Holly Winterburn Bio
Holly Winterburn is a British professional basketball player who competes for Athinaikos in the Greek Women’s Basketball League and represents the Great Britain women’s national basketball team. A versatile guard, she rose to prominence in British women’s basketball before taking her game international and winning a major European title with the London Lions. In April 2024, she helped the London Lions become the first British team ever to lift a European trophy by winning the FIBA EuroCup Women championship.
After her time with the London Lions, Winterburn continued her international journey with Beşiktaş JK in Turkey before joining Athinaikos in Greece. She is widely regarded as one of the leading British players of her generation and has earned multiple honors in the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL). At 180 cm tall, Winterburn combines size with perimeter skill, a profile that has drawn attention from clubs across Europe and a brief look from a WNBA organization.
Early Life and Background
Holly Winterburn was born on 1 October 2000 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Growing up in England, she developed her love for basketball in local clubs and school programs, eventually attending Quinton House School and Charnwood College. These formative experiences helped shape her understanding of the game and built the foundation for her competitive career.
Beyond her secondary schooling, Winterburn pursued higher education in tandem with her playing career. She attended Loughborough University and later the University of East London before transferring to the University of Oregon, where she joined the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball program in the United States. Her academic path reflects a player committed to balancing elite-level competition with strong personal development off the court.
Path to Professional Basketball
Winterburn began her senior career with the Leicester Riders in 2015 at a young age. She quickly established herself as a rising talent in the WBBL, earning the WBBL Young Player of the Year award multiple times during her first spell with the Riders. Her early performances signaled her potential and laid the groundwork for a move abroad.
In 2019, Winterburn took her game to the NCAA, joining the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team at the University of Oregon. The move gave her exposure to high-level collegiate competition in the United States and allowed her to refine her skill set against top-tier opposition. After completing her college season, she returned to England to continue her professional journey.
Holly Winterburn Career
Early Career at Leicester Riders (2015–2019)
Holly Winterburn’s first professional chapter began with the Leicester Riders in 2015. She played a key role in the team’s success in domestic competitions, helping the Riders lift the Betty Codona Trophy in both 2018 and 2019. Her poise and competitive edge earned her the WBBL Young Player of the Year award in 2018 and 2019, establishing her reputation as one of the brightest young players in British basketball.
Her development at Leicester was steady and consistent, and she became known for her scoring touch and court vision. By the end of her first stint with the Riders, Winterburn had firmly placed herself among the top homegrown talents in the country.
NCAA Stint at Oregon Ducks (2019–2020)
In 2019, Holly Winterburn joined the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball program at the University of Oregon. Competing in the NCAA gave her the chance to test herself against some of the best collegiate players in the world. Her single season in the United States broadened her tactical understanding and elevated her physical conditioning.
The Oregon experience proved valuable as a bridge between British domestic basketball and the broader European stage. After her year at Oregon, Winterburn returned to England ready for the next phase of her career.
Return to Leicester Riders and Move to London Lions (2020–2024)
Winterburn briefly returned to the Leicester Riders in 2020 before signing with the London Lions in 2021. With the Lions, she emerged as a leading figure in the WBBL and won the Betty Codona Trophy again in 2022, 2023, and 2024. She also collected WBBL Cup winners’ medals in 2022 and 2023 and helped the team claim the WBBL League Championship and WBBL Play-off Championship across the same span.
Her standout moment arrived in April 2024, when the London Lions defeated Beşiktaş JK to win the FIBA EuroCup Women title. The victory made the Lions the first British team ever to win a European basketball trophy, and Winterburn was an integral part of that historic campaign. She also added a third WBBL Young Player of the Year honor in 2021 during this prolific period.
Beşiktaş JK and Athinaikos Era (2024–Present)
Following the EuroCup triumph, Winterburn moved to Turkey to join Beşiktaş JK for the 2024–2025 season. Her time in Istanbul expanded her experience in one of Europe’s top women’s leagues and continued her winning trajectory. On 5 February 2025, the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA announced that they had signed Winterburn to a training camp contract for the upcoming season under the rookie scale. However, on 7 April 2025, it was announced that she would miss the 2025 WNBA season due to an injury.
