Two players with ties to Nigeria are among seven players with ties to Africa will represent the continent in Indianapolis when the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend gets underway this weekend on ESPN and Canal+ in Africa.
The five others have two with ties to Democratic Republic of Congo; and one each having ties to Mali, Senegal and Central Africa Republic.
The NBA All-Star Game returns to the East vs. West format and will see Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greek); ties to Nigeria) captain the East in his eighth All-Star appearance, with LeBron James leading the West in his record-breaking 20th NBA All-Star Game. Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo (U.S,; ties to Nigeria) will join Giannis representing the Eastern Conference in his third All-Star appearance.
The coveted weekend, which tips off on Feb. 16, will include the Panini Rising Star on Feb. 17 at 4 a.m. CAT, featuring Victor Wembanyama (France; ties to Democratic Republic of the Congo), Bilal Coulibaly (Belgium; ties to Mali) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Democratic Republic of the Congo) taking part.
As part of the State Farm NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Wembanyama will take part in the Kia Skills Challenge on Feb. 18 at 3 a.m. CAT alongside Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards and Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero. In addition, for the first time ever, Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry and the WNBA’s Sabrina Ionescu will face off in the first NBA vs WNBA three-point contest on Feb. 18.
The defending champion of the AT&T Slam Dunk Matt McClung returns to this year’s contest with first time participants Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York Knicks’ Jacob Toppin.
Former NBA Academy Africa alumni, Thierry Serge Darlan [Central African Republic] and Babacar Sane [Senegal] will take part in The NBA G League Up Next which tips off on Feb. 18 at 8:30 p.m. CAT. As part of the NBA All-Star Weekend, 40 of the top high-school-age prospects will converge at the 2024 Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global camp.
The camp will feature seven campers ages 18 and under from four African countries (Angola, Mali, Senegal and South Sudan), including three prospects from the NBA Academy Africa – Khaman Maluach (South Sudan), Aginaldo Neto (Angola) and Assane Mandian (Senegal).
