John Amaechi's Biography

John Amaechi, from Stockport, was 17 when he started playing basketball.

He moved to Ohio, and then signed to play for Vanderbilt University, before being transferred to Penn State. After graduation, Amaechi played 28 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 1995-1996 season.

The 6ft 10in centre then crossed the Atlantic and played for a number of European teams including the Sheffield Sharks. He returned to the NBA and played for the Orlando Magic in 1999, and averaged 10.5 points in 21 minutes a game, but his form didn't last.

Amaechi ended up playing 294 NBA games - the most of any British player.

Amaechi has a prominent position in English basketball. He was chosen to captain the English basketball side in Melbourne at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

He is also a member of the Board of English Basketball, and in a charitable donation Amaechi established a centre in his name in Manchester, where 3,000 youngsters a week are involved in sport.

Since stopping playing basketball, John Amaechi has carved a career in training, development and mentoring.

In 2009, John Amaechi became a judge on The Speaker, BBC Two's search for Britain's best young speaker.

Amaechi was an Ambassador for London's 2012 Olympic Games.

In 2008, John Amaechi was a pundit on the BBC's basketball coverage during the Beijing Olympics.

Whilst playing basketball John Amaechi took a degree in psychology.

He went on to run Amaechi Performance (APS).