Leicester Riders have completed the signing of American-British guard Julian Mackey ahead of the 2026/27 Super League Basketball season.
Mackey joins the Riders for his rookie professional season following an impressive senior campaign with Florida International University, where he averaged 12.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
The Georgia native, who holds a British passport, began his collegiate career at Georgia State before transferring to Houston Christian University. During the 2024/25 season with the Huskies, Mackey shared the court with fellow new Rider Trent Johnson, and the pair will now reunite in Leicester for the upcoming campaign.
A versatile, athletic three-level scorer, Mackey adds another exciting dimension to the Riders’ new-look backcourt. Comfortable shooting from range, attacking the basket and creating opportunities for himself and his teammates, the guard has demonstrated his scoring ability against some of the strongest competition in NCAA Division I.
One of his standout performances came against LSU, where Mackey came off the bench to score 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including three three-pointers.
Speaking after completing his move to Leicester, Mackey said:
“I am extremely excited and blessed to have the opportunity to come and join the Riders. I can’t wait to get started!”
Head Coach Rob Paternostro is delighted to add Mackey to his squad.
“We’re excited to have Julian join our club. He is a talented player who has certainly shown the ability to put the ball in the basket.
“He gives us a player who can stretch the floor with his shooting, attack the basket and get to the free-throw line. He’s also had experience playing different roles on his teams in college, which gives us real versatility within our team.”
Mackey will join the Riders as they prepare for the 2026/27 Super League Basketball campaign, with supporters getting their first opportunity to see the new-look squad in action on Friday, 11 September, when Leicester host the SLB’s newest franchise, Liverpool Basketball, in pre-season action at the Mattioli Arena.
