John Amaechi OBE

John Amaechi OBE is a renowned Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, and High-Performance Executive Coach. He has built a phenomenal career in Professional Basketball as the first British Male to play for the NBA, and the first former NBA player to openly come out as gay. When hired for an event, John speaks about his experiences working within the sporting industry and his transition to becoming part of the LGBT+ community.

In 1995, John started his Basketball career at the Cleveland Cavaliers and soon after, moved to be a Professional NBA Player. During this time, he was also playing for teams such as Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. When John started playing Professional Basketball, he was the first British Male to build a career in the NBA and pursued this for nearly 8 years. A year after he retired, he became the first former NBA player to publicly come out as gay. After an incredible sporting career, John is now the Founder & Everyday Jedi of APS Intelligence and works closely with other businesses that are making a change within the community such as Greencore and Sanofi. 

Due to his passion for making a change in the community, Jon has been nominated for many different awards throughout his career. He was awarded Freeman of the City of London and the Humanist of the Year Award in 2015, and was also awarded an OBE in 2011, after inspiring many through his service to sport and the voluntary sector. He has also recently become the author of two best-selling books, ‘Man in the Middle’ and ‘The Promises of Giants.’ In 2017, he also delivered the TEDx Talk ‘You Can’t Be Part Time’ where he discussed both his personal and career journey.

John Amaechi has proved that being different in a community that is greatly stereotyped is possible and the hard work and passion you put in can be recognised no matter your sexuality. John has inspired a wide range of people throughout his career and after entering the LGBT community, continued to make a difference after his Basketball career. If you are looking for a speaker to captivate the audience, John Amaechi OBE would be a perfect choice.