Following the success and enjoyment of the first game in Africa to feature current and former NBA players, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced plans to incorporate regular season games in Africa in the years to come. Silver used the game, which featured "Team Africa" and "Team World," to decide whether or not Africa, a continent currently dominated by soccer, would be a place in which an NBA game could draw significant attention.
The game itself was played in a 4,000-seat arena in Johannesburg, South Africa with the intent of displaying how fun and exciting the game of basketball can be. It began with a dunk off of the opening tip by current NBA player and Team Africa member Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. The game also featured many other highlights, as former NBA players were able to join in on the fun as well. NBA Hall of Famers Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon entered the game in the second quarter for Team Africa and Olajuwon even pleased the crowd by sinking his signature turnaround jump shot over current Orlando Magic player Nicola Vucevic.
In the end, Team World came out on top with a 101-97 victory, aided by a 14-0 run in the game’s final quarter. Bradley Beal was Team World’s top scorer with 18 points, while captain Chris Paul finished the game with 12. For Team Africa, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 22 points while his teammate and Team Africa captain Luol Deng finished with 20. For Luol Deng, the game meant a great deal. Born in South Sudan, Deng never had access to the NBA or any of its players. He then added that he couldn’t describe the feeling of playing for an African team.
While the game itself was primarily to show what basketball has to offer in terms of the excitement and passion it can bring to an arena, it turned out to be much more. NBA mascots and cheerleaders were on hand, providing fans with entertainment during timeouts as well as halftime. Not only that, NBA stars had the opportunity to reach out to poverty-stricken communities in which they performed coaching clinics and played soccer with the individuals in those communities. Players also visited museums as well as the Nelson Mandela foundation, while NBA commissioner Adam Silver used the trip for a honeymoon. The visit was a very special one for fans and members of the local community, but also for the players that participated in the game, as the NBA continues to attempt its global presence.
