Tony Windless (born October 14, 1969) is an American retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player with a notable career stretching over a decade 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 ...

. A big time player, over the years Tony has collected every honour in the game and is often touted as one of the greatest players to grace the British leagues. The 6ft5

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 ...

began his pro career in 1994 when he signed for the

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 ...

, after attending

Georgia Southern University Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hine ...

. His debut for Towers came on November 11 in a home game against

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- ...

, and after many more successful appearances during the 1994–95 season, Windless was elected to the All-Star game and made the final BBL All-Star Team, the first of many more accolades. His three-season spell at the Towers would be his most successful throughout his career. The 1995–96 season saw the beginning of the trophy spree, when Windless helped the Towers to a 70–58 National Cup final victory against the

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 ...

, on their own turf. A 90–84 win over

Worthing Bears Brighton Bears was a British basketball team based in Brighton, Sussex. From 1984 to 1999 the club was known as the Worthing Bears and was based in the town of Worthing, 12 miles west of Brighton. The Bears played in the top-flight British Bas ...

in the

Trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

final, in which he was named MVP, and a first-place finish in the League bulked up Windless' trophy cabinet, along with his personal awards of an All-Star game appearance and a spot in the All-Star Team at the end of the season. The following season, which saw another him elected to another All-Star game appearance, Tony helped Towers to another Trophy win and a victorious Playoff run, beating fierce rivals

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 ...

89–88 in an intense

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

final. The victory made all the more sweeter, after Leopards had pipped Towers to the league crown just weeks earlier. After claiming every title in the game at Towers, Windless headed north from the capital in 1997 when he signed for

Derby Storm Derby Storm was a former British Basketball League (BBL) franchise from the city of Derby, Derbyshire. The team took the decision to sit out the 2002–03 British Basketball League season, 2002–03 season after failing to find a suitable venue f ...

, where he played in 22 games, averaging 15.15 PPG. After just a year in Derby, Tony relocated to

Milton Keynes Lions London Lions are a British professional basketball team based in Stratford, East London, England, and compete in the British Basketball League, the top tier of British basketball. The team was originally founded in 1977 as the Hemel Hempstead ...

for two years, where he found increased minutes and an improved points average, achieving his career high in the 1999–00 season, posting 19.65. This record would be smashed the following season after signing for

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 ...

, where in 31 games played, Windless tallied an impressive 21.32 PPG, still his best season average to date. While in Newcastle, he regained his impeccable form from the Towers days, leading the previously fledgling franchise to a Trophy final, in which they finished runners-up to the victorious

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 ...

, 92–81. For the seventh consecutive season, Windless was featured in the All-Star game for 2001, where he was named as MVP for the final ever event. He was also reselected for the BBL All-Star Team following a three-year absence. It seemed as though his career was on the up, and a move to Europe was too good to turn down. After starring in the French leagues for

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

Gravelines Gravelines (, ; ; ) is a commune in the Nord department in Northern France. It lies at the mouth of the river Aa southwest of Dunkirk. It was formed in the 12th century around the mouth of a canal built to connect Saint-Omer with the sea. As ...

and

Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerl ...

, Windless returned to the UK in 2004 to play for

Scottish Rocks The Caledonia Gladiators are a professional basketball club in Glasgow, Scotland. The Gladiators compete in the British Basketball League, the top tier of British basketball. Since 2012, the team have played their home games at the Emirates Ar ...

. After one season in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, where he averaged just 13.5 PPG in 31.75 minutes-per-game, he was off again, returning to his former club

, where he starred alongside a squad of fellow veteran stars until 2008, when he signed for the

.Riders sign BBL veteran Windless
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Windless, Tony 1969 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in the United Kingdom American men's basketball players Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee BCM Gravelines players Besançon BCD players British men's basketball players Cowley County Community College alumni Georgia Southern Eagles men's basketball players Glasgow Rocks players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Le Mans Sarthe Basket players Leicester Riders players London Towers players London Lions (basketball) players Montpellier Paillade Basket players Newcastle Eagles players Small forwards American expatriate sportspeople in England American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom