Wheelchair basketball player Tyler Baines is aiming to become a back-to-back Commonwealth Games medallist at Glasgow 2026, this time representing a different country. The 24-year-old won a bronze medal with Team England at Birmingham 2022 but will now compete for Team Scotland’s 3x3 squad.
Baines was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, but his Scottish heritage allows him to switch allegiances. “My granddad is Scottish and a lot of my family live in Scotland,” Baines said. “It’s a home Games, so all my family get to see me play. Last time, it was unbelievable coming out to the home crowd. It’s a mad feeling.”
At just three years old, Baines was involved in a car accident in Spain and was told he would never walk again. He took up wheelchair basketball at age 10 and made his GB U17 debut at 13. “I started back in my hometown at a multi-sport event and ever since I just fell in love with it,” he said. He played for Lancaster, moved to Manchester, played professionally in Spain, and then returned to Manchester.
Baines highlights the differences between the traditional five-on-five game and the 3x3 format, which debuted at Birmingham 2022. “Five-on-five is a whole different atmosphere compared to three-on-three. Although it is the same, it’s totally different. I would class it as a different sport really,” he said. “Switching is not really difficult. It’s just getting used to the rules and the ball size.”
In Glasgow this July, Baines hopes to improve on his bronze medal from 2022. “It’s amazing. You get to see everyone, meet new people, speak to all these other athletes, watch other sports, learn about other sports. It’s amazing that it’s all a multi-sport event,” he said. “I’m really happy that I’ve been selected. It was a tough selection, and I just can’t wait to get started.”
