Former NBA star Noah proud of his African roots

Former NBA professional basketball player Joakim Noah will return to his African roots in March and is especially keen for his first visit to SA when the Basketball Africa League starts.

Noah, 38, who is the son of former world No 3 French tennis player Yannick Noah and the grandson of ex-Cameroonian soccer player Zacharie, is a two-time NBA All-Star and will visit Mzansi as a global ambassador for the league.

In its fourth edition, the African league will debut in SA from March 9-17 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.

The event, which is growing in popularity every season, will feature 12 club teams from 12 African countries participating in 48 games in Pretoria, Cairo, Dakar, and Kigali.

The 12 teams will be divided into three conferences of four teams each.

Pretoria will host the Kalahari conference, which includes Cape Town Tigers (SA), Dynamo Basketball (Burundi), FUS Rabat (Morocco) and Petro de Luanda (Angola).

The former Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies and LA Clippers centre, who was born in New York but is of Cameroonian descent, hopes to get a deeper understanding of what makes SA tick. 

“I hope to experience unity in SA,” Noah said, during the annual NBA Africa All-Star luncheon at the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis on Saturday.

“SA is a very special place.

“I understand the history of SA and I have a lot of friends from SA, so I am looking forward to seeing the growth of the sport and being able to learn a new culture.

“Basketball lovers in SA can expect a great show, young talented African people who are very proud to represent not just their countries but the whole continent.

“I think that is something that as Africans is one of our powers. 

“When Morocco claimed third place in the Fifa World Cup, I was in Senegal, and everyone there was so happy for Morocco.

“If Argentina wins, do you think Brazil will be happy?

“It’s things such as these — people are proud to be from Africa.

“I am proud to be from Cameroon [ancestral] but I am more proud to be from Africa.

“I lived in America and I grew up in America so I want people here, especially inner-city people, to be proud of their roots.

“My angle in this is to be able to share things and also watch the business and the kids grow, and young men get better and better.

“[And to] play in the NBA and also play in their continent and be proud.”

Noah said he was excited about the Basketball Africa League (Bal) expanding to other parts of Africa.

He was part of a panel discussion on Saturday on developing a sustainable basketball ecosystem in Africa.

He was joined by Harvard Business School’s Prof Anita Elberse and Rwanda Development Board chief executive Francis Gatare. 

“It’s great to see the BAL growing and growing into other countries,” Noah said.

“It shows the growth of our league and being here at All-Star and seeing this room growing, the investment and the level of people coming, and to be a part of this, it’s something that is really special.

“I am proud to be a part of it, I am travelling to continent places I have never been to before.

“I have never been to SA so I am very excited to explore it.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see and think it’s very inspiring for the next generation.”

He said the league gave professional players an opportunity to showcase their talent in front of their home fans.

“Every individual has a decision to make and at least allowing the next generation to have a choice is already huge.

“There are a lot of young talents.

“If you have a dream to go abroad, if you want to have a chance, the league and this platform are allowing professional players to be able to have a chance to play in front of their people and loved ones.

“This is huge, it’s not just business.”

• Vuyokazi Nkanjeni is in Indianapolis as a guest of NBA Africa.

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