Fabulous Flournoy (born 31 July 1973) is a former professional basketball player who currently serves as assistant coach for the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. He was previously the player-coach for the

Newcastle Eagles The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball team based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Playing in the top-tier British Basketball League and holding the franchise for Tyne & Wear, they are the most successful team in the League's histor ...

, who compete in the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

. He is the all time leader in the BBL in assists, steals and blocked shots as well as 2nd all time in rebounding and 5x BBL coach of the year. His 25 trophies remain a record for a coach in the league.

Playing career

Early life and college career

Born in New York City,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the 6'3"

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

, noted for his tenacious defence and very high standards, attended NJCAA Division 1 college Panola Junior College and was a student at

NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

college

McNeese State University McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. ...

British Basketball League

After finishing college in 1996, Flournoy signed for

team the

Birmingham Bullets The Birmingham Bullets were a British professional basketball team from Birmingham, England who competed in the British Basketball League (BBL). The club was founded in 1974 as Coventry Granwood before moving to Birmingham in 1980 as part of the ...

, making his debut against the

Greater London Leopards Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 *Greater Bank, an Australian ...

on 15 September 1996. In his first season alone he clocked up 780 minutes averaging 8.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. Although his minutes were marginally shaved the following season, Flournoy still featured in all of the Bullets' 36 games, while helping his team to runners-up spot in the Championship and success in the Play-offs, beating

London Towers London Towers were a professional basketball team based in London, England. They enjoyed considerable success in the 1990s and early 2000s, collecting 3 titles in the British Basketball League (BBL) as well as regularly competing in European c ...

in the final. The following two seasons saw his appearances drop, featuring in only 23 games in the 1999–2000 season, although he still featured in the Play-off final against

Manchester Giants The Manchester Giants are a British professional basketball team based in Manchester, England. The franchise was established in 2011, and admitted to the top-tier British Basketball League in 2012. The team's formation was led by a consortium ...

where he posted 12 points in the Bullets' 65–74 loss. At the end of the season Flournoy signed for rival franchise

Sheffield Sharks The Sheffield Sharks, currently known as "B.Braun Sheffield Sharks" for sponsorship reasons, are a professional basketball team from the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The Sharks play in the British Basketball League and play thei ...

where he spent one year, playing in 34 games. With Flournoy's help, the Sharks won the BBL Northern Conference and again for Flournoy, finished as runners-up in the post-season Play-off's, this time losing 75–84 to the

Leicester Riders Leicester Riders are a British professional basketball team and the oldest club in the British Basketball League (BBL). Established in 1967, the club have played in various locations around Leicestershire before moving to their current purpose- ...

. Flournoy moved again in 2001 when he signed for the

. After two mediocre seasons, he achieved two career-high records in the 2003–04 season, where he played 1258 minutes with a 10.75 PPG average.

As a player-coach

This was also the season when his career took a different turn accepting the role of head coach of the Eagles, while still a player, leading the team to a 6th-place finish and a Quarter-final Play-off exit with a 94–96 defeat to the

Towers A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifica ...

. Not disheartened however, Flournoy returned the following year and was successful with previous mid-tablers Newcastle. Clocking up 1018 minutes, 6.92 PPG and 4.95 RPG in the 2004–05 season, Flournoy had a less than outstanding season on court. However, off court he led the Eagles to victories in both the Play-offs and the BBL Trophy, while finishing as runners-up to the

Chester Jets The Cheshire Phoenix are a professional basketball team based in Ellesmere Port, England. Founded in 1984, they are members of the British Basketball League and play their home games at the Cheshire Oaks Arena. From 1993 until 2015 the team was ...

in the Championship, and won the BBL Coach of the Season award. The 2005–06 season would prove to be even more remarkable for Fab, averaging 8.80 PPG and picking up 1121 minutes of action while leading the Eagles to the "Clean Sweep" of victories in the BBL Cup, Trophy, Championship and Play-offs, a feat repeated in 2011 and 2015.

International career

A naturalised UK citizen, Flournoy won a bronze medal with the England national team at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. He earned 16 caps in total for England.

Awards and honours

Flournoy was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to British basketball and the community in the North East.

Post-playing career

He has also served as a

colour commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...

for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

, including at the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. In 2019, Flournoy was hired as an assistant video coordinator by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. The move reunited Flournoy with his former coach,

Nick Nurse Nicholas David Nurse (born July 24, 1967) is an American professional basketball coach, author and former college basketball player. He is the head coach of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Canadian men's ...

. Nurse was responsible for signing Flournoy to his first professional contract as a player for the Birmingham Bullets in 1996.

References

External links

BBL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flournoy, Fabulous 1973 births Living people Basketball players from New York City American emigrants to England American expatriate basketball people in the United Kingdom American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Birmingham Bullets players Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball English men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom McNeese Cowboys basketball players Members of the Order of the British Empire Newcastle Eagles players Panola College alumni Player-coaches Sheffield Sharks players Small forwards Shooting guards Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games