Winterburn then took the next step in her career by joining Athinaikos of the Greek Women’s Basketball League. She continues to be a key contributor for the Greek side while also representing Great Britain on the international stage. Her recent seasons underline her standing as a proven winner at the club level.
Playing Style and Strengths
At 180 cm, Holly Winterburn offers a combination of size, perimeter skill, and basketball intelligence. She is comfortable operating from the guard positions, reading the floor, and creating scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates. Her career arc, marked by awards at a young age and senior trophies across multiple countries, points to a player whose strengths lie in consistency, composure under pressure, and an ability to perform on big stages.
Notable Events and Milestones
The defining milestone of Holly Winterburn’s career came in April 2024, when the London Lions became the first British team to win a European basketball trophy by lifting the FIBA EuroCup Women title. Beyond that continental triumph, she has won multiple WBBL League, Cup, Play-off, and Betty Codona trophies with the London Lions and Leicester Riders. Her selection by the Atlanta Dream in early 2025, even though injury kept her out of the season, marked a significant acknowledgment of her talent at the global level.
Holly Winterburn Career Wins
Holly Winterburn has compiled an impressive trophy collection across British and European basketball. Her most celebrated achievement is the 2024 FIBA EuroCup Women championship with the London Lions. She has also won multiple WBBL titles, cups, and individual awards across spells with the Leicester Riders and London Lions.
Domestic and European Highlights
With the Leicester Riders, Holly Winterburn won the WBBL Betty Codona Trophy in 2018 and 2019. She then added further Betty Codona Trophy wins in 2022, 2023, and 2024 with the London Lions. In the same period, she collected WBBL Cup winners’ medals in 2022 and 2023 and helped the London Lions secure the WBBL League Championship and WBBL Play-off Championship in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Her biggest club achievement arrived in April 2024, when the London Lions defeated Beşiktaş JK to win the FIBA EuroCup Women title, becoming the first British team ever to win a European trophy. Across her career, Winterburn has also been named the WBBL Young Player of the Year in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Other Performances
Beyond her silverware, Winterburn has represented Great Britain at senior international level and was part of the squad that qualified for EuroBasket Women 2025 with a 75-58 win over Denmark. Her international experience includes her 2024–2025 season with Beşiktaş JK in Turkey, where she continued to compete at a high European level before joining Athinaikos in Greece.
| Competition | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| FIBA EuroCup Women | 1 | 2024 |
| WBBL League Champion | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| WBBL Play-off Champion | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| WBBL Cup Winner | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| WBBL Betty Codona Trophy | 5 | 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| WBBL Young Player of the Year | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
Holly Winterburn Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Public information about Holly Winterburn’s family background is limited. She was raised in Northampton, United Kingdom, and developed her basketball foundation before moving into elite-level competition as a teenager. Details about her parents and immediate family are not widely documented in verified sources.
Personal Life
Beyond her academic and athletic commitments, Winterburn has pursued higher education alongside her playing career, attending Loughborough University, the University of East London, and the University of Oregon. She is known for her dedication to balancing professional sport with studies. There is no widely verified public information regarding a spouse or children.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been a transitional and challenging year for Holly Winterburn. After signing a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA in February 2025, she was unable to take the court in the league after it was announced on 7 April 2025 that she would miss the season due to injury. Despite this setback, she joined Athinaikos of the Greek Women’s Basketball League and continues to play at a high European level.
On the international stage, Winterburn was part of the Great Britain squad that secured qualification for EuroBasket Women 2025 with a 75-58 victory over Denmark. The qualification underlined her continued importance to the national team setup and provided a bright note in an otherwise injury-hit year.
Looking ahead, Winterburn’s focus will be on recovering full fitness and reestablishing herself as a dominant presence for both Athinaikos and Great Britain. With her track record of winning trophies in England and Europe, she remains one of the most decorated British basketball players of her era and a central figure for the national team’s ambitions on the continental stage.