Basketball in Africa
| Basketball | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | FIBA Africa |
International competitions | |
Basketball in Africa is run by the FIBA Africa.[1] The major competitions FIBA Africa runs for national teams is AfroBasket and FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup. The NBA is investing millions to increase a foothold in the African market.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Hakeem Olajuwon is considered instrumental in developing and popularizing Basketball in Africa.
History
Introduced to Africa around the 1960s basketball has become a very popular sport. After more people took notice and practice and professional teams were formed. The managers of the first African National Federation decide to participate and compete in FIBA, which is the world basketball governing body. [11] Held on the 30th and 31st of August 1960 the FIBA Congress allowed the Egyptian Basketball Federation to set up an institution in order to compete.[11] This led to the integration of twelve African countries to join FIBA and the world stage. These countries include Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Morocco, Libya, North Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Togo. Currently, FIBA Africa grew to a point where every single country in Africa has a designated team, leading to 54 active teams in the institution.
Major Influences
Hakeem Olajuwon
One of the greatest African-born player to ever play the game of basketball. Hakeem was born in Lagos, Nigeria and his skills were great enough to be picked up by American college teams.He would go on to be drafted by the Rockets and win 2 championships, 2 Finals MVPs, as well as having the pleasure of being conducted in two Hall of Fame's; one from the NBA and another from FIBA.[12] Hakeem success has paved the way for many international players to try and compete in the NBA and also inspired many scouts to look for new talent in other places in the world besides the US.[13][14]
References
- ↑ "FIBA Africa: Considering The Continent's Basketball Future With Masai Ujiri And Amadou Gallo Fall". SBNation.com. 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ "NBA shoots for African basketball stars, courts new fan base - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ Tunde Eludini (2016-04-30). "INTERVIEW: Africa Basketball League surpassing expectations – CEO - Premium Times Nigeria". Premiumtimesng.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ "NBA Africa Game a symbol of hope". Espn.co.uk. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ Willens, Max (2015-08-01). "In Africa, NBA Will Broadcast More Than 500 Games On TV, Broadband And Mobile Next Season Through Econet Partnership". Ibtimes.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ Mike Richman (2013-12-18). "Mandela Instrumental in Popularizing Basketball in Africa". Voanews.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ elibawa (2016-03-05). "Africa Basketball League dunks off in Lagos | Punch Newspapers". Punchng.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ Eben Novy-Williams (2016-04-21). "National Basketball Association Seals Africa TV Deal". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ "Raptors GM brings hope to a continent with Giants of Africa". The Globe and Mail. 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ "NBA brings the stars to Africa – but can basketball compete with soccer? | Sport". The Guardian. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- 1 2 "History". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- ↑ "Olajuwon: Godfather of basketball in Africa". NBA.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ "Why Africans will be basketball stars of tomorrow - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ↑ "NBA helping basketball grow in Africa with grassroots efforts". Usatoday.com. 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2016-07-18.