Senegal to host Basketball Without Borders Africa 17
The National Basketball
Association (NBA) (www.NBA.com), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
(FIBA.basketball) and the Senegalese Basketball Federation have announced that
Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa 2019 will take place Sunday, July 28 –
Wednesday, July 31 in Senegal at The NBA Academy Africa in Saly
(https://on.nba.com/2LIlq4d) and at the Dakar Arena in Dakar.
BWB Africa 2019 will bring
together the top male and female players ages 17 and under from all over Africa
to learn directly from current and former NBA and FIBA players, coaches and
legends and to compete against the best young players from the continent.
It will also include NBA Cares
and Jr. NBA outreach efforts in partnership with local community organizations.
“Bringing the 17th edition of the
Basketball Without Borders Africa camp to Senegal speaks to our commitment to
expanding our footprint across the continent,” said NBA Africa Managing
Director and Basketball Africa League President, Amadou Gallo Fall. “With grassroots basketball development
remaining at the core of our strategy to grow the game across Africa, BWB
remains our flagship development and community outreach initiative where
Africa’s most talented youth have an opportunity to develop as players and
learn important life skills they will carry with them for the rest of their
lives.”
“FIBA and the NBA have teamed up
for several years to organize activities to boost the development of youth
basketball in Africa. Those initiatives are very important for the continent,”
said FIBA Africa Executive Director, Alphonse BilĂ©. “I hope that some of the participants in this
BWB camp will one day play in the new jointly created Basketball Africa League
and benefit from this fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents in this
continental league.”
“We are excited to host this
year’s Basketball Without Borders Africa camp and welcome FIBA and the NBA back
to Senegal,” said Senegal Basketball Federation President, Babacar Ndiaye. “We look forward to the great week of
basketball and to showcasing our city and the state-of-the-art Dakar Arena.”
BWB Africa has previously been
held in South Africa (2003-2009; 2011-2015; 2017-2018), Senegal (2010) and
Angola (2016). More than 1,100 players
from more than 30 African countries have participated in the NBA and FIBA’s
global basketball development and community outreach program, with 10 former
BWB Africa campers drafted into the NBA, including 2019 NBA Champion Pascal
Siakam (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012), two-time NBA All-Star Joel
Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), Luc Mbah a Moute
(formerly of the LA Clippers; Cameroon, BWB Africa 2003) and Gorgui Dieng
(Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal; BWB Africa 2009).
NIKE, a global partner of BWB
since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with NIKE apparel and footwear.
The NBA and FIBA have staged 59
BWB camps in 38 cities in 30 countries on six continents. BWB has hosted more than 3,500 participants
from 129 countries and territories. More
than 290 current and former NBA and WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA
team personnel from all 30 NBA teams, with 68 former BWB campers drafted into
the NBA or signed as free agents.
In February, the NBA and FIBA announced
their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League (https://on.nba.com/2Lblfz8),
a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa scheduled
to begin play next year.
The NBA has a long history in
Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in
2010. Opening-night rosters for the
2018-19 season featured 13 African-born players, and there are more than 80
current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the
continent, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Hakeem
Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo).
This year, the NBA plans to reach
more than 2.5 million boys and girls ages 16 and under through Jr. NBA programs
in 21 African countries. Since The NBA
Academy Africa opened in May 2017 (https://on.nba.com/2YH6G9u), 25 elite male
prospects ages 14-20 have received scholarships and training after scouting
programs conducted with local federations across the continent. Four NBA Academy Africa graduates have gone
on to commit to NCAA Division 1 schools.
The NBA has held three sold-out
Africa Games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017 and in Pretoria in 2018, in
support of charities including UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS
Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA).
Through NBA Cares, the NBA has created 89 places for children and
families to live, learn and play in nine African countries.
Follow BWB using the hashtag
#BWBAfrica on Facebook and Twitter. BWB
Africa campers and coaches will be announced at a later date.
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