So when the Basketball Africa League began its second season on March 5 at Dakar Arena, it was only fitting that Mutombo was there representing the foundation of African basketball. “He is truly invaluable,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said of Mutombo. “He has been incredible. He’s been an ambassador, not only a global ambassador for the NBA, but he’s been ambassador for this sport in the continent, on the continent and around the world, right? He’s a global ambassador for us, but his presence here means so much because he is what, when young Africans look up to [an NBA player], they look up to Dikembe because he did it. He did it [at] the highest level.”
Tag: Africa
Stern — who understood the importance …
Stern — who understood the importance of promoting the NBA to the world by playing exhibition games in Europe, getting games on television in China and spreading Basketball Without Borders programs all over the world — made Mutombo the NBA’s first global ambassador in 2009. “I believed Stern back then because he had the capacity and the knowledge to make things happen,” Mutombo said of the former commissioner, who died in 2020. “He was a very smart man who wanted to rule the continent. I’m so happy that our commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum [are] following [in Stern’s] footsteps very well. They are committed to the promise David made to see the continent shine.”
“I knew who he was,” Antetokounmpo, …
“I knew who he was,” Antetokounmpo, whose parents are Nigerian, said to Andscape. “He came and approached me. Huge guy. He said: ‘You got to make sure you take care of your body. You have to make sure you are coachable. You have to make sure you ice. You have to make sure you sleep.’ He was giving me advice on how I was going to prolong my career in the league. “He said: ‘A lot of people come into the league with great talent but they don’t last long. They’re not healthy. The average of being in the NBA is four years. How do you beat that?’ That’s the first step. He said never leave the arena or practice facility without icing your knees and ankles and take care of your body. Since then, I’ve done it every single day.”
Did the NBA have to explain to Europe, …
Did the NBA have to explain to Europe, to Latin America, to Asia, why they started a league in Africa first? Did the NBA get any pushback about it? Mark Tatum: I don’t think so. I think, you know, we’re making investments in a lot of different places. Africa is unique. Africa is special in that we create our own entity around it, but the case is compelling. And I don’t think when you hear the case as to why we’re doing it, there’s no disputing that it makes a lot of sense.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said …
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said Pack and Harrington becoming coaches in the BAL could play a role in them one day getting a head coach opportunity in the NBA. “It’s a great opportunity and great journey for two former players to go to the African league and help,” Kidd said. “Robert has been coaching, but to be a head coach is a little different. It’s a great journey and they will come back better. And one day they will be in this seat as head coaches.”
Perhaps one day Robert Pack will get …
Perhaps one day Robert Pack will get his opportunity to be a head coach in the NBA or at an American college. But as he gazed from his hotel balcony in the city of Kigali, Rwanda, the former NBA player and assistant coach said all he was focused on was the opportunity the Basketball Africa League gave him to finally be a head coach. “I’m here, and I want to take full advantage,” Pack told Andscape. “I don’t want to think about something else because then I can’t give all of myself to these young guys and take in the full experience of me being a head coach. They can’t get the best from me if my mind is elsewhere. So right now, I’m fully locked into helping these guys reach the highest level, both individually and as a unit. And after that, I’ll think about that.
Pack joins Al Harrington, who is an …
Pack joins Al Harrington, who is an assistant coach with the South Africa Cape Town Tigers, as the only two former NBA players coaching in the 12-team league. “I’m always in the mode of teaching, especially people that really want to learn the game and then at the same time compete,” Pack said. “So, I thought it was a chance for me to grow as a coach and get an opportunity to be a head coach.”
Marc J. Spears: Former NBA guard and …
The second edition of the Basketball …
The second edition of the Basketball Africa League [BAL] is set to tip off in Dakar, Senegal, on March 5, with the 12 competing teams confirmed and defending champions Zamalek returning. The group phase will take place in Dakar (Sahara Conference – March 5-15th) and in Cairo (Nile Conference – April 9-19th) before the tournament moves to Kigali for the playoffs from May 21-28th. Last year, with the tournament taking place over two weeks in Rwanda due to COVID-19, Egypt’s Zamalek beat Tunisia’s US Monastir in the final, becoming the first NBA-affiliated African club champions.
The National Basketball Association …
The National Basketball Association Inc.’s plan to tap African fans and new players in the world’s most youthful continent spurred billionaire Prem Watsa-backed private equity firm to invest in the franchise at a valuation of $1 billion. Helios Fairfax Partners Corp. took a small stake in the U.S. sport’s African entity last year — at first glance a curious choice for a firm that has broadly focused on telecoms through Helios Towers Plc or gas stations via Vivo Energy Plc.