Latest news with #AfricanBasketball
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Zawya
African Representation at National Basketball Association (NBA) 2K26 Summer League 2025
The NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 ( will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 10-20 and once again feature a strong presence of African players, coaches and referees, including: Six former NBA Academy Africa players 23 coaches from 15 African countries as part of the Africa Coaches Program Three referees from the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season The participation of these players, coaches and referees is part of NBA Africa and the BAL's commitment to developing talent and expertise throughout the African basketball ecosystem and contributing to the continued growth of the game across the continent. Below are storylines about the African players, coaches, and referees participating in this year's Summer League, which will air live in Africa on NBA League Pass, the league's premium live game subscriptions service available via the NBA App: PLAYERS Six former NBA Academy Africa players have joined Summer League rosters: Ibou Badji (Denver Nuggets; Senegal) Jean-Jacques Boissy (Milwaukee Bucks; Senegal) Ulrich Chomche (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon), who was selected 57 th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Nelly Joseph Junior (Atlanta Hawks; Nigeria) Khaman Maluach (Phoenix Suns; South Sudan; ties to Uganda), who was selected 10 th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, becoming the highest-drafted former NBA Academy Africa and Basketball Africa League (BAL) player ever. Babacar Sané (Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal) Three players who participated in the 2025 BAL season will compete in Summer League: Boissy – 2025 BAL champion and MVP with Alahli Tripoli (Libya), Boissy averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 assists per game. Aliou Diarra (Mali; Dallas Mavericks) – Two-time Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year (2023 and 2025) and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA G League International Draft, Diarra will join the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – Cooper Flagg – on the Mavericks' Summer League roster. Sané – 2025 All-BAL Second Team as a member of US Monastir (Tunisia). COACHES: Twenty-three coaches from 15 African countries have been selected to participate in Summer League as part of the Africa Coaches Program, which is part of NBA Africa and the BAL's ongoing commitment to developing coaching talent across the continent. The 23 coaches (full list below) include: Four who previously played in the BAL: two-time BAL champion with Zamalek (2021) and US Monastir (2022) Solo Diabate (Bucks; Côte d'Ivoire), 2024 BAL champion with Petro de Luanda Carlos Morais (New York Knicks; Angola), as well as Marawan Sarhan (Miami Heat; Egypt) and Mostafa Kejo (Los Angeles Lakers; Egypt), both of whom competed for Al Ahly (Egypt) during the 2024 BAL season. Two female coaches: Fenan Atobrhan (Eritrea; Houston Rockets) and Ruth Bibeyi (Gabon; Indiana Pacers). Atobrhan served as an assistant coach with APR during the 2025 BAL season when the team finished third, its best-ever finish in the BAL. Bibeyi served as head coach of Espoir Basket Club (Gabon) during the 2023 Road to the BAL qualifying tournament, was part of the coaching staff at the 2025 BAL Combine, and has served as a mentor as part of BAL4HER, the league's platform for advancing gender equality in the African sports ecosystem. REFEREES Three referees who have officiated in the BAL will serve as Summer League officials: Claudio Eiuba (Angola), Vitalis Gode (Kenya) and Erick Otieno (Kenya). Please see below for the complete list of African coaches participating in the NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 as part of the Africa Coaches Program: Name Country NBA Team Lamine Krideche Algeria Cleveland Cavaliers Carlos Morais Angola New York Knicks Francois Enyegue Cameroon Charlotte Hornets Antonio Moreira Cape Verde Atlanta Hawks Solo Diabate Côte D'Ivoire Milwaukee Bucks Pierrot Ilunga Democratic Republic of the Congo Detroit Pistons Mostafa Kejo Egypt Los Angeles Lakers Marawan Sarhan Egypt Miami Heat Wael Badr Egypt Portland Blazers Haytham Kamel Egypt Utah Jazz Fenan Atobrhan Eritrea Houston Rockets Ruth Bibeyi Gabon Indiana Pacers Reda Rhalimi Morocco Denver Nuggets Akil Driss Morocco Toronto Raptors Mohammed Abdulrahman Nigeria Washington Wizards Prosper Naci Rwanda Philadelphia 76ers Abdallah Mbaye Senegal Chicago Bulls Matar Mbodji Senegal Dallas Mavericks Samba Fall Senegal San Antonio Spurs Moratiemang Jr. Mmoloke South Africa Boston Celtics Igor Lunnemann South Africa New Orleans Pelicans Lindokuhle Sibankulu South Africa Sacramento Kings Amine Rzig Tunisia LA Clippers Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
