Ovie Soko will retire from professional basketball tonight as London Lions captain face Cheshire Phoenix in the Super League play-off final at the O2 Arena. The 34-year-old’s spotlight has ranged from NBA dreams and a trophy-laden Lions spell to Love Island fa
Ovie Soko will draw the curtain on his professional basketball career tonight. as he leads London Lions into the Super League play-off final against Cheshire Phoenix.. The game starts at 4.30pm at the O2 Arena. and the moment has the feel of a final act designed to land exactly where he wants it to: on a high.
For the 34-year-old captain, the stakes are clear even as the ending is already written.. London Lions are set for their playoff final. and Soko is hoping to cap a glittering run with one more statement result.. Win or lose. he will step away knowing that life beyond the final buzzer is waiting. with 1.4 million followers on Instagram and a long list of brand partnerships that include ASOS. Louboutin and Mercedes F1.
Basketball has always been the dream, and his path into it began long before the cameras and contracts.. As a teenager, he left London to finish high school with the goal of breaking into the NBA.. He has said he didn’t start playing basketball until about 12 or 13. admitting at the time that he faced a choice because he had also loved soccer.. But as he grew taller. basketball won out. and his goal hardened into the belief that he needed to challenge himself at the highest level by going to America where “the best players are.”
Soko’s high school dominance was followed by a more difficult transition to college. described as more physical than the experience in the United Kingdom.. After a season with the Duquesne Dukes. he entered the 2014 NBA Draft. when college players can be picked up by one of the 30 best teams in the country. but he was not selected.. From there, his career moved across France, Italy, Spain and Japan, alongside two stints with the London Lions.
When he announced his retirement, he summed up the journey without dressing it up: “The ups, the downs, the lessons, the relationships and miles travelled, I would not change a thing.” He added, “Grateful I did it my way.”
Even with basketball set as his direction of travel. Soko’s profile changed in the public eye long before his final season ended.. He is a 2019 Love Island finalist. known for standing out among male headline-snatchers on the show as many viewers felt he came across as more understated. emotionally intelligent and authentic.. He also had a popular “message” catchphrase referencing the 1996 Wayans Brothers film Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood.
At Casa Amor, he reached the final alongside India Reynolds, with whom he later split up after the show.. He later admitted he didn’t understand how influential Love Island could be when he first signed up.. He explained that he watched only one or two episodes because friends told him another participant. Alexandria. was on TV. and said that once he got into the villa. the cameras became part of the rhythm: “After three or four days you forget.”
Soko’s return to the sport has also been shaped by timing and injury.. The plan had been to go back to basketball.. He said: “The plan was to always go back to ball. ” and recalled that before he went into the villa. his only stipulation was that his basketball contract would still be negotiable while he was there because his agent needed to be able to call someone and tell him what offers were available.. His next steps after the Love Island moment were also described as uncertain; during a 19-month hiatus from playing amid injury struggles. he dipped a toe into punditry and podcasting before returning to the Lions in 2024.
There are still tensions around what “next” will look like, especially given the world watching him now.. Last year. Love Island All Stars’ executive producer Mike Spencer let slip that he wanted Soko on the show. only for him to be snubbed. leaving the possibility of future TV appearances up in the air.. Soko himself has suggested his priorities lie elsewhere. and he has said his Christian faith and bond with his family have helped keep him grounded.
He told The Sun in 2021: “I ask my mum.. I go to my dad.. I’ve got a big brother who I lean on for advice. I’ve got a group of friends that I bounce ideas off of and friends who will let me know if they think I’ve got it wrong in certain situations.. And I pray.” He added: “Sometimes we try to be too smart as humans. and we don’t have all the answers.. Science doesn’t know everything.. Technology isn’t 100 per cent perfect.. I reach out to God, see what advice he can help me out with.. I’m a Christian.”
He continued by saying he tries to frame answers so “everyone can take something from,” appreciating that not everyone shares the same beliefs but that “there’s principles that can help everyone regardless of your beliefs.”
The picture that emerges across the different chapters is built from repeating sequences: before the villa he made sure his basketball contract could still be negotiated. after the NBA Draft disappointment his path stretched across France. Italy. Spain and Japan before returning for two Lions spells. and even after injury interrupted his career he came back in 2024—each time. the next step stayed connected to “the ball thing.”
Tonight’s match is set to be the final line in that chapter. with Soko drawing the curtain at the O2 Arena as London Lions face Cheshire Phoenix at 4.30pm.. After that. the exact shape of what follows remains unclear. but the footprint he has already built—across sport. television and the everyday reach of social media—ensures he won’t be disappearing the moment the buzzer sounds.
Ovie Soko London Lions Cheshire Phoenix Super League play-off final O2 Arena basketball retirement Love Island 2019 India Reynolds Duquesne Dukes 2014 NBA Draft
So he’s retiring like… tonight? Wild.
Love Island fa Ovie Soko?? I didn’t even know he was basketball. Thought he was just a reality show guy lol. Also 1.4 million Insta followers is crazy.
Wait the article says London Lions vs Cheshire Phoenix at the O2 Arena at 4:30pm… but isn’t the O2 in London like usually concerts? I’m confused if this is the same O2 where singers go. Either way, if he’s really done after this then good for him I guess. Not sure how he’s gonna “challenge himself” in the NBA if he already quit before it happened.
This reads like he’s retiring AND winning a trophy no matter what because it says the ending is “already written.” Like come on, that’s jinxing it. Also the ASOS, Louboutin, Mercedes F1 brand stuff… basketball people really be selling everything now. I just hope the final buzzer doesn’t come with like a scandal or something because “spotlight” and “curtain” sounds dramatic.