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21 July 2026  3 min read

Glasgow 2026: Myles Hesson on England’s golden shot

Trailing a resurgent Australia by a point in overtime of the men's 3x3 Basketball final, Hesson found himself in the corner and with time to adjust, released a dagger two-pointer to win England's first-ever basketball gold medal.

It's a memory etched in the minds of English basketball fans.

"It's crazy how quickly the time the time has gone," said Hesson, who just played a season in the Greek top league for Mykonos.

"It always brings back the same memories and the way it happened, I'm just grateful for it all."

Myles Hesson (left) with gold medal winning teammate Orlan Jackman (right) launch the Myles Hesson legacy court at Hamstead Playing Fields in Birmingham

Medal success drove the sport further

England women also bagged themselves a silver at Birmingham 2022 and together the teams' exploits helped bring attention to the sport and opportunities to work with the Government, regionally and nationally, to drive the sport further.

That's what Hesson is most proud of, not that it changed his life per-se, but that it became a catalyst to improve the game's infrastructure, especially in his native Birmingham.  

After the Games, news of a basketball legacy plan, backed with financial investment from Sport England and the National Lottery, Basketball England and Birmingham City Council, was published.

In total, 17 basketball courts were regenerated across the city, with one, Hamstead Playing Fields, being renamed in Hesson's honour.

"It wasn't just the shot. The gold for us and the women's silver was a catalyst towards what they did in Birmingham, with all the basketball court renovations. That's bigger than my gold medal in my opinion.

"I've seen the change that's made for the kids and everyone else that uses those outdoor spaces.

"I see people online playing on them and when I drive past them when I'm back home, I see people on them; they're busy, they're full and they weren't like that before."

The 36-year-old says that it's the same for his teammates who won gold with him too – Jamell Anderson, Orlan Jackman and Kayne Henry.

"We will always share that memory and whenever we see each other it's what we talk about.

"Anything that we can do as individuals to make basketball better in the country, it's a blessing to be able to do that."

Hesson on the podium to receive his gold medal at Birmingham 2022

Team England will now try to defend their gold and silver medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and Hesson believes both teams – which feature returning athletes Anderson, Shanice Beckford-Norton and Cheridene Green – have a strong mixture of experience and new blood, but expectations to medal again can become a burden.

"I've got strong hopes for both teams. We've got experienced players who can do a lot in both squads.

"Going in with all that expectation of what we were able to achieve at the last Games is going to be a bit more difficult for them mentally, but I'm confident [in them].

"They've all been around these types of environments before where they are looked at as being the target."

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