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?
“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.”
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?
“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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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
Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is now said to be ‘keen’ on a move to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Manchester United may not yet be done with their transfer business, as another potential summer target, Carlos Baleba, is now reportedly “keen” on a move to the Theatre of Dreams.
The Brighton midfielder popped up on the radar of numerous clubs around Europe following a breakout season in 2024/25.
At just 21 years old, the promising young player has recently emerged as one of the most exciting prospects in the Premier League over the past 12 months or so, and it appears Man United are leading the race to sign him.
Many around the club think the Cameroonian CDM could be the perfect fit for Ruben Amorim’s somewhat makeshift midfield at the moment; perfectly positioned to take the starting spot from an ageing Casemiro or an as-yet unproven Manuel Ugarte. Moreover, it’s now said United appeals to him.
📹🚨🗣️| Laurie Whitwell on Carlos Baleba and Manchester United:
“Now you come to Carlos Baleba, and as you say, Brighton are going to ask for a lot of money for him.
I don’t know an exact figure – I don’t think that’s been communicated yet. Clearly United feel as if they have… pic.twitter.com/MNYQzgeU5a
Whitwell had already explained that the Seagulls would be setting a hefty and perhaps intentionally excessive asking price in a previous episode, as it is understood they would prefer not to sell him at all, with a figure of at least £100 million being floated around as the current rough estimate.
Given that Man United have already forked out over £200m on a selection of new signings – the most recent being striker Benjamin Šeško – the chances of him making the jump in this current window look slim, though it is thought there is still an eventual switch that could be done.
“Talks are continuing”, according to Whitwell. “There are obviously intermediaries working on behalf of United and the player [Baleba] as well, to see if Brighton would be open to this [a deal].
“Brighton are saying he’s not for sale, and there is quite a bit of scepticism at Manchester United as to whether this can be achieved, but still, it’s been totally shut down.
“That is leading me to believe that you never know, but I’m probably in the camp of it being unlikely. There are ways this can be sorted; a crucial point is the player – he’s keen on the move to Old Trafford.”
Whitwell goes on to detail that current players have been in touch to explain the “landscape” around the club amid this rebuild, reiterating that the environment is positive. However, Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler seems pretty confident that the south coast club will hang on to him, at least for now.
Fabian Hürzeler is adamant Carlos Baleba will still be a Brighton player at the end of the transfer window, despite interest from Manchester United… 👀 pic.twitter.com/4AagOtKJbl
Addressing the rumours with reporters, the German manager insisted, “I didn’t see any change. He seems to be in a very good place, enjoying it [the pre-season and training] with his team-mates.”
With that in mind, it’s more probable that Baleba could join the Red Devils next year, when he’s had yet another season to develop and prove himself in the English top flight, though his value will probably increase even further.
On the other hand, if Baleba does indeed want to swap his white and blue striped shirt for a red one, he could push for the negotiations progress, like new arrival and fellow compatriot Bryan Mbuemo did.
This is an outcome that could, in theory, benefit both teams, as not only are Brighton still considered a selling club, but with another EPL campaign under his belt, they could demand and even larger fee come summer 2026/January if Amorim is still desperately in need of a central solution.
You can watch the episode – one that also touches on the new so-called ‘Man United mantra’, which has even been printed on water bottles around Carrington – in full down below.
Featured Images — MyAlbionTV (screenshot via YouTube)
Sport
Manc MMA fighter Lerone Murphy wants a shot at the title as he predicts ‘statement’ victory at UFC 319
Danny Jones
Manchester MMA fighter Lerone Murphy has made a promising prediction ahead of his fight at UFC 319 and says he wants a shot at the title.
The Old Trafford-born combatant is on the undercard for the highly anticipated bout between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, but just before the main event, the orthodox striker is set to take on American opponent, Aaron Pico, in an equally eye-catching clash on Sunday, 16 August.
Although this is expected to be the toughest fight of his career yet – having currently won 16 and drawn just one of his first 17 fights – ‘The Miracle’ Murphy believes he can notch a decisive victory, telling Card Player: “I want to go out there and make a big statement, and I want to finish him.”
Even more excitingly, the 34-year-old also believes this match-up should set him up nicely for the title fight he believes he deserves, stating that he’s aiming to take on the current reigning champion, Alexander Volkanovski.
Speaking in a fairly confident interview, now just days away from the event, the experienced Mancunian athlete went on to claim that not only does he believe it’ll be a spectacle in terms of the contrast in their styles, but he reiterated, “I think I can find holes and I believe I’m going to come out victorious.”
He arrived in the competition already boasting eight wins – five of them being knockouts – but this is still sure to be his biggest test yet, though he insists he doesn’t enjoy being considered the ‘underdog’ but even thrives the more people underestimate him.
Wasting no time in calling out the Australian top dog of the featherweight division, reclaiming his title with a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian fighter Diego Lopes back in April, Murphy says he’ll do anything and “fight anyone” to become Britain’s next UFC champion.
“I’m looking at anything to get to the title – I’ll fight anybody to get to Volk”, says the local lad. “Obviously, there are other options and probably better fights to take to get me there. I did think I would’ve been fighting Arnold Allen now, to be honest.
“When I was looking at the division and everybody’s injured or matched up, Arnold Allen was the only one. So I did think I would’ve been fighting him, but if the UFC wants it and he wants to, we can do it in the UK. I don’t think it’s going to happen for now.”
In fact, he plans to get it done by the end of the year and possibly even retain it in a hometown defence come early 2026.
Murphy told the outlet this week, “I win this fight, I challenge Volk in maybe October or November. I win, obviously, and then I defend it in Manchester in March. That would be the perfect scenario for me.”
You can see what he had to say in the most recent UFC media day in Chicago down below:
Lerone Murphy’s full press conference ahead of UFC 319.
In case you’re looking for a summary, besides what we’ve already covered above and citing Mike Tyson as his fighting role model, the nephew of late boxing trainer and Manc native Oliver Harrison, did admit that he feels he’s lost a fair amount of his punching power due to weight cutting.
He also expects Chimaev to come out the other side against du Plessis.
Put simply, thinks fight fans and commentators alike need to “put more respect on Khamzat”, putting his money on the Russian “maybe getting a third or second round submission.”
Do you fancy him to make it past Pico and, more importantly, do you think he’s ready for (dare we say it…) Volk?
After his first UFC fight ended in a draw, Lerone Murphy has gone on an absolute tear 🔥
Danny Jones -
16th March 2024 
