Caymanian Joshua O’Garro has taken his basketball career to another level by signing a professional contract with the London Lions ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The 24-year-old guard, who stands at 6 feet, 6 inches, joins the team on a two-year contract, fresh off making his debut for the Great Britain Senior National Team during the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying window, where he earned a starting-five spot against Iceland on 5 July.
Pursuing a dream
This professional transition marks a major milestone for O’Garro, who left Cayman in 2017 at the age of 15 to pursue basketball in the United States. His basketball horizons widened even further earlier this year when he officially secured his British citizenship.
O’Garro’s parents, Dwight and Bobeth O’Garro, said they recognised the limited opportunities available to aspiring elite basketball players in the Caribbean, and made the difficult decision and sacrifice to send him overseas as a teenager to follow his dream.
By joining the London Lions, based in Stratford, East London, O’Garro will compete in the EuroCup, which represents the second-highest tier of professional basketball in Europe – sitting just one level below the elite EuroLeague.
For an international player, performing at this highly competitive, near-top tier serves as a premier launching pad for catching the attention of NBA scouts and to showcase O’Garro’s ability to excel against world-class professionals.
O’Garro’s addition to the club comes at a time as it prepares to compete in the Super League Basketball – the top-tier men’s professional basketball league in Great Britain.
“This signing means a lot to me,” said O’Garro, “because it is my first professional contract, and I’m thankful that Jesus blessed me with such an opportunity. It’s a personal goal for me to play professionally and I know I’ll play in the NBA one day, but right now, I’m focused on where I am at.”
He added, “I’m most excited about the opportunity itself. I will get to play EuroCup basketball and play a high-level of basketball throughout Europe. I’m also excited about my teammates, getting better every single day, proving that I belong and earning the respect from my peers and the fans.”
Weighing in on the differing styles of play on either side of the Atlantic, O’Garro said, “European basketball is not as fast as American basketball, so that is probably the major difference between the two. The European style is slower and is sometimes more about your basketball IQ rather than just raw athletic ability. I don’t find it hard to adapt to and I feel like it’s a good pace where I don’t feel far behind.”
General manager of London Lions, Martynas Purlys, said in a press release on the team’s website, “We’re pleased to welcome Joshua to London Lions. He’s a talented young British guard who has proven himself in top-level NCAA competition and, as a [Great Britain] national team member, he brings real quality to our roster. We look forward to seeing him develop with us.”
The rise of O’Garro
Following his move to the US from Cayman, O’Garro blossomed into one of the country’s top high school prospects. While competing for California’s Santa Clarita Christian School, he was ranked among the top 100 high school basketball players in the nation.
In 2020, he committed to the University of Oklahoma, joining a major NCAA Division I programme. He redshirted his freshman season, meaning he practised and travelled with the team to develop his skills, but sat out of official games to preserve his four years of playing eligibility.
Shortly afterward, the University of Oklahoma’s head coach Lon Kruger retired and, instead of letting the uncertainty and adversity define him, O’Garro chose to adapt and transfer to continue his collegiate journey elsewhere.
His journey took him through San José State before he landed at Texas State University. Over two seasons there, he began to flourish as a Division I competitor, breaking into the starting line-up, developing into a key contributor and significantly improving his on-court production.
His development peaked during a dominant 2025-26 season at California State University Northridge where he played the best basketball of his career, establishing himself as one of the Big West Conference’s most versatile two-way players.
Across 33 games, he averaged 14.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, and earned All-Big West Honourable Mention honours.
He led the entire conference in both rebounding and double-doubles, establishing himself as one of the nation’s elite rebounders, finishing the season ranked 24th nationally in double-doubles and 29th in rebounds per game.
Additionally, his 298 rebounds also ranked among the best single season totals in California State University Northridge history.
O’Garro’s resume also includes proudly representing Cayman on the international stage as a member of the men’s basketball team that captured gold at the 2019 NatWest International Island Games XVII in Gibraltar.
Beyond the court, the Caymanian baller continued to break barriers by securing a major Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreement with the California State University Northridge during the 2025-26 season, which was reportedly worth just under US$100,000.
Looking ahead, O’Garro said, “My main goals are to simply get better at basketball and all aspects of my game. I want to prove that I can get reasonable minutes that affect winning and most importantly, I want my team to know that I can help us win at any cost.”
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