John Ekwugha Amaechi

John Ekwugha Amaechi was born on 26th November, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an former NBA basketball player who currently works as a broadcaster in Englend.

Amaechi moved to the U.S. to play high school basketball at St. John's High School in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing college basketball at Vanderbilt but transferred to Penn State where he was a two-time First Team Academic All-American selection.

Amaechi only took up basketball at the age of 16. A native of Manchester, John has played all over Europe and by the age of 24 had been drafted into the NBA by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He then moved to the Orlando Magic in 1999. In 2001, Amaechi signed a four-year contract with the Utah Jazz.

Amaechi’s greatest contribution to date for young people in the UK has been the construction of the Amaechi Basketball Center (ABC) in Manchester, which opened in August 2002. He is the sole benefactor for this $4 million state-of-the-art facility and is planning many more to follow. John is also currently pursuing a Ph.D. in child psychology.

"Meech," as he is affectionately known, is a gifted 30-year-old athlete, who was an all-Big 10 selection at Penn State when he graduated in 1995, leading his team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. But that's not all he brings to the court of tall heroes. He's also a two-time academic all-American and a candidate in Penn State's clinical childhood psychology doctoral program, working towards his Ph.D. while playing for the Magic.

Amaechi lamented, however, that most adults walked right past the show, not giving themselves even a chance at a taste of the jaw-dropping wonder of childlike joy. Perhaps that childlike sense of wonder is what motivates Amaechi to play the game of basketball as it was meant to be played, and spares him the hard edge that comes to so many professional athletes who see sport solely as a business and livelihood. That truly is enlightenment.