MILAN (Italy) - Great Britain has produced NBA All-Stars and members of All-Star Fives at FIBA Women's EuroBasket with continental and WNBA championships to their name.

None more famous on home turf, however, than Ovie Soko.

No matter the accomplishments of legendary names such as Luol Deng, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Temi Fagbenle on the basketball court, they can walk down London’s famous Oxford Street with only their above average height causing the blink of an eye.

Soko? Flash mobs seeking selfies. His daily grind is lapped up by 1.7 followers on Instagram and via the pages of the British tabloids.

“That's a big goal for me, to be able to use my notoriety to help something that I love, which is basketball.” - Ovie Soko

For all the experience accumulated in top European leagues - and Japan last term - as well as a vital role for Great Britain at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, it was a victorious spell on a reality show that made him the most famous hooper in UK history.

Love Island is televisual take on dating that demands conversations around the water cooler on an annual basis and it has made Soko rich and famous.

“It's really interesting,” the 31-year-old forward grins. “Of course, it has its privileges, ups, good and bad. But I appreciate it, just trying to take it in my stride. And I just try and be a decent human about it all.”

A personable, likable character, he knows the oddity of his exceptionalism. Few would dispute that basketball on his homeland is far from top of mind and will remain so, no matter how Soko and his colleagues perform this month. 

The London 2012 Olympics brought no discernible uptick. Resources, to put it mildly, are scarce. The players know they must actively market the game or see it remain in relative obscurity. 

“That's a big goal for me, to be able to use my notoriety to help something that I love, which is basketball,” says Soko, who has returned home to feature for London Lions this coming season. 

“Because I see the potential that we do have in the UK. I see the amount of talent that we have, especially in these young guys.

“I see it from two different angles: half of it having a responsibility to perform and bring people on board and show people that basketball is an interesting game to watch. 

“But then also just embrace and support and be there for the younger guys that are coming up, just pushing them and encouraging them.”

Soko and GB are hoping to overcome a slow start in Milan and fight for a spot in the Round of 16

Also to represent. To hold his own in elite company, including at EuroBasket where GB has started 0-2 in Milan with the daunting prospect of facing Greece on Monday when the team’s long-serving captain, Dan Clark, will establish a new record with his 117^th appearance.

“I definitely feel like there's a chip on my shoulder,” Soko says. “And I will call it that exactly. I won't even mix my words with it. Because I do know how British basketball can be perceived from the outside looking in. 

“But there's a lot of things that we have to deal with as British players. I've played in all these different countries. And I've seen that these guys don't have to deal with the same sort of maybe adversity that a British player trying to succeed has to deal with.

“One of the frustrating things is I see, and France is the best example, where the demographic in France and the UK is almost parallel. However, their basketball has progressed a lot more, but it's because of the access to resources.

“And of course, I know that I do have a responsibility. I know I have to show up every time because as a British player, you don't have the support of history that you might have as a French player, as a Serbian player, as a player from some of these other countries.”

His legion of fans will celebrate his accomplishments, even if the reality is that few understand how good a player Soko is. For GB, in the reality show that is EuroBasket, the ambition is not to be voted off and sent home to their island after the opening phase.

“Second round would definitely be a statement,” he signals. “Everyone here knows that. And we know we're going as the underdogs. I think we walk on every court in Europe as the underdogs. 

“Even though a lot of the guys on this team have played in France or the Spanish top league. We've played in a lot of really good leagues around Europe. 

“But we take that challenge head on, and I think we're excited for that.”

FIBA