{"id":113669,"date":"2023-10-24T10:41:19","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T10:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/24\/nba-2023-24-wembanyama-and-bol-among-five-africans-to-watch-in-new-season\/"},"modified":"2023-10-24T10:41:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T10:41:19","slug":"nba-2023-24-wembanyama-and-bol-among-five-africans-to-watch-in-new-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/24\/nba-2023-24-wembanyama-and-bol-among-five-africans-to-watch-in-new-season\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA 2023-24: Wembanyama and Bol among five Africans to watch in new season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cameroon-born Joel Embiid is the first African NBA MVP since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994. Could another player from the continent follow in his footsteps this season?
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On the eve of the new NBA season, the profile of African basketball is riding high.<\/p>\n

That is thanks largely to the performances of Joel Embiid, who last season became the first African-born NBA star to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994.<\/p>\n

Two-time NBA champion Olajuwon was born in Nigeria but opted to represent the USA as part of the so-called \u201cDream Team\u201d at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a decision that Philadelphia 76ers centre Embiid recently mimicked, much to the disappointment of those in his birth country Cameroon.<\/p>\n

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Like Embiid and Olajuwon, many legendary NBA players have been of African heritage.<\/p>\n

Greek-Nigerian Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Athens and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the competition, winning consecutive MVP awards in 2019 and 2020, and leading the Bucks to their first championship since 1971 the following year.<\/p>\n

BBC Sport Africa highlights some of the top Africans hoping to slam dunk the new campaign, along with some of their key statistics per game during the 2022-23 season.<\/p>\n

Victor Wembanyama \u2013 San Antonio Spurs \/ France-DR Congo<\/h3>\n

Wembanyama was\u00a0selected by the San Antonio Spurs\u00a0as the top overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft and his familial sporting pedigree is as generational as his talent.\"Victor<\/p>\n

Born in France, Wembanyama\u2019s father, Felix, is a former athlete who competed in triple, long and high jump for DR Congo.<\/p>\n

His mother, Elodie de Fautereau, played basketball for the French national team and competed in several domestic basketball leagues before becoming a coach at youth level.<\/p>\n

Wembanyama is 7ft 4in tall and reportedly has an 8ft wingspan. The 19-year-old enjoyed an excellent pre-season, scoring 20 points in 19 minutes on his debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n

His ability to be a defensive game wrecker and his slick ball-handling skills have fans drooling.<\/p>\n

Spurs\u2019 Gregg Popovich, who has won five NBA titles as a coach, has said he wants his new star to be himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s obviously a heck of a talent,\u201d said Popovich, calling himself \u201cthrilled\u201d to have Wembanyama in his squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of all the hype, he\u2019ll have a target on his back. He\u2019s not Lebron [James] or Tim [Duncan] or Kobe [Bryant] \u2013 he\u2019s Victor, and that\u2019s who we want him to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pascal Siakam \u2013 Toronto Raptors \/ Cameroon<\/h3>\n

An NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, Siakam is the team\u2019s star player.<\/p>\n

A two time All-Star\u00a0born in Douala, Cameroon, the 29-year-old scored 24.2 points per game last season \u2013 his highest average since he was drafted by his Canadian team in 2016.\"Pascal<\/p>\n

Despite his success, this could be a make-or-break year for Siakam and the Raptors, with his contract up for renewal at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do believe in Pascal,\u201d Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who has Nigerian and Kenyan parents, said recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our players didn\u2019t play the right way last year and we want to see them play the right way [this time around].\u201d<\/p>\n

Under new coach Dario Rajakovic, Siakam could be integral to the team\u2019s bid to return to the play-offs.<\/p>\n

Bol Bol \u2013 Phoenix Suns \/ South Sudan<\/h3>\n

A social media star, 7ft 2in Bol Bol routinely stuns fans with skills more suited to a guard, but his handling and shooting ability are part of the reason why he is a power forward.\"Bol<\/p>\n

Born in Khartoum, Bol is the son of NBA icon Manute Bol.<\/p>\n

The younger Bol lived in Kansas City from a young age and was the 44th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft for the Miami Heat, but was traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft day.<\/p>\n

Bol played for the Nuggets between 2019 and 2022 before joining Orlando Magic for the 2022-2023 season, then joined the Suns on a one-year deal in July.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old\u2019s athleticism, rim-running potential and shooting ability give a boost to the already stacked Suns roster. It will be interesting to see how many minutes Bol plays as he bids to show his true potential.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Kuminga \u2013 Golden State Warriors \/ DR Congo<\/h3>\n

A three-year veteran who had a frustrating 2022-23 season, Kuminga is an incredible talent who was born in DR Congo and won an NBA title in his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors.\"Jonathan<\/p>\n

Most observers presumed that the seventh pick in the 2021 draft would play an integral role in their title defence.<\/p>\n

Despite seeing more minutes during the regular season, though, his role was marginalised by coach Steve Kerr in the play-offs as the Warriors were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n

Kuminga has enjoyed a promising pre-season, scoring 28 points as the Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 121-115, and says he has been working on his three-point shooting during the off-season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting more comfortable,\u201d the power forward said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to learn the game as much as I can and be a sponge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I listen to the vets, that can help me be well-situated and more comfortable on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Warriors\u2019 roster has been supplemented by the arrival of Chris Paul, widely believed to be one of the greatest playmakers in the game\u2019s history, while Steph Curry also remains their star attraction, but Kuminga will still hope to play an important role.<\/p>\n

Wenyen Gabriel \u2013 Free agent \/ South Sudan<\/h3>\n

Born in Khartoum during the civil war which resulted in the creation of South Sudan, Gabriel\u2019s first name means \u201cwipe your tears\u201d \u2013 a tribute to his sister who died before he was born.\"Wenyen<\/p>\n

Last year, he told BBC Sport Africa of his desire to \u201ccome home\u201d to \u201crebuild\u201d South Sudan, saying he believes basketball has the power to \u201cunite\u201d his nation.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old will therefore have been delighted to lead South Sudan to qualification for the Olympics in September, thanks to their performance as the top-ranked African nation at the Basketball World Cup \u2013 a tournament in which Gabriel topped the list of blockers with 13 in his five matches.<\/p>\n

At the start of October, he agreed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics but was cut from their roster just a few weeks later, leaving the big centre a free agent as the season begins.<\/p>\n

As well as the Celtics and Lakers, the well-travelled Gabriel has represented the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n

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