Africa is next!

FIBA and NBA celebrate another memorable
Basketball Without Borders in Johannesburg

 

JOHANNESBURG (Basketball Without Borders) - 'Africa is next' was the message that came out loud and clear from the 2018 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa, hosted by FIBA and the NBA in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 1-4.

The continent has a wealth of young basketball talents and everything has to be put in place at all levels - continental, regional, national and local - so that the most promising players can measure themselves against the world's best in top leagues and lead the way so that national teams from Africa can regularly compete and contend on the biggest stages, including at FIBA Basketball World Cups and Olympic Games.

This much was said and endorsed by FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA Deputy Commissioner and FIBA Executive Committee Member Mark Tatum, who were present at the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ) as it hosted the 16th African edition of the NBA and FIBA's global basketball development and community outreach program.

Also on hand to represent the FIBA Family were FIBA Africa President and FIBA Vice President Hamane Niang and FIBA Executive Director Africa Alphonse Bile.

"We're extremely pleased with how this latest Basketball Without Borders camp has turned out," said Baumann. "The partnership between FIBA and the NBA is going from strength to strength with each of these camps and it's always a privilege to positively impact the lives of young, promising players from across the African continent, on and off the court. We take this responsibility very seriously. We're also pleased that, through an ever-growing range of activities, we can do our part in supporting Johannesburg, South Africa and the African continent at large."

Silver shared one of his favorite moments from his time in Johannesburg.

"The Basketball Without Borders camp was spectacular. I had the opportunity, with Patrick, to address the young campers and that was a thrill for me. It's one of the most exciting parts of my job to talk to young players. You could just see the enthusiasm and excitement in their eyes as they were being addressed by us and other legendary coaches and players."

A total of 78 campers - 53 boys and 25 girls - from 30 African countries were put through their paces by current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players and coaches. The emphasis was on movement efficiency, positional skill development, shooting and skills competitions and 5-on-5 games. Over the course of the four days, the campers also learned valuable lessons off the court, thanks to daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication.

The camp also provided opportunities for FIBA and the NBA to work together in passing on their extensive knowledge and experience to local stakeholders of the game thanks to a series of coaches' clinics and a first-ever referees' camp.

After a first day of skills development and evaluation scrimmages, the players were drafted into six boys teams and three girls teams, which then played games before the knockout action took center stage on Friday. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Celtics 23-11 to win the boys' tournament, while the Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky 24-18 to take top honors in the girls' competition.

Saturday, August 4, saw the All-Star Games for both boys and girls, with the Grey/East team beating the Black/West team in both contests, the boys winning by a score of 31-28 and the girls 25-23.

Boys

Grit award: Samuel Ariyibi (Nigeria)
High Flyer award: Ibou Badji (Senegal)
Three-point contest winner: Paul Victor Tako (South Sudan)
Boys All-Star Game MVP: Kurt-Curry Wegscheider (Central African Republic)
Boys Camp MVP: Amar Sylla (Senegal)

Girls

Grit award: Djessira Diawara (Mali)
Sportsmanship award: Meriem Moualek (Algeria)
Three-point contest winner: Fatou Thiam (Senegal)
All-Star Game MVP: Ifunanya Glory Nwachukwu (Nigeria)
Camp MVP: Chana Maria Paxixe (Mozambique)

2018 Basketball Without Borders Africa MVPs (from left to right): Ifunanya Glory Nwachukwu (Nigeria), Kurt-Curry Wegscheider (Central African Republic), Chana Maria Paxixe (Mozambique) and Amar Sylla (Senegal)

Off the courts, the NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, coaches, legends, executives and guests made an impact in the community through activities organized as part of NBA Cares - the NBA's global social responsibility program - and initiatives in partnership with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)'s Foundation. This included lending a hand in building 10 homes in Johannesburg’s township of Lawley with Habitat for Humanity South Africa.

Baumann and Silver took part in the second NBA Africa Innovation Summit, which brought together leaders from business, entertainment, philanthropy, sports, social entrepreneurship, technology and youth development to share and discuss innovative ways of empowering and inspiring youth to drive positive social change in Africa.

NBA global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo and Serge Ibaka of the Toronto Raptors shared their inspirational stories and discussed the power of dreams and discipline to pursue them. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Carmelo Anthony of the USA and South Sudan native Luol Deng spoke about investing in people and bringing hope to communities.

"We heard from business leaders, NBA players like Luol Deng and Serge Ibaka who of course are from Africa but also NBA players like Carmelo Anthony who talked about investments he's making, not just in South Africa but across the continent," Silver said.

After the camp concluded, the attention shifted to the NBA Africa Game 2018, played in the Sun Arena at Time Square in Pretoria, South Africa.

In honor of the centenary of the late Nelson Mandela, South Africa's president from 1994-1999, the third edition of the contest was played in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

The World team came away with a 96-92 win and Danilo Gallinari - a BWB Europe 2003 graduate - was named the game's MVP.

The 2018 season of Basketball Without Borders will conclude with BWB Europe, which takes place in Belgrade, Serbia, from August 15-18.

FIBA