The Most Famous
BASKETBALL PLAYERS from United Kingdom
This page contains a list of the greatest British Basketball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,757 Basketball Players, 10 of which were born in United Kingdom. This makes United Kingdom the birth place of the 25th most number of Basketball Players behind Türkiye, and Ukraine.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary British Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous British Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of British Basketball Players.
1. Ben Gordon (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 51.48, Ben Gordon is the most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages on wikipedia.
Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon (born April 4, 1983) is a British-American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and he played college basketball for the University of Connecticut, where he won a national championship in 2004. He is the only player to have ever won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award as a rookie. Gordon is fourth in career three-point field goals for the Chicago Bulls, behind Kirk Hinrich, Zach LaVine, and Coby White. He shares the NBA record for most three point field goals in a game without a miss (9) with Latrell Sprewell and Jalen Brunson.
2. OG Anunoby (b. 1997)
With an HPI of 47.89, OG Anunoby is the 2nd most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Ogugua "OG" Anunoby Jr. (born 17 July 1997) is a British professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. He won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and led the league in steals while being named to his first NBA All-Defensive Team in 2023.
3. Carlton Myers (b. 1971)
With an HPI of 44.63, Carlton Myers is the 3rd most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Carlton Ettore Francesco Myers (born 30 March 1971) is an Italian former professional basketball player who played in the Italian league and the EuroLeague. Myers was initially raised in the United Kingdom. One of the best European shooting guards of his generation, he won a FIBA EuroBasket title with the senior Italian national team in 1999.
4. Liz Cambage (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 43.85, Liz Cambage is the 4th most famous British Basketball Player. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Elizabeth Folake Cambage ( kam-BAYZH; born 18 August 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sichuan Yuanda of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association. She won the Women's National Basketball League in 2011 and 2014 and the Women's Chinese Basketball Association championship in 2024. Cambage currently shares the WNBA single-game scoring record with A'ja Wilson, with her 53-point performance against the New York Liberty on 17 July 2018. She played for the Australia national team, the Opals, between 2009 and 2021, winning a gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, silver in the 2018 World Cup, and bronze in the 2012 Olympics.
5. James Donaldson (b. 1957)
With an HPI of 41.90, James Donaldson is the 5th most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
James Lee Donaldson III (born August 16, 1957) is a British-American former professional basketball player who grew up in California and played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association and several leagues across Europe. Born in Heacham, England, Donaldson played high school basketball for Luther Burbank High School in California before enrolling at Washington State University to play for the Cougars.
6. Pops Mensah-Bonsu (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 39.91, Pops Mensah-Bonsu is the 6th most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Nana Papa Yaw "Pops" Mensah-Bonsu (born 7 September 1983) is a British basketball executive and former player. He played college basketball for George Washington University and professionally for five NBA teams as well as clubs in Spain, France, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Israel, and Greece. On an international level, he represented Great Britain and was a member of Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He also served as general manager of the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League from 2018 to 2020. Throughout his career, he was known for his saying "No Mercy" after blocking a shot. A documentary entitled "No Mercy", was released at the end of his career, documenting his ups and downs and him being known for being a "less heralded" player by the media.
7. Robert Archibald (1980 - 2020)
With an HPI of 39.04, Robert Archibald is the 7th most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Robert Michael Archibald (29 March 1980 – 23 January 2020) was a Scottish professional basketball player. A 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) power forward / center from the University of Illinois, he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2002 NBA draft with the third pick of the second round (32nd overall).
8. Nikola Jović (b. 2003)
With an HPI of 37.26, Nikola Jović is the 8th most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Nikola Jović (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јовић, pronounced [nǐkola jǒːʋitɕ]; born 9 June 2003) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected 27th overall by the Heat in the 2022 NBA draft.
9. Ian Vougioukas (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 35.40, Ian Vougioukas is the 9th most famous British Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Ian Vougioukas (alternate spelling: Ian Vouyoukas) (Greek: Ίαν Βουγιούκας; born May 31, 1985) is a Greek former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in), he plays at the center position. He played college basketball in the United States, for Saint Louis University.
10. Joel Freeland (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 32.30, Joel Freeland is the 10th most famous British Basketball Player. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Joel Daniel Freeland (born 7 February 1987) is a British former professional basketball player who last played for CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at 2.10 m (6 ft 10+1⁄2 in), he played at the power forward and center positions. He also represented the Great Britain national basketball team.
People
Pantheon has 12 people classified as British basketball players born between 1957 and 2003. Of these 12, 11 (91.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living British basketball players include Ben Gordon, OG Anunoby, and Carlton Myers. The most famous deceased British basketball players include Robert Archibald. As of April 2024, 2 new British basketball players have been added to Pantheon including Ian Vougioukas, and Kelenna Azubuike.
Living British Basketball Players
Go to all Rankings
Ben Gordon
1983 - Present
HPI: 51.48
OG Anunoby
1997 - Present
HPI: 47.89
Carlton Myers
1971 - Present
HPI: 44.63
Liz Cambage
1991 - Present
HPI: 43.85
James Donaldson
1957 - Present
HPI: 41.90
Pops Mensah-Bonsu
1983 - Present
HPI: 39.91
Nikola Jović
2003 - Present
HPI: 37.26
Ian Vougioukas
1985 - Present
HPI: 35.40
Joel Freeland
1987 - Present
HPI: 32.30
Aaron Geramipoor
1992 - Present
HPI: 29.89
Kelenna Azubuike
1983 - Present
HPI: 29.48