Forbes
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Inside Jean Jacques Boissy's Path Back To The BAL Final
'Are They Ready For Me?" That's the question Al Ahli Tripoli's point guard Jean Jacques Boissy throws back, half-joke, full conviction when asked if he's ready for the moment. It's more than a clever line. It's the energy of a player who's been counted out, moved around, and quietly transformed into not only one of the BAL's most reliable leaders but one of the young superstars of this league. For Boissy, this year's BAL Final isn't just a shot at redemption it's a return to the stage where it all started. From a breakout run with Senegal's AS Douanes to a fresh challenge with Libya's Al Ahli Tripoli, his path reflects not only personal growth but the maturing identity of a league where African basketball continues to rise. In an interview with ahead of the Season 5 BAL Finals against Petro de Luanda in Pretoria, South Africa, Boissy shared more about the lessons learned from his three seasons in the BAL, the decision to join Tripoli for Season 5, his role on the team as well as how he hopes his journey can inspire others. His BAL debut came with AS Douanes, and even then, he had a sense that something special was possible. 'I think it's been a great journey,' he shared. 'My first year, I was still a local player with AS Douanes and we managed to make it to the finals. Our goal was just to reach the Playoffs, but we saw our chances, played hard and made it to the Final?' They pushed, they played hard, they stayed together. But the dream ended in heartbreak against Al Ahly of Egypt. 'It hurt me, but it was a great experience to make it to the finals in my first year,' he admits. The following season, he returned to Douanes with unfinished business. 'I went back trying to finish the job. But we didn't make it to the semifinals. We lost against Petro. We were leading the whole game by 20. It was a bad, bad fourth quarter for us, but we lost it.' That sting didn't break him, it sharpened him. 'You get better after every loss,' he says. 'And I think that's what really helped me to focus on this year and try to win it.' This season marked a pivotal turning point. The team he played for during The Road to the BAL — Urunani, did not qualify, and his previous team — AS Douanes, where he spent his first two BAL seasons, also failed to qualify. As a result, an opportunity arose with Al Ahli Libya. However, the decision to leave home was not an easy one. 'It was, first of all, a hard choice to make, leaving your country,' he explains. 'Making this choice to go play for Al Ahli was really hard. Everybody in Senegal was like, 'He just left Senegal to play for another team.'' There was pressure. Doubts. Whispers about his role. 'A lot of people were texting me saying; 'they signed a lot of point guards. I don't think you're going to have playing time and all that,'' he shares. 'But I really trust myself. I prayed to God before I made the choice. Talked to my parents, my friends, and my agent. And here we are.' For him, it came down to research and faith. 'Life is about choices. You've got to study the team, study the market, study the value of the team. And I think this was a great fit for me.' Having suited up for AS Douanes, Urunani in the Road to BAL, and now Tripoli, he's navigated diverse systems and coaching philosophies, a process he's embraced with humility. 'It's not a really big challenge going from team to team, as long as you stay the same,' he says. "I'm really a coachable person. Wherever I go, as long as I'm still me: listening to the coaches, listening to the players, trying to get better every time, it's easy for me to fit in.' The consistency paid off. 'I played with Urunani, and it was with the same coach who coached me at AS Douanes, Coach Pabi Gueye. He liked to play defense and to play hard. He's a winner," Boissy reflects. "I came here, Coach Fouad is just like my dad, that's how he sees me and coming off the bench, he has always found a way to make me look good.' The season tipped off in Kigali, a place that holds emotional weight for him. Years ago, it was a proving ground during a rough period where he played with United Generation Basketball Club in the Rwandan League. Returning with Al Ahli was a reminder of how far he and the country had come. 