BORN and raised in Newham by his mother Natasha Hart MBE, Teddy Okereafor was destined for big things.

Initially, basketball had not been on the agenda for Okereafor. With football being the main sport in Britain, he, like most young boys and girls, would kick a ball around the park with his friends until one day, a trip to the park with his family became a life-changing moment for him.

“Playing football was kind of the norm when I was growing up. But then one day, we went down the park and we just started playing basketball. Some kids joined in and it took off from that moment.”