Sadly, the 34-year-old passed away in May this year, with an outpouring of grief for the actor and fitness coach, who was described by the Knights as a ‘teammate, friend and much-loved member of our family’.
In memory of him, this interview shares Bediako’s love for basketball and why LGBTQ+ and inclusive basketball clubs like the Knights, who have an ethos of creating unity though the sport, changed his life.
Bediako’s basketball journey began playing at John Ruskin College in Croydon when he was a teenager but university and concentrating on becoming a fitness coach took him away from the sport.
“I don't think there was anywhere for me to play,” said the actor, who, amongst other credits, featured in RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – a BBC reality TV competition – as well as alongside Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman: Winter’s War.
“I moved out of London to Luton, and everything was quite spread out and I didn't know anybody. I didn't have the confidence to just go to the park.”
Upon returning to the capital and looking to fill his time he remembered the London Knights and found not only basketball, but friendship, love and compassion.
“I just wanted to go somewhere that was like, quite healthy and around other gay men. And I remembered there was a gay basketball team and I came [to training] and it completely changed my life.
“I have new friends. I’m doing something twice a week that is healthy and I’m really enjoying it. And now I’m the [club] secretary as well, I’m helping set up all tournaments and I’m loving it.”
He says finding the club helped him in a range of ways, including getting out of the monotony of training on his own.
What keeps people motivated is other people – Bediako says ‘team sport always works’.
“I think it's how energetic it is. [Basketball] is very, very fun to play. You have to trust your teammates; you can't be in control of everything.
“I think unlike other sports, you see more of the ball and there's more you can do off ball to help your team win. I'm a defensive beast. I love playing defence. So that gets me a lot of minutes because people want me to be there, making sure I'm helping.
“[You can see] people evolve, helping others with their dribbling or their defensive stance. We keep each other disciplined, and I can see the growth from when I started to now, and other players [too].”
“When you go to the gym and stuff like that, it can get boring, because you're just doing it over and over. I think what keeps the consistency is other people. So, I needed to find something to keep myself motivated. To keep going back and exercising. And yeah, team sport, it always, always works.”
The London Knights play against other clubs across Europe, with many of the main cities on the continent having LGBTQ+ basketball teams and hosting tournaments, as well as there being a social side to the basketball; it’s how Bediako met his partner, Gabe.
“I call it the LGBT circuit. Most of the main European [cities] have a basketball team. So, Madrid has two teams, Barcelona has a team. Last year, I went to Spain at Christmas to play a tournament. I played seven matches in one day and then we went out and we had a boat party. It’s fun.
“I have got a partner from being here. I literally met someone just being [with the Knights]. It’s been a great place to bond and meet people.”
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