'When I was there, they didn't have the stadium. They didn't have a lot of things,' he recalls. 'Some people didn't recognise me until the game started. It was like, 'Oh, that was the kid playing for UGB.' So it was great for me. I had a lot of fans in Rwanda. I was really feeling like I was playing home in Rwanda.' That energy pushed him forward. 'It really helped me to boost my confidence. And to show them that I really grew up and I got better in my game.' This season, his performance has stood out averaging 19.7 points, 2 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game - all while coming off the bench. The box score reflects his influence, but his real impact and the growth of his basketball IQ is in how he controls the pace, makes the right reads, and leads by example. 'I think it's just like knowing the game better and growing up,' he says. 'Because people used to view me as just a kid that's hungry for more and I couldn't control my emotions and was just really rushing everything.' Now, he sees the game differently. 'I've really been working on making sure I know what the game needs me to do and doing it," shares Boissy. "I am not just trying to score, if this game needs asks me to pass to the short roll or play good defense, I'm just going to be there for that.' In previous BAL campaigns, he was the player asked to shut down opponents' best scorers. This year, the role has changed from game to game and he's responded each time and still maintained his edge, earning him a spot on the BAL-All Defensive first team. 2025 BAL Coach Of the Year, Coach Fouad Chacra called him one of the greatest gifts to the team this season, a testament not only to his playmaking but to how seamlessly he's fit into the locker room. 'They really made me feel comfortable,' Boissy says. 'At some point, it felt like I had been playing with them for a couple of years.' That comfort translated into chemistry. 'They have the same energy as me. They're trying to win. I played in the BAL for two years before now, this was their first. So I was always there to help them to know.' Boissy's leadership came into sharper focus after the team's disappointing classification loss. 'Some people were stressing about it. And I was just there to let them know that in the BAL, you're going to have one game that's going to hurt your feelings. And we're just blessed to have it at the point where it's not going to send us home.' He helped keep the team grounded. 'I was there to keep the team together and hopefully, that was the last loss we're going to have in the whole tournament.' But leadership wasn't something new, it just took a new form. He'd captained teams before, but being a young foreign player made it harder to step up vocally at first. 'I used to be a leader, like growing up and playing under-18 with Senegal, I was the captain but whenever I go somewhere and I see older people, I just give them their respect,' he explains. That instinct to step back shifted this year. 'They gave me the space and let me know that I could talk to them and I have seen my leadership skills grow. I am calm, poised, and learning more about controlling my emotions.' Boissy has reached the final once again but this time, the perspective is different. 'I'm just thinking that it's one game I've got to win. It's just like 40 more minutes," shared Boissy. "I'm not going to stress myself about it being a final I'm just taking it as a game.' More than anything, he wants his journey to mean something, especially to the kids back home. 'I'm really doing this for every African kid that didn't go to college or to high school. To just know that you still can achieve big things as long as you stay on track. You keep working hard and believe in yourself.' He knows the path isn't easy. 'Everybody is not going to have the opportunity to go overseas but you can't give up. I wish everybody was going to have it. But it's not going to be like that," shares Boissy. "You're going to go through some hard times. But you just got to keep working and believe in yourself.' Whether the trophy is in his hands or not when the final buzzer sounds at Sun Bet Arena, one thing is clear, his BAL journey has already left its mark.
