When people think of basketball in Great Britain, Luol Deng is an instant name that pops up with John Ameachi also listed among the more veteran hoop heads in the UK.
But to British basketball loyalists, one of the country’s greatest servants to the sport and Great Britain’s most capped international male player Drew Sullivan announced his retirement today.
This isn't retirement. This is reinvention! https://t.co/eR4JQQnijv
— Drew Sullivan (@drewsullivan8) May 30, 2017
The 37-year-old won 100 caps for GB before retiring in July 2016. He captained the Brits at the London 2012 Olympics where he guided them to a convincing win over China in the group stages but ultimately failed to make it to the last eight.
But Sullivan’s journey with the national side went beyond the games with the powerhouses like the USA, Spain and France. The London native was a prominent figure when GB competed in the old Division B of the European basketball cycle back in between 2006 and 2007.
There, Sullivan was playing against teams like Belarus, Slovakia and Albania where GB sometimes struggled to gain victories and before Luol Deng joined the national circuit.
Sullivan though captained the Brits through their three Eurobasket campaigns and was always first to respond to national duty, before he called it a day.
He also represented England, where he won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
We wave goodbye to a BBL legend as @drewsullivan8 announces his retirement!
Use #ThanksDrew and share your tributes! #theBBL pic.twitter.com/xKGCT6Hfmc
— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) May 30, 2017
Domestically, Sullivan will go down as one of the most decorated players in the British Basketball League. He has won all the trophies that the BBL has to offer with the Newcastle Eagles along with silverware playing for the Mersey Tigers and Leicester Riders.
Sandwiched between his spells back home, Sullivan played for Spanish club Joventut Badalona, Dexia Mons-Hainaut in Belgium, Russian side CSK VVS Samara and Apollon in Cyprus.
“The time is right and I look forward to starting the next chapter of my life,” said Sullivan, who also operates a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club away from basketball.
“I have been playing basketball for over two decades. I have had an amazing time representing my country, some amazing clubs and playing here [Leicester] for five seasons.
“Representing Great Britain at the Olympics and playing in London, a stone’s throw from where I grew up with family and friends able to watch me play, and winning the first league title here in Leicester, those are the kind of moments I am going to take away.”
