George Bates

George Bates is a British professional wheelchair basketball coach and former player who has recently been named Men’s Head Coach and Player Development Lead for British Wheelchair Basketball. Previously playing for teams including Sheffield Steelers, Italy’s Porto Torres and Spain’s Mideba Extremadura, he is also a two-time European gold medallist and a World Champion with the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team. As a speaker, George shares engaging and impactful stories and lessons from his sporting career.

After suffering an injury playing football as a child, George developed complex regional pain syndrome in his left leg and became unable to walk unaided. He discovered wheelchair basketball shortly afterwards and started playing for his local team, Leicester Cobras. During this time, he also played in the Great Britain under-23 team and went on to win the 2014 Under-22 European Championships. George then turned professional and signed for the Italian team Porto Torres. In 2017, he progressed to the Great Britain senior team and won a silver medal at the European Championships, alongside playing for the Sheffield Steelers team. At the 2018 World Championships, George helped Team GB achieve victory for the first time as the joint top scorer of the game. Moving to the Spanish league, he played for Mideba Extremadura for three years before returning to the Sheffield Steelers. George also achieved further success with the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team in 2019 when they won the European Championships. 

Following his playing career, George has become an accomplished coach. During his time as the Head Coach of Loughborough Lightning, the team secured the Women’s Premier League title for three consecutive years. He has also coached teams for the Invictus Games, the Great Britain Under-25 team and the Netherlands national team who became European Champions under George’s leadership. This led to his appointment as the men’s head coach and player development lead for the British Wheelchair Basketball team. George is also the Founder of GO Performance, where he translates lessons from his elite sporting career into business performance insights. 

Winning international titles as both a player and coach, George speaks confidently on peak performance, leadership and teamwork. Previously speaking on various podcasts and national media outlets, his powerful personal journey is also an inspiring story for schools and sporting events. Hire George today as a speaker for your next event!