutes and coming away with a win feels extra satisfying.
It really is set up to be an unmissable meeting between the two heavyweights of the female football world, with a 1:30pm kick-off leaving plenty of time for added fanfare before and after either whistle.
Promising plenty of activities in and around the stadium, as well as the dedicated Man City Kids Fan Zone, a completely free event that runs for four hours before kick off on the indoor pitch of the City Football Academy, the ‘Blue Carpet’ experience, where you can see players arrive 90 minutes before the game and plenty more, there’s so much going on.
As well as fun games at half-time, live entertainment, not to mention a wide range of food and drink around the concourse, it’s going to be a great day out.
Best of all, tickets are super affordable: general admission for adults starts from only £15 and £5 for under 16s. If you grab two adult passes and one U16 ticket, you can get any additional U16 tickets for just £1 each.
If you want to enjoy Hospitality at the Etihad Stadium, packages start from as little as £35. From the Sports Bar experience and the Tunnel Club, where you can see players getting read on the way to the dugout and pitch, or even a bottomless brunch before the game with your friends.
Whatever offer best suits you, fans can grab tickets right to see Manchester City Women, Man United, Lionesses stars and more right HERE.
Danny Jones -
16th March 2024 
