Andrew Richard Betts (born 11 May 1977) is a British retired basketball player who played professionally in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Ukraine.[1]

Andy Betts
Personal information
Born (1977-05-11) 11 May 1977 (age 49)
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
College
NBA draft1998: 2nd round, 50th overall pick
Drafted byCharlotte Hornets
Playing career1998–2012
PositionCentre
Career history
1998–1999Teamsystem Bologna
1999–2000Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia
2000Real Madrid
2000–2003AEK Athens
2003–2005TAU Cerámica
2005–2007DKV Joventut
2007–2008Cajasol Sevilla
2009–2010Aris Thessaloniki
2010–2011Budivelnyk Kyiv
2011–2012Lagun Aro GBC
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

College career

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After starting his career as a junior youth club player with the Leicester Riders,[2] Betts played college basketball at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, from 1994 to 1997, and also later at Long Beach State University, from 1997 to 1998.[3] He averaged 18.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, as a senior at Long Beach State.[3]

Professional career

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Betts was selected in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets with the 50th overall draft pick.[4] He never appeared in the NBA.[5]

Betts started his pro club career with Fortitudo Bologna in the Italian A League in the 1998–99 season.[6] His European basketball career culminated in winning the EuroCup in 2006 with Spanish side Joventut Badalona and national league titles in Greece with AEK Athens and in Spain with Real Madrid.[7]

National team career

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Betts debuted for the English national team in 1996, at age 19.[citation needed] He was named England's Young Player of the Year, and also England's Player of the Year twice.[citation needed] During a national team career which began in 1996, Betts made 62 appearances for both the senior English national team and the senior Great Britain national team.[8] With Great Britain, he played at the 2009 FIBA EuroBasket before retiring from international basketball in 2011.[9] His highest scoring performance was in 2003 where he scored 31 points as England beat the Czech Republic in a EuroBasket qualifying game.[8]

Personal life

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Betts was married to Michelle, a former Long Beach State volleyball player who won the 1993 NCAA national championship.[7] The couple met as students at Long Beach State.[7] They have four children, including daughters Lauren and Sienna – both play basketball for UCLA – and sons Dylan and Ashton.[10][11] The family lived in several Spanish cities during Betts's playing career before relocating to Colorado.[5] Betts and Michelle have since divorced.[7] He is the sporting ambassador for his home town club the Leicester Riders.[2] He lives in Centennial, Colorado.[5]

References

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  1. "Andy Betts Back to Spain". Hoopsfix. 28 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Who is Lauren Betts' father, Andrew? All we know about former basketball player". Sportskeeda. 29 March 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Andrew Betts College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  4. "Andrew Betts Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Lauren Betts' Parents & Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. 4 April 2026.
  6. "Andrew Betts Player Profile". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Lauren Betts's Dad Was Also a Professional Basketball Player". Yahoo Sports. 3 April 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Andy Betts Retires from International Basketball". Hoopsfix. 14 January 2011.
  9. "Andy Betts retires from international basketball". BBC Sport. 14 January 2011.
  10. "Lauren Betts". uclabruins.com. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  11. "All About UCLA Basketball Star Lauren Betts' Siblings". Yahoo Sports. 4 April 2026.
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