At 6ft 9ins with size 15 shoes and a smile that lights up a room, Will Wise is hard to miss. But it's not his towering presence that's making waves across the UK—it's what he's building from the ground up.

When the Philadelphia native and former professional basketball player received a stage four cancer diagnosis, he faced a choice: step back or step up. True to form, Will chose the latter, founding CancerBae, a movement that's flipping the script on both youth sport and cancer awareness, one tournament at a time.

More Than Just a Tournament

The CancerBae Classic isn't your typical youth basketball event. This global youth basketball series gives under-12s teams from the UK, US, and Europe a platform to showcase their talent, but it goes far deeper than the scoreboard.

Will has created something urgently needed: a genuinely inclusive space in youth sport. With reverse-integrated wheelchair divisions, a dedicated girls' competition, and programming specifically designed for under-12s, the Classic addresses a glaring gap in UK sports infrastructure.

The statistics are sobering. Only 8% of UK youth sports funding goes to girls, and 1.3 million UK girls drop out of sport after primary school. Disabled children are twice as likely to be excluded from physical activity altogether. Meanwhile, basketball which 1.2 million UK children play weekly has no national competition model for under-12s.

"Too many children are left out of traditional sports, especially girls, disabled children, and under-12s," Will explains. "Yet these are the very groups who benefit most from connection, confidence, and representation."

From Courts to Conversations

What makes the Classic truly revolutionary is how it weaves cancer awareness into the fabric of the event. This isn't about tacking on a fundraising element, it's about creating a space where difficult conversations happen naturally, early, and without shame.

The tournament features cancer storytelling workshops, "Speak Up" platforms, and education built directly into the event experience. Will describes CancerBae as "a new age charity focused on changing the stigma surrounding cancer," one that blends youth sports and cancer awareness to change the game both on and off the court.

"The inspiration came from two places," Will reflects. "The silence I felt after my diagnosis, and the countless young players I've coached who never saw themselves reflected in mainstream sport."

Building Something That Lasts

The numbers tell a story of rapid growth. This year's Classic at the University of Essex (28-31 August) has expanded to include a girls' division alongside the boys', doubled down on a fundraising partnership with Cancer Research UK, and secured multiple new sponsors. Looking ahead, there's a US pilot scheduled for summer 2026 at The Hun School of Princeton (Will's alma mater) and plans for a Sixth Form Academy to support older players.

But Will's vision stretches far beyond the next tournament. In five years, he wants the Classic to be the UK's leading inclusive youth tournament, with divisions for girls, under-12s, and wheelchair users as standard, not afterthoughts. He's developing a school outreach model and a digital archive of cancer stories, creating tools and inspiration for young people everywhere.

"I see us becoming a movement that reshapes how youth sport and health education intersect," he says, noting that 81% of adolescents globally aren't active enough and early access to positive sport experiences can change everything.

The Bigger Picture

Will's friends and family describe him as "the giant with the big smile and an even bigger heart." He's spiritual, loves crystals, and brings an infectious energy to everything he touches. His social media presence (@WillWise24 on both Instagram and TikTok) showcases not just his tournament work, but his journey as what he calls a "Cancer Thriver" and "Hope Dealer."

CancerBae represents something bigger than basketball or even cancer awareness. It's about refusing to accept that any child should be left behind. It's about using sport's unique power to reach children from less affluent and racially diverse backgrounds. It's about proving that inclusion isn't a nice-to-have, it's essential.

And it's working. With partnerships, sponsors, and a growing community rallying behind the cause, the CancerBae Classic is becoming exactly what Will envisioned: a space where young people feel seen, where cancer conversations lose their stigma, and where sport lives up to its promise as a vehicle for positive change.

It's this authenticity that resonates. Will isn't hiding his lived experience—he's weaponising it for good, turning what could have been a barrier into a bridge. For a man who describes his cancer journey as "shocking, scary, spontaneous and amazing," Will Wise isn't just surviving, he's thriving. And he's bringing thousands of young people along for the ride.

Want to get involved? Visit CancerBae.org.uk, follow @WillWise24 on Instagram and TikTok, or email will@cancerbae.com