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Years In The Making, Lethal Shooter Experiences The BAL Up Close
Chris Matthews, widely known as Lethal Shooter, had always dreamed of witnessing Africa's premier basketball league firsthand. But for three years, a packed schedule kept that dream just out of reach. With the Basketball Africa League (BAL) celebrating its landmark fifth season, Matthews made sure this year would be different, determined not to let another opportunity slip away. 'My schedule has always been packed. This year was tough as well, but I told myself that I really wanted to come here. I wanted to experience it,' Matthews shared. And experience it he did. From the moment he touched down in Rwanda's capital for the final leg of the BAL regular season, the Nile Conference, Matthews was captivated. The high level of basketball on display was only part of the allure. What struck him even more was the electric atmosphere inside the arena: the rhythmic pulse of the drums, the roaring crowd, and the animated mascot combined to create an environment rich in culture, energy, and community—something that transcended sport. In a conversation with Matthews reflected on his long-awaited introduction to the BAL and the growing influence of African basketball on the global stage. He emphasized the league's potential as a serious pathway for rising talent and shared practical advice for young athletes, especially those with limited access to resources, on how to elevate their game through focused, high-level training Matthews, a globally recognised shooting coach who has worked with elite NBA and WNBA talent, is no stranger to high-level competition. Yet what he witnessed at the BAL reinforced his beliefs on long-standing narratives about the athletes on and from the continent. 'This is by far one of the best experiences I've ever had,' Matthews shared. 'To me personally, I think these are the best athletes in the world. That narrative that African players are raw and unpolished? That's ignorant.' Now in its fifth season, the BAL is evolving into more than a continental league by positioning itself as a legitimate global destination for aspiring professional athletes. Matthews sees it as a league with the potential to rival more established competitions, like EuroLeague, in the eyes of rising talent. 'The level of play, the intensity, the skill, this is some of the best basketball I've ever seen,' he said. 'It's not just about talent; it's about heart, discipline, and hunger. More people need to know about this.' According to Matthews, greater exposure is key. He believes the media has a crucial role to play in changing perceptions by spotlighting the BAL's quality, passion, and professionalism. He also offered a forward-thinking solution: hosting American-based tryouts for the BAL to improve access and visibility. 'A lot of players don't know how great this place is,' he explained. 'If I don't make it to the NBA, I go to EuroLeague, and I could go to the BAL. That should be the mindset. The talent is out there. What's needed is more access, more stories, and more belief in what African basketball can offer.' Matthews didn't make the trip to the land of a thousand hills just to observe, he came to contribute. As part of his trip, he hosted a coaches' clinic, equipping over 100 local trainers with the same shooting drills and techniques he uses with his high-profile clients. 'In Africa, some of the resources aren't there yet,' Matthews said. 'But the knowledge is. The internet is. We have the ability to put out free content. We just need to commit to it.' This grassroots investment, he believes, is key to sustainable development. His mission is clear: empower coaches, equip players, and support the next generation of African stars. 'I feel like it's my obligation to come back to Africa, to help all the trainers here, to help all the coaches, to give them free knowledge so we can continue to push the game of basketball.' More than mechanics, Matthews stressed values: humility, effort, and respect, as fundamental to sustainable growth. 'Even if players make the same mistake over and over, just make sure they understand. Look me in the eyes. Don't put your head down. Listen to your coach,' he said. Then, turning directly to the next generation, he added: 'If you're a young player watching or listening, just make sure you always respect your coach. And if you do that, you're always going to be successful.' Reflecting on what he hopes his contribution to the sport on the continent will be, Matthews said, 'Hopefully, when I'm like 60 or 70 years old, I have an impact on the game of basketball here that I want to have in the world.' This statement reveals a vision that goes far beyond the present moment, a vision rooted in legacy, purpose, and unwavering dedication. For Matthews, his journey to Kigali was far more than a visit; it was a commitment to the future of African basketball. By sharing his expertise through coaching clinics, mentoring local trainers, and amplifying the incredible talent within the continent, he is sowing seeds that will nurture the game's growth for generations. He knows that true influence isn't measured by instant success, but by the lasting imprint left on players, coaches, and communities. Within that enduring legacy lies a powerful hope, that the BAL evolves into a global hub for rising stars, that African basketball talent gains the recognition it deserves on the world stage, and that the core values of discipline, respect, and passion become the foundation for a new era. Matthews' time in Kigali stands as a testament to the fact that basketball here is far more than a sport, it's a movement with the power to unite, inspire, and transform. And with passionate leaders like him dedicated to its advancement, the impact he dreams of is not only possible, it's inevitable.
