NBA 2023-24: Wembanyama and Bol among five Africans to watch in new season
- Published
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?
On the eve of the new NBA season, the profile of African basketball is riding high.
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.
Two-time NBA champion Olajuwon was born in Nigeria but opted to represent the USA as part of the so-called "Dream Team" 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.
Like Embiid and Olajuwon, many legendary NBA players have been of African heritage.
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.
According to Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner, there is still more to come from Africa in terms of fresh talent: "We have some 40 to 50 players who were either born on the continent or have one parent born on the continent - so 10% of our league has some African connection.
"We feel very good about the development of the next generation. We started a league there, the Basketball Africa League, and we saw some players at the recent World Cup. I think the future is very bright for African talent in our league."
BBC Sport Africa highlights some of the current top Africans hoping to slam dunk the new campaign, along with some of their key statistics per game during the 2022-23 season.
Victor Wembanyama - San Antonio Spurs / France-DR Congo
Wembanyama was selected by the San Antonio Spurs as the top overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft and his familial sporting pedigree is as generational as his talent.
Born in France and already a French international, Wembanyama's father, Felix, is a former athlete who competed in triple, long and high jump for DR Congo.
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.
'Wemby', as he is often known, 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.
His ability to be a defensive game wrecker and his slick ball-handling skills have fans drooling.
Spurs' Gregg Popovich, who has won five NBA titles as a coach, has said he wants his new star to be himself.
NBA Draft: Why Victor Wembanyama is the most exciting prospect since LeBron James
"He's obviously a heck of a talent," said Popovich, calling himself "thrilled" to have Wembanyama in his squad.
"Because of all the hype, he'll have a target on his back. He's not Lebron [James] or Tim [Duncan] or Kobe [Bryant] - he's Victor, and that's who we want him to be."
Pascal Siakam - Toronto Raptors / Cameroon
An NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, Siakam is the team's star player.
A two time All-Star born in Douala, Cameroon, the 29-year-old scored 24.2 points per game last season - his highest average since he was drafted by his Canadian team in 2016.
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.
"We do believe in Pascal," Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who has Nigerian and Kenyan parents, said recently.
"A lot of our players didn't play the right way last year and we want to see them play the right way [this time around]."
Under new coach Dario Rajakovic, Siakam could be integral to the team's bid to return to the play-offs.
Bol Bol - Phoenix Suns / South Sudan
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.
Born in Khartoum, Bol is the son of NBA icon Manute Bol.
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.
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.
The 23-year-old's 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.
Jonathan Kuminga - Golden State Warriors / DR Congo
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.
Most observers presumed that the seventh pick in the 2021 draft would play an integral role in their title defence.
Sespite 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.
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.
"I'm getting more comfortable," the power forward said. "I'm trying to learn the game as much as I can and be a sponge.
"If I listen to the vets, that can help me be well-situated and more comfortable on the floor."
The Warriors' roster has been supplemented by the arrival of Chris Paul, widely believed to be one of the greatest playmakers in the game's history, while Steph Curry also remains their star attraction, but Kuminga will still hope to play an important role.
Wenyen Gabriel - Free agent / South Sudan
Born in Khartoum during the civil war which resulted in the creation of South Sudan, Gabriel's first name means "wipe your tears" - a tribute to his sister who died before he was born.
Last year, he told BBC Sport Africa of his desire to "come home" to "rebuild" South Sudan, saying he believes basketball has the power to "unite" his nation.
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 - a tournament in which Gabriel topped the list of blockers with 13 in his five matches.
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.
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.