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 Champion 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. Whilst coaching the Loughborough Lightning team to three consecutive Women’s Premier League titles, he has also served as the Team UK Head Coach for the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf in 2023 and Vancouver in 2025. George has also coached the Great Britain Under-25 team and the European Championship-winning Netherlands Wheelchair Basketball team. 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 team building. Using the principles of elite professional sport, he brings the mindset, discipline and teamwork of championship environments directly into the business world. George partners with leaders and teams to inspire collaboration and accountability, build high-performance habits and strengthen culture, in order to unlock collective potential and help organisations achieve lasting results. 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!