The 3x3 specialist, known as ‘Sensei’ by his players, will receive an MBE after he wrote British basketball history when he led the England quartet of Jamell Anderson, Kayne Henry, Myles Hesson and Orlan Jackman to gold at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
His men held out against Australia in the final to win England’s first-ever basketball gold medal.
The 49 year-old then headed up the British 3x3 programme in 2024, helping Hafeez Abdul, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Ashley Hamilton and Evan Walshe to qualify for the men’s FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup tournament – a maiden appearance for GB.
As the Godfather of 3x3 in the UK he formed the iconic Ball Out 3x3 tournament in 2014, making it the life force for promoting the short-sided form of the game in the country.
The King’s Birthday Honours recognises the achievements, service and contributions of people across the UK from all walks of life.
“Firstly, none of this would have been possible without the support of my wife over the years," said Joseph.
“I am grateful for everyone that's been a part of my journey; from local courts, where it all began, to Steve Alexander and all the incredible mentors I had through my playing professional career.
“I’ve had amazing team-mates, with the likes of Steve Bucknall and Peter Scantlebury to name just a couple. Amazing supporters who believed in me, and their love motivated me to give as much back to the game as I possibly could.
“Through coaching young people, to the historic gold medal accomplishment and completing 10 years of Ball Out 3x3, it was done with an amazing team behind me, who worked incredibly hard to make achieving the milestones a whole lot easier.”
Wife Isabelle, who put Joseph forward for the recognition, says the award shows how hard he works behind the scenes to help people enjoy basketball and achieve great things for their country.
“We’re really excited and proud of him,” she said.
“He's put in a lot of work and he's finally getting recognised; he really deserves it.
“Looking over everything that he's done, I just felt that he needed to be recognised for it. It's always in the background that someone knows the hard work that he does, so I decided to put it out there.”
“We are thrilled to hear that Julius will be honoured by the King for his devoted work in basketball.
“Julius’ impact on the game is far reaching, from the success of Ball Out, bringing great basketball experiences to thousands of players every summer, to his performance coaching roles, where he used his knowledge and mastery of 3x3 to put England and GB on the international map.
“His crowing moment of leading England to our first-ever basketball gold will live long in the memory and, arguably, marks the moment that basketball was thrust into the spotlight it deserves.
“Here’s to you Julius – enjoy your MBE.”
The former England, Great Britain and British Basketball League guard, who is a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist from 2006 in Melbourne, was introduced to basketball at the London School of Basketball, where he learnt his chops from Ronnie and Stedroy Baker.
During his time playing in the USA for Georgia College & State University in the NCAA, Joseph was one of the top players in Division Two and was named First Team All-Conference and an honourable mention All-American during his tenure there.
He, alongside the likes of Bucknall, Jermain Forbes and John Amechi, coached by Peter Scantlebury and captained by Ronnie Baker, won themselves a bronze medal down under in 2006, beating Nigeria 80-57.
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