JANUARY 2021
A F R I C A N S P O R T S M O N T H L Y . C O M
SPOTLIGHT
“ THE ISSUE IS , MOST AFRICAN YOUTHS SEE THE SPORT AS AMERICAN AND FOR AMERICANS . AND IT STEMS FROM THE AUTHORITIES ’ INABILITY TO EXPOSE KIDS TO THE GAME EARLY ENOUGH . YOU CAN FIND A WHOLE CITY WITHOUT ONE BASKETBALL COMPLEX . THE POLITICAL WILL IS NO THERE BECAUSE THE CROWD IS NOT THERE OR NOT BIG ENOUGH LIKE SOCCER , AND SO THEY TREAT BASKETBALL WITH NEGLIGENCE ”
ABDULAYE FAYE - FORMER SENEGAL BASKETBALL COACH
NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE EQUIPMENTS FOR THE DISCIPLINE REMAIN RARE , LEAVING KIDS WITH NO OTHER CHOICE THAN EMBRACING SOCCER .
DESPITE THE HUGE TALENT POTENTIAL FOR BASKETBALL ON THE CONTINENT THE CULTURE OF THE SPORT APPEARS TO BE EXOTIC TO THE ORDINARY CITIZEN .
“ THE ISSUE IS , MOST AFRICAN YOUTHS SEE THE SPORT AS AMERICAN AND FOR AMERICANS . AND IT STEMS FROM THE AUTHORITIES ’ INABILITY TO EXPOSE KIDS TO THE GAME EARLY ENOUGH . YOU CAN FIND A WHOLE CITY WITHOUT ONE BASKETBALL COMPLEX . THE POLITICAL WILL IS NO THERE BECAUSE THE CROWD IS NOT THERE OR NOT BIG ENOUGH LIKE SOCCER , AND SO THEY TREAT BASKETBALL WITH NEGLIGENCE ,” ABDULAYE FAYE , A FORMER BASKETBALL COACH IN SENEGAL , TELLS ASM .
HOWEVER , BASKETBALL COULD EVENTUALLY MEET MOST OF THE ASPIRATIONS SOCCER IS PURSUING IN OUR COMMUNITIES – MONEY , FAME , FOLLOWERSHIP , POWER , ETC – IF THE REQUIRED ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPORT .
OVER 80 PLAYERS , PAST AND PRESENT , FROM AFRICA HAVE PLIED THEIR TRADE IN THE NBA , EARNING HUGE SUMS OF MONEY THAT SOME SOCCER AFRICAN STARS IN EUROPE NEVER RECEIVE .
CAMEROONIAN JOEL EMBIID , A CENTER FOR THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS , SIGNED A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT WORTH NEARLY $ 150 MILLION IN 2017 .
HE HAS BEEN INVESTING IN SEVERAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS BACK HOME . HE IS AS FAMOUS AS SAMUEL ETO ’ O IN YAOUNDÉ , THE CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRY ’ S CAPITAL . THE ABOVE SHOWS BASKETBALL CAN SELL DREAMS AND ALSO HELP TO REALIZE THEM , LIKE SOCCER DOES FOR MANY IN AFRICA THE INTRODUCTION .
OF THE BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE BY THE NBA AND THE INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION ( FIBA ) COULD BE A LONG- AWAITED PANACEA FOR THE DWARFISM OF THE SPORT ON THE CONTINENT .
THE BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE ( BAL ) IS MEANT TO “ MAXIMIZE THE POTENTIAL OF PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL IN AFRICA BY PROVIDING CLUBS AND PLAYERS WITH THE BEST ECOSYSTEM TO COMPETE FOR THE HIGHEST STAKES ”.
ITS INAUGURAL SEASON WAS SCHEDULED TO KICK OFF IN MARCH 2020 WITH 12 TEAMS BUT THE CORONAVIRUS CRISES DISRUPTED THE CALENDAR . A NEW SEASON WILL LIKELY BE ANNOUNCED SOONER OR LATER .
BESIDE BAL , THE NBA HAS BEEN A GOOD FRIEND OF AFRICA , A FRIEND THE CONTINENT ’ S GOVERNMENTS NEED TO HOLD AND CHERISH LIKE A BEAUTIFUL , GENEROUS AND FAITHFUL BRIDE .
Isaac Okoro O F C L E V E L A N D C A V A L I E R S
THE NBA WILL INVEST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BAL WHILE BRINGING ALONG MULTIPLE BRAND SPONSORS , WHICH IS GOOD NEWS NOT ONLY TO LOVERS OF THE SPORT BUT ALSO TO THE AUTHORITIES AS A NUMBER OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT JOB AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES WOULD BE CREATED .
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