Jo Leedham-warner OLY announces her retirement
One of British Basketball’s all-time greats, former Olympian, EuroBasket veteran and FIBA EuroCup winner Jo Leedham-Warner, has called time on her illustrious career.
It follows the conclusion of another historic season in which she helped the London Lions to an undefeated domestic season in the WBBL.
Leedham-Warner earned 91 caps for her country, ranking fifth all-time amongst Women’s players, after making her debut in 2006 against Norway, and has been a colossal force in representing British Basketball on the global stage throughout her career, including at the London 2012 Olympics.
The former London Lion also ends her career as the all-time leading scorer amongst all GB Men’s and Women’s players, with over 1,200 points scored whilst donning the British jersey, and is only one of two players to have scored over 1,000 points for GB – the other being Men’s team captain and fellow Olympian Dan Clark.
The 34-year-old Leedham-Warner hangs up her boots at the top of her game, having returned to the court this season with the Lions in the WBBL following the birth to her first child last year.
Leedham-Warner was instrumental as the Lions swept aside all challengers on the way to a clean sweep of the WBBL Championship, Playoffs, Trophy and Cup this past season. London also flew the flag for British Basketball on the continent, as Mark Clark’s side had an outstanding debut campaign in the FIBA EuroCup, where they secured a win over Leedham-Warner’s former side and the competition’s top seeds, Tango Bourges, in the knockout stages.
Always passionate and straight-talking, the Chester-born star attended Franklin Pierce College in the US and her retirement brings an end to an incredible career that has spanned over a decade of professional basketball with Gorzow Wielkopolski, Bulleen Boomers, Bourges and Villeneuve-d’Ascq.
To mark her retirement, Leedham-Warner recorded this interview with GB Basketball, explaining her decision and looking back over her successful career: