BASKETBALL, AN AMERICAN LEGACY, ENHANCED BY AFRICAN PLAYERS
BY DELFINA STUZYNSKA
Basketball enjoys widespread popularity around the world just like soccer. It attracts a diverse pool of talents, uniting people from different cultures and backgrounds while creating passionate fan bases for both clubs and individual players.
In the United States, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is considered one of the top three sports leagues, and its global recognition has been growing, largely due to its recruitment of players from around the world.
According to the NBA, a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories were on opening-night rosters for the 2023-24 season. This marks the third consecutive season that opening-night rosters featured at least 120 international players and the 10th straight season that opening-night rosters had at least 100 international players. All 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player.
The African diaspora community and people of African descent have made significant impact on the NBA over the years. As stated by the Association, there were 15 players from Africa on the opening-night rosters while 35 players had at least one parent from an African country.
Starting with Hakeem Olajuwon, a native of Nigeria, and Dikembe Mutombo from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – they both played in the NBA in the ‘80s and ‘90s, had outstanding records, and they popularized basketball across Africa.
Most notably, “Hakeem the Dream” left indelible footprints on the game. He was named the Most Outstanding Player in 1983, Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1994 and 1995, was selected to NBA All Star games twelve times, and held the NBA record for blocked shots (3,830). With 26,946 points and 13,748 rebounds during his career, he was formally enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
The Miami Heat Basketball team has had its own fair share of recruiting African players, particularly from Nigeria, with Precious Achiuwa, Bam Adebayo, Andre Iguodala, K. Z. Okpala, Victor Oladipo, and Gabe Vincent, all having one or both parents originally from Nigeria, thereby making Miami a hub for grooming African talents in basketball and creating a strong tie with the continent.
Like Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo, these young talents currently playing in the NBA are striving to make their own lasting impressions and to build a legacy for themselves.
Bam Adebayo, since his selection by Miami Heat in the 2017 NBA draft, he has earned three NBA All-Star selections, recognized four times on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and played a key role in Heat’s NBA Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023. Additionally, he secured a gold medal with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo.
Luckily, some of these players have not lost touch with their roots as they often find ways to connect with their heritage and give back to the community that raised them. Bam Adebayo recently demonstrated his affection for Africa by imparting skills, strategies, and sharing valuable life lessons with 80 most talented high school basketball players across Africa who convened in Johannesburg, South Africa for Basketball Without Border Games.
According to Adebayo in an interview with ESPN, “For me, it was really about helping these kids in South Africa. Getting to connect through heritage, tribe or whatever it may be, and getting to help these kids is the biggest thing for me.”
