The entire continent was more than elated in 2015 when the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the NBA Africa Game 2015 - the first NBA game on the continent. It turned out to be a huge success as the Ellis Park Stadium was sold out for the game. Luckily for us, that will be the only time we will witness such historical moment.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has announced that the NBA Africa Game 2017, the NBA’s second game in Africa, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa. The announcement was made at the annual NBA Africa All-Star Luncheon in New Orleans by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall.
They were joined by NBA Africa Game 2017 players Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo), CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo).
“Basketball is witnessing explosive growth in Africa. Our return to Johannesburg this summer is part of the league’s continued commitment to bring the authentic NBA experience to fans around the world. I would like to thank the NBPA for their participation and for being terrific partners on this game and surrounding events.” - NBA Commission Adam Silver
The exhibition game will see Team World play against Team Africa. Team Africa will feature Bismack Biyombo, the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and a member of Team Africa in NBA Africa Game 2015, and Emmanuel Mudiay, 2015-16 NBA All-Rookie Second Team member Mudiay. Christain James `C.J` McCollum, the 2015-16 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, will play for Team World.
Biyombo and Mudiay both expressed their delight returing to play for Team Africa. CJ McCollum is also excited about the opportunity to visit Africa. “I’ve heard so many great things from players around the league who traveled to South Africa in 2015 for the first NBA Africa Game and Basketball without Borders. I can’t wait to suit up for Team World in Johannesburg this summer.”
The NBA Africa Game 2017 will take place after the 15th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa and wil be played in support of UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA). It is expected that initiaives like this will help in the promotion of the basketball in Africa.
“NBA Africa Game 2015 was a resounding success, and we are grateful for the support of the players and team personnel who participated. While we are investing more than ever in grassroots programming and in delivering locally relevant content to our fans across the continent, there is no substitute for live NBA games. I hope fans from throughout Africa will join us in Johannesburg or on Kwesé’s platforms on August 5 to see some of the NBA’s best players compete on African soil.” - NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall
The game will air live in sub-Saharan Africa on Kwesé’s TV, Internet and mobile platforms, including Kwesé Free Sports, Kwesé Sports, select free-to-air channels, Kwesesports.com, and the Kwesé app. Full rosters of players, coaches and legends, along with ticket information will be announced at a later date.
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