African, world players to meet in Pretoria Africa Game
RALEIGH, North Carolina: NBA players with direct ties to Africa will play a world team in the third NBA Africa Game next month in Pretoria, South Africa, the National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players Association announced on Friday.
Luol Deng (Los Angeles Lakers, South Sudan), Bismack Biyombo (Charlotte Hornets, Democratic Republic of the Congo), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers, Cameroon) and Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors, Republic of the Congo) will be among the players competing for Team Africa in the Aug 4 game at the Sun Arena, with Biyombo and Embiid the co-captains.
Rudy Gay (San Antonio Spurs, US) and Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks, US) will serve as co-captains for a world team that also features Harrison Barnes (Dallas Mavericks, US)and Danilo Gallinari (LA Clippers, Italy).
The game will take place following the 16th edition of Basketball Without Borders Africa.
In honour of the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, it will be played in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Two previous games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017, were sell-outs.
Players Association executive director Michele Roberts and NBA commissioner Adam Silver will attend the game along with Hall of Famer Kareem AbdulJabbar, NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and others.
There are more than 80 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, the NBA said. — Reuters