I grew up on considered one of Europe’s largest council estates – now I’m assembly the Prime Minister
3×3 basketball star Jamell Anderson
Basketball took Jamell Anderson from one of Europe’s biggest housing estates to Downing Street, but his heart remains firmly close to home ahead of this summer’s Commonwealth Games.
Since winning a historic gold in the men’s 3×3 basketball at Birmingham 2022, the 35-year-old lost his grandmother, to whom the Commonwealth Games were such a special event. And when he receives the baton as part of the global King’s Baton Relay that preludes the 2026 Games in Glasgow, he will be thinking of her.
He said: “My grandma, Frances, loved the Commonwealth Games. That was her thing. She would watch every single Games from start to finish. She was alive when we won gold and that was one of the most amazing things for me – to give that gold medal to my grandma.
“Playing basketball in the Commonwealth Games wasn’t a regular occurrence, so I never pictured it happening. Then I won gold, and she loved it. When I’m holding the baton, with her looking down on me, I will be thinking about her.
“That’s not to take anything away from my mum, my wife, and my daughter being super proud, but there’s just something special about the Commonwealth Games that connects me with my grandma, and it fills me with pride that I can represent her.”
Anderson first encountered basketball growing up in on the Clifton estate in Nottingham, which was the largest council estate in Europe upon its construction in the 1950s. Growing up playing the sport, he never dreamed of Commonwealth gold – with the sport only introduced to the programme for Melbourne 2006, before the 3×3 variation usurped the traditional 5-on-5 game in 2022.
He said: “When I was a kid, I didn’t know too much about basketball when I started – I just enjoyed it. However many millions were playing it, I was just one of them. As the game gave me more and more, I travelled round the world, met my wife and closest friends, and it has given me the highest and lowest points of my life.
“When I start to reflect on the 17 years I have been playing, gratitude is the one thing that is really important and I try to show it every single day.”
And despite his experience with professional clubs across the UK, one recent opportunity stands out – an invitation to a reception with Prime Minister Keir Starmer for community and grassroots sport.
Anderson said: “To go from that Clifton housing estate to 10 Downing Street was a crazy feeling. I saw the Prime Minister and his staff. He made a joke about how he was cramping up when going on stage after playing football. At 35, my understanding of life is gratitude. It felt really cool and I’m thankful I had that experience.”
Prior to this summer’s Games, the King’s Baton Relay, supported by Team England’s official automotive partner , Geely, included a pop-up 3×3 basketball event in London’s Paternoster Square. And now this summer, competing in Glasgow is an enthralling prospect – especially when Anderson allows himself to imagine retaining the Commonwealth title.
He said: “Based on my experiences playing in Glasgow professionally, the crowd can get into it and be very supportive of their team. If a lot of the locals have bought a ticket for the games, it will be loud.
“I can’t really express how grateful I would be to win. I know what it takes and I’m envisioning it every day. I have already seen myself winning it in my mind. That moment of winning will be something you will never forget, so I’m pretty excited.”
Team England are Ready to Win at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Keep up to date on https://teamengland.org/.
