Wednesday’s launch was no different as the players threw longing glances at the legends there, while said legends looked wistfully at the youngsters. Kareem Adbul-Jabbar and Dikembe Mutombo were in the house on Day 1 of BWB and there was a real buzz in the hall at the American International School in Johannesburg. Team Africa players, Team World players, and BWB campers from across the continent were in awe and tried to sneak a few pictures in before the serious business of training took place.
The morning’s proceedings kicked off with the campers, boys and girls from across Africa, listening to some sage advice from both dignitaries and NBA legends and officials. The pre-event chat is a long-held tradition in Johburg with camp director and Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri a particular believer in the transference of wisdom.
It’s an almost intimate affair away from the prying eyes of media and any other interlopers who would steal the attention of the all-important campers. Once done, the media got its chance to hear what the dignitaries had to say as South African minister of sport and recreation Tokozile Xasa, Amadou Gallo Fall, NBA vice president and managing director, Africa, Patrick Baumann, general secretary of FIBA, Bismack Biyombo, Team Africa co-captain, and NBA global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo all spoke.
The addresses were profound and poignant, touching on the importance of events like Basketball Without Borders for youth development, the impact of sports on the African continent and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. It’s the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth and the week leading up to the NBA Africa Game 2018, and the game itself, will pay homage to the struggle icon’s legacy.
For Amadou Gallo Fall, the impact of BWB and the NBA Africa Game cannot be overstated as he was inspired by “the commitment of our players and coaches and the entire NBA family, to donate their time every year to come to Africa and work with young people across gender”. The camp is also about closing a loop, he said, with so many success stories evolving from the Basketball Without Borders program over the years in players such as Luc Mbah a Moute of the LA Clippers, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors.
“When we look at these players from Africa who are increasingly making their mark in the league, we had Joel Embiid, for example, voted as a starter in the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Pascal Siakam playing a major role in having the Toronto Raptors as the No 1 in the Eastern Conference last year, Luc Mbah a Moute playing for one of the top teams in the Western Conference as a starter. The list can go on and on. To see these role models now from the continent, and some of these guys have been in this camp as campers, starting with Luc, Joel, with Pascal, with Gorgui and they’ve talked about it. With 10 players having been drafted out of this camp and also the work we do in the community, this is something that we are deeply proud of.”
Basketball Without Borders is the beginning of the week leading up to the NBA Africa Game, but it could also be seen as the beginning of the professional careers for some of the young campers.
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