sports📡 ESPNcricinfoJul 25, 2026👁 0 views

Welsh wheelchair basketball couple hunt Glasgow glory

Welsh wheelchair basketball couple hunt Glasgow glory

Libi Phillips and Will Bishop met while playing U14s wheelchair basketball [BBC Sport]
Gareth Bailey - BBC Sport WalesSat, July 25, 2026 at 8:24 AM UTC·4 min read

After narrowly missing out on Birmingham four years ago, Wales' men and women are making Commonwealth Games debuts in the wheelchair 3x3 basketball in Glasgow.

The teams received wildcards after finishing second in their respective qualifying finals.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

In a tight-knit Wales squad, the men's and women's team are united in more than one way.

Libi Phillips and Will Bishop met playing the sport at under-14s level and have been together for six years.

Their relationship has blossomed along with their basketball ability.

"We've come through the whole journey together," said Bishop.

"It's a full circle moment, a real pinnacle. I'm really proud to do it and see how we progress together."

  • Phillips, 20, says she's "really proud" of the efforts from the team.

    "We gave it our very best in 2022. We were very young and inexperienced. Now it's different and we've qualified for the first time, that's huge," she said.

    AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

    "We've come so far in such a short space of time and it just shows the work we've put in was worth it."

    The pair say the speed of game makes it appealing.

    "I love the violence, it's physical, it's fun and non-stop," said 21-year-old Bishop.

    "You've got to be decisive, it's good to watch because of that."

    Phillips added: "You get to be more greedy in a way. Twelve seconds from when you get the ball, you're supposed to score.

    "The first shot you see, just take it, because you're going to get another one in 12 seconds. It's very, very quick compared to five on five."

    AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

    Phillips hopes the team can inspire the next generation of athletes.

    "At eight years old, I was very anxious," she said. "I wasn't really accepting of my chair because I didn't have any role models.

    "My parents were always great and identified that sport was what that could be.

    "The sport has given me confidence, I found family, community, everything. I found Will as well, also great!

    "Without basketball, without sport, I don't know where I'd be. I'd be very sad.

    "You can learn so much about disability as a whole from this one sport. For young kids, even if you're not into sport, just seeing representation on your screen at home means a lot.

    AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

    "It meant a lot to me growing up and I'm excited to be the person they see."

    Bishop, who won bronze in the T38 long jump at the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, is thrilled that the teams are trailblazers.

    "It's the first time for Wales to represented in any type of basketball at a Commonwealth Games," he said.

    "For it to be a wheelchair sport, a para-sport but also a sport that is inclusive of all people with an impairment, is really exciting.

    "For example, Libi is a chair user and I've got cerebral palsy, but I'm ambulant, so I'm able to walk.

    AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

    "The sport is for all people with disabilities, which growing up wasn't necessarily something that I thought I could access until I went through Disability Sport Wales pathways."

    What are the wheelchair 3x3 basketball rules?

    Wheelchair 3x3 basketball is a 10-minute game with no quarters or halves.

    Each team is made up of three players with one substitute.

    Unlike basketball rules, the shot clock runs for 12 seconds instead of 24 and the game is played in a half-court with just one hoop.

    Possession switches between teams after every made basket. The defensive team can also win possession with a steal, block or defensive rebound.

    AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

    The hoop remains at 10ft and the same rules around traveling apply.

    Shots inside the arc count for one point and it is two for those outside.

    The first team to score 21 points wins. If no team has reached 21 points after 10 minutes, the team leading wins. In the event of a tie, the first team to score two points in an overtime period wins.

    Wales wheelchair 3x3 squads

    Men: Alex Wilson, Ben Johnson-Rolfe, Dan May, Will Bishop

    Women: Anastasia Blease, Chloe Morgan, Libi Phillips, Molly Lander

    Wales women pool fixtures:

    • Saturday, 25 July - Wales v India (12:05)

    • Monday, 27 July - Wales v Nigeria (12:20)

    • Monday, 27 July - Wales v Scotland (17:50)

    Wales men pool fixtures:

    • Saturday, 25 July - Wales v Malaysia (16:35)

    • Monday, 27 July - Wales v South Africa (14:25)

    • Monday, 27 July - Wales v Scotland (19:55).

    Wales at the Commonwealth Games