Basketballer Georgia Gayle is ready to write her own story at her debut Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. 

So often referred to as Betty Codona’s granddaughter due to her grandma’s huge impact on basketball in Britain, Gayle is making family history at Glasgow 2026. 

The Sheffield native has been selected to represent Team England in the second-ever staging of 3x3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games.

“Now I'm getting older, I'm starting to find my feet with that,” Gayle said. “Every interview is ‘oh, you're Betty's granddaughter’. 

“Of course, I enjoy speaking about her but now I'm getting older, it is important for me to write my story and figure out what my legacy is going to be. 

“She was an extraordinary lady and I'm definitely proud to be her granddaughter. She was a pioneer in the game. 

“She actually played in seven and seven is my number. My nan played in it, my mum did, and now I do. 

“It's just nice to be able to carry on her legacy, not necessarily the footsteps, she did way too much for me to do, but it's nice to follow after her.” 


Codona founded Sheffield Hatters Women’s Basketball Club in 1961, the first of its kind in England, and also served as chair of England Basketball. 

Gayle won the quadruple with the Hatters this year and is now aiming to help Team England upgrade their 2022 silver to gold in Glasgow. 

The 29-year-old spent her childhood on the sidelines of the basketball court before playing the sport herself. 

She added: “I lived with my grandma growing up. It was me, my mum, my brother, my grandma in the house, and I don't think we talked about anything else apart from basketball – whether it was at the breakfast table, dinner table or in the car.

“When I hit my teens, I struggled with it because I was like ‘what else is there’?  

“There's more to life than just basketball, and I did have horses growing up so that was a nice outlet. 

“But it got to the point at 16 where I had to choose. I ended up choosing basketball because we didn't have the funds to be successful at horse riding. 

“I knew I was talented at basketball and options were appearing, so I bit the bullet and just went with it.” 

Gayle went to the US for college before returning to the UK, bar a brief spell in Spain. 

The Steel City star only picked up 3x3, a quicker, more physical version of traditional 5x5 basketball, in the past year. 

Gayle will now join returning medallists Shanice Beckford-Norton and Cheridene Green, and fellow debutant Katie Januszewska as part of the women’s roster. 

“Last year, I started playing three-on-three and we did the women's series, so we travelled with that and did Europe Cup,” she said. 

“I really enjoy three-on-three, I'd love to transition into it full-time if possible, but it's just not there yet in the women's game.  

“As soon as I heard it was going to be at the Commonwealth Games and there was a chance I could be part of it, of course I wanted to be there. 

“It's a smaller roster, so it's even harder to make the team. It is just really important that I go out and I play hard.

“Shanice will not come home until we get a gold and we're all on the same page with that.”