Tipping off the British Basketball League awards season, London Lions and Great Britain guard Shanice Beckford-Norton has been named the first-ever winner of the Molten Community Champion award.
A new award established for this season, the Molten Community Champion title is given to a player within the British Basketball League who has done outstanding work in their own community to promote the game and made significant contributions to benefit their local area through sport or otherwise.
Club General Managers were invited to submit cases for their own players to be recipients of the award, with the League office reviewing the submissions before deciding upon a winner.
A Commonwealth Games silver medallist, a multiple title winner with the Lions and a Londoner herself, Beckford-Norton has made a considerable contribution to the Lions’ own academy and community programmes as well as the wider London and British basketball community as a coach and mentor.
This season alone, the GB guard has led on the delivery of FIBA’s Her World, Her Rules Clinic at the Copper Box – an initiative by the game’s global governing body to inspire young girls through the game – and has supported several other activations in the city to support and inspire young girls through basketball.
A coach in the National League with junior side Kingston Lions, Beckford-Norton is also a mentor on the Jr. NBA X Basketball England London Coach Programme, which was launched in 2023 in the capital by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and NBA legend Allen Iverson.
Speaking following confirmation of her award, Beckford-Norton said:
“It is an honour to be named Community Champion of the Women’s British Basketball League. The work that I do and what else I am trying to do is all to help these kids have a great quality of life. I hope the recognition of my contributions encourages others to also do their part in supporting the future generations.”
Lions Assistant General Manager Jacob Lloyd added:
“We are absolutely delighted that Shanice has been recognised for her achievements in the community. She is an inspiration to so many young people across the city and is completely deserving of this award.
Her commitment to being an active member of the London basketball community is inspiring, and her passion for bettering the game at all levels is clear to see. Many of the projects that Shanice has led and worked on are driven by her own desires to put back into the local community, and she is always the first to jump at opportunities to work with community partners.
“Just some of the examples of her community work include her coaching roles with the Kingston Lions junior programme, mentoring role with the London Coaching Programme, and project-lead on the Her World, Her Rules (#HWHR) campaign. Shanice is more than deserving of this recognition as she continues to inspire all generations of hooper with her performances both on and off the court.”