Stars aligned to make African hoops history

Big names gather in Johannesburg for NBA's first game on continent

The NBA is in Africa for an exhibition, and commissioner Adam Silver expects more important games to come.

"Stay tuned," Silver said on Thursday as 20 NBA stars, including Chris Paul and Luol Deng, prepare to play at a small arena in downtown Johannesburg - the first NBA game of any kind in Africa. "This is an experiment of sorts."

Although he didn't give an exact time frame, Silver said a preseason game and then a regular-season game on the continent was the logical progression for the NBA, which is on a "fast track" to build its brand in soccer-crazy Africa.

"Part of why I'm here is to continue to investigate new facilities," Silver said.

"We would want a larger, more modern arena for a regular or preseason game here. And it's also to test the response. These things just take time, but I'm very confident that in the not too distant future we will be playing a preseason game on the continent of Africa."

Having already explored possibilities in China and Europe, Africa is next for the NBA, which has brought some big names - coaches as well as players - to Johannesburg for Saturday's exhibition game at Ellis Park Arena.

There's Paul, an eight-time All Star, who will captain Team World. Deng, a two-time All Star, will lead Team Africa.

Pau and Marc Gasol have also made the trip, as has San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and coach of the year Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks.

Also on the rosters are Al-Farouq Aminu and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who both have parents from Nigeria.

This game is the next step in the league's links to Africa that began with the first-round draft of Hakeem Olajuwon by the Houston Rockets in 1984, Silver said.

Olajuwon, who is from Nigeria and is part of this trip to South Africa as an NBA ambassador, went on to become a two-time NBA champion and 12-time All Star.

The NBA's presence in Africa, and particularly southern Africa, is still comparatively small. On Saturday the teams will play at an old, 4,000-seat arena, which is tiny for NBA standards. But it's sold out and it's a start, Silver said.

"What I'd like to see is a group of some of our very best players showcasing the game, demonstrating how fun and exciting it is," Silver said. "The players are bringing their talents direct to Johannesburg as opposed to people getting it off media."

The low profile of the NBA in South Africa can also work in players' favor for now, with some of the league's top stars walking around their hotel lobby in suburban Johannesburg unnoticed by locals.

Some will use the offseason trip to go on a safari and visit the foundation of late South African president Nelson Mandela, Silver said. There will also be visits to museums, and coaching clinics in poorer neighborhoods around Johannesburg.

Even Silver, who got married recently, said he was taking the opportunity for a honeymoon after the game. He and his wife will go to the Seychelles, off the east coast of Africa.

The commissioner said there was a large amount of "symbolism" to the NBA's visit to Africa and its first game on the continent, comparing it in some ways to US president Barack Obama's recent trips to Kenya and Ethiopia.

"It's so much more than just a game," Silver said.

Adding to the symbolism, the Team World versus Team Africa exhibition will take place at the same stadium complex where the late Mandela famously wore a South African rugby jersey to a game in 1995 to help unite the country as it emerged from apartheid.

(China Daily 08/01/2015 page11)