KIGALI, Rwanda — Comedian Dave Chappelle, Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri and former National Basketball Association All Star Luol Deng all appeared at the Basketball Africa League championship weekend. The three-day stretch in Rwanda’s capital city was supposed to mirror…
The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism
From D.C. to Dakar, basketball connections stretch over the Atlantic
KIGALI, Rwanda – On June 1, African basketball fans packed DK Arena in Rwanda’s capital city to witness the apex of the sport on their continent. It was the championship game of the Basketball Africa League, a league established by…
Dealing with diabetes: African prospect balances condition with NBA dreams
SALY, Senegal – At halftime of Game 1 of the NBA finals, Seifeldin Hendawy paused mid-conversation and reached into his pocket. The NBA Academy Africa star, watching the game on TV, pulled out an insulin pen, a necessity for managing…
NBA Academy Africa stresses fundamentals in developing talent
SALY, Senegal – Ten players, dressed in blue-and-white NBA Academy jerseys, took their positions on the court. They set up with five players on defense and five on offense, ready to work on their defensive sets, specifically how to defend…
At NBA Academy Africa, academics prepare students for life beyond basketball
SALY, Senegal – A large bubble surrounds two full sized basketball courts in the heart of this beach town just over 50 miles from the country’s capital in Dakar. In the morning and in the evenings approximately 20 young men…
How NBA Academy Africa fuels the future of basketball
SALY, Senegal — Gaetan Teumgue Wafo, a 16-year-old, 6-foot-11 power forward/center from Cameroon, first picked up a basketball in 2021. Now at NBA Academy Africa, Wafo has made significant strides in his physical development with help from the academy’s focus…
NBA Academy Africa newcomers find common ground in unfamiliar world
SALY, Senegal — It’s tough being the new kid. But 17-year-old Zie Cheick Hassan Conde was just that when he arrived at NBA Academy Africa in September 2023. The 6-foot-8 wing was the only player from the Ivory Coast —…
Five things to know about the NBA Academy Africa
The NBA Academy Africa opened in Saly, Senegal, in 2018. It houses elite basketball players from Africa to train in preparation for a collegiate or professional career. From inside the gym to notable academy alums, here are five things to…
At NBA Academy Africa, a commitment to supporting the youngest players
SALY, Senegal — Seifeldin Hendawy traveled to this coastal resort town when he was 16 years old. Over three thousand miles away from his home in Egypt, Hendawy chased a dream of a professional basketball career at NBA Academy Africa.…
African basketball’s changing of the guard
SALY, Senegal – Joel Embiid, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo. These are the elite African professional basketball players that National Basketball Association fans have known over the decades, towering big men who dominate the low post on both ends of the…
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