African basketball fans will be pleased to know that the team captains of the NBA AFRICA GAME 2017 have been announced.
The game will take place at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg on Saturday, 5 August 2017. This will be the second time the NBA play in the continent. The first NBA AFRICA Game was held in 2015 at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.
Today the captains of Team World and Team Africa were announced.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced that Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks; Germany), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets; U.S.), Thabo Sefolosha (Atlanta Hawks; Switzerland; whose father is from South Africa) and Luol Deng (Los Angeles Lakers; South Sudan) will serve as team captains for NBA Africa Game 2017.
Nowitziki and Walker will co-captain Team World whilst Sefolosha and Deng will lead Team Africa.
Both the Team Africa captains expressed their excitement about the upcoming game in a statement.
“Having South African roots, it’s a dream come true to return to South Africa to play in an NBA game. There are so many talented African players in the league, and it will be an honor to lead them on August 5 in Johannesburg,” said Sefolosha
Deng expressed that he was excited to return to Johannesburg and looking forward to working with Sefolosha.
“I’m thrilled to be coming back to Johannesburg to lead Team Africa alongside Thabo. The first NBA Africa Game in 2015 was a lot of fun, and it will be a privilege to play in front of our African fans once again.”
In February, the NBA and NBPA announced that Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo) will play for Team Africa, and that CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.) will play for Team World. Full rosters of players, coaches and legends will be announced at a later date.
The game will take place after the 15th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa. It will be played in support of UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA).
Tickets will be available on Thursday, June 22 at 10:00am from ticketpro.co.za. The match will also be broadcast 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.
For more information, fans can visit www.NBA.com/Africa, the league’s official online destination in Africa, and follow the NBA on Facebook (NBA Africa) and Twitter (@NBA_Africa).
Thabo Sefolosha and South Sudan's Luol Deng to lead Team Africa at the NBA Africa Game 2017
African basketball fans will be pleased to know that the team captains of the NBA AFRICA GAME 2017 have been announced.
The game will take place at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg on Saturday, 5 August 2017. This will be the second time the NBA play in the continent. The first NBA AFRICA Game was held in 2015 at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.
Today the captains of Team World and Team Africa were announced.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced that Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks; Germany), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets; U.S.), Thabo Sefolosha (Atlanta Hawks; Switzerland; whose father is from South Africa) and Luol Deng (Los Angeles Lakers; South Sudan) will serve as team captains for NBA Africa Game 2017.
Nowitziki and Walker will co-captain Team World whilst Sefolosha and Deng will lead Team Africa.
Both the Team Africa captains expressed their excitement about the upcoming game in a statement.
“Having South African roots, it’s a dream come true to return to South Africa to play in an NBA game. There are so many talented African players in the league, and it will be an honor to lead them on August 5 in Johannesburg,” said Sefolosha
Deng expressed that he was excited to return to Johannesburg and looking forward to working with Sefolosha.
“I’m thrilled to be coming back to Johannesburg to lead Team Africa alongside Thabo. The first NBA Africa Game in 2015 was a lot of fun, and it will be a privilege to play in front of our African fans once again.”
In February, the NBA and NBPA announced that Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo) will play for Team Africa, and that CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.) will play for Team World. Full rosters of players, coaches and legends will be announced at a later date.
The game will take place after the 15th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa. It will be played in support of UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA).
Tickets will be available on Thursday, June 22 at 10:00am from ticketpro.co.za. The match will also be broadcast 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.
For more information, fans can visit www.NBA.com/Africa, the league’s official online destination in Africa, and follow the NBA on Facebook (NBA Africa) and Twitter (@NBA_Africa).
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos