Wednesday's matchup marked the first time three Cameroonian players appeared in the same NBA game, a sign of Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam’s impact as the league continues initiatives to grow the game in Africa.
TORONTO — Christian Koloko used to stay awake during the overnight hours in his home country of Cameroon, devouring televised NBA games being played half a world away.
at Scotiabank Arena marked the first time three Cameroonian players shared the floor in the same NBA game, a sign of Embiid’s and Siakam’s impact as the league continues initiatives to grow the game in Africa.here for,” Embiid said late Wednesday. “… Especially coming from over there, where you don’t have a lot of opportunities, I want someone to look at me — I want someone to look at us — and believe that if we made it, they can also do it.
“We just want to find promising young talent that needs our support and give them all we can and to see them put on a journey to success,” Justice told The Inquirer by phone Wednesday afternoon. “We don’t try to predict in our camps. All we try to do is pour into them.” These are not the first influential NBA players with African roots. Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo are Hall of Famers. Luc Mbah a Moute, the NBA’s first Cameroonian player whom Embiid calls his basketball inspiration, participated in the first BWB Africa camp in 2003.“He challenges the next generation of young players, no matter what your size is, to become very skilled,” Justice said. “The narrative on players from Africa is no longer athleticism or raw potential.