The British Basketball League (BBL) has confirmed the return of its popular All-Star Game later this year and you can vote for who you want to take part in it, including our very own Manchester Giants.
Just like in the famous NBA format that inspired it, which is taking place for the 73rd time on 18 February, the UK’s equivalent is happening just a month later and will also see the first-ever All-Star Women’s Game in the exhibition’s 25-year on-and-off history.
The All-Star event as we know it today — which features a North vs South face-off between players from the male and female leagues, as well as a skills competition, three-point shootout and the famous Slam Dunk Contest — has been around for a decade now and is truly bigger than ever.
Scheduled for Sunday, 17 March 2024, voting for the British Basketball League All-Star Game is now open and fans can now vote for their favourite players and who they want to play each other this year. Naturally, we expect plenty of Manchester Giants to be on that list.
To vote, all you need to do is pick out five players from the North and five from the South on the combined rosters for both the men’s and women’s divisions. You can do so HERE.
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When it comes to the Giants players up for selection this year, they include the likes of SF Evan Walshe, young Canadian point guard Mason Bourcier who is making his debut campaign; the club’s all-time leading scorer Callum Jones and forward Jamell Anderson, just to name a few.
While the men’s team might be currently second from bottom, they have still had some star players flying the flag for Greater Manchester this year and, better still, the women’s side sits in a very competitive mid-table position with plenty of the season left to play.
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That being said, it’ll be nice to so how the top talents and firm fan favourites from our local side fair playing alongside the BBL’s very best players, and it goes without saying that the inaugural All-Star Women’s Game will be a historic occasion not only for British basketball but women’s sport in general.
Voting is now open and you must make all of your selections (a centre, two forwards and two guards for each dream team) before the deadline at 7pm on 15 February.
You’ll also be pleased to know that there is no limit on picking players from the same time, so you could theoretically stack your two northern squads with nothing but Giants colours if you like. We often fall foul to that local bias in Fantasy Premier League but it’s all part of the fun at the end of the day.
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The British Basketball League’s 2023/24 All-Star Game takes place at the Copper Box Arena at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London from 12:30. You can grab your tickets HERE if you fancy travelling down but you best believe All Stars North are going home with the trophy.
And speaking of FPL, did you know we also brought back our own league this year? There’s still plenty of the season left to get involved and potentially win some prizes.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
10th January 2024 
