Our athletes James MacSorley

James was first introduced to wheelchair basketball by his parents who took James and his sister, Eimear, to their local club NI Knights in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Despite not liking the sport at first, James stuck at it and The Knights provided the platform for the Belfast-born athlete to develop his wheelchair basketball skills and progress. His progression was rewarded with attendance at his first GB Junior Camp in 2010, and in 2012 he was one of eight flagbearers at the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.

James made his GB senior debut at the 2018 World Championships where the GB Men claimed a historic World title and brought home the gold. His Paralympic debut would come at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, where the team claimed bronze. 

James made history at Birmingham 2022 in the first ever appearance of wheelchair basketball in a Commonwealth Games, proudly representing Team Northern Ireland.

James was awarded Allstate NI Queen’s Graduate of the Year Award for 2023 from Queen’s University Belfast, where he had previously graduated from in 2017 with a degree in Law with Spanish. 

James is currently on the IWBF Players’ Commission, representing Europe.

GB Representation and Results
2012 U22 European Championships, Stoke Mandeville
2013 U23 World Championships, Adana
2014 U23 European Championships, Zaragoza (Gold)
2016 U22 European Championships, Lignano (Silver)
2017 U23 World Championships, Toronto (Gold)
2018 World Championships, Hamburg (Gold)
2020 (played in 2021) Paralympic Games, Tokyo (Bronze)
2022 World Championships (played in 2023), Dubai (Silver)
2023 European Championships, Rotterdam (Gold)