Top 5 Greatest African NBA Players
Basketball is a sport that is pretty popular worldwide. NBA is the most popular basketball tournament which is played in United States. The main aim of the game is the put the ball in the basket with hands with legs touching the ball. The game is mostly played by tall men as it is easy for them to reach the basket.
NBA is the most famous tournament in North America and the biggest tournament in Basketball. NBA is contested by 30 teams in which 29 are from USA and 1 from Canada. With it’s global popularity, NBA is now allowing players of various countries to participate in the league. There are many African players who have earned themselves a name in NBA. Today we will have a look at Top 5 Greatest African NBA Players of All Time.
1) Hakeem Olajuwon– Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is the greatest African player to play NBA. Hakeem was born on January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria. He was the 1st Over-all pick by Houston Rockets in 1984 Draft. Hakeem played as centre for the Rockets and even helped them win the NBA championship twice in 1994 and 1995.
Hakeem was also named as the Final MVP twice in 1994 and 1995 and the Most Valuable Player in 1994. He was in the All Star team for 12 times. He played for the Houston Rockets till 2001 and then was later moved to Toronto Raptors till 2002. He even won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996. He was included in Basketball Hall of Fame as player and FIBA Hall of Fame as player and NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
2) Dikembe Mutombo– Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo was born on June 25, 1966 in Kinshasa, Congo. Motumbo was a Congolese-American Professional Basketball player who played as a Center. He was the 1st Round 4th overall pick in 1991 Draft by Denver Nuggets. He played for Dikembe played for many NBA franchises and was 8 Times NBA All Star. He retired in 2009 while playing for Houston Rockets.
3) Luol Deng– Luol Ajou Deng was a former Sudanese-British NBA player born on 16 April 1985 in Wau, Sudan. He was the 1st Round 7th Overall pick by Phoenix Suns in 2004 NBA Draft. Luol has been named in the NBA All Star twice in 2012 and 2013. He retired in 2019 for Minnesota Timberwolves.
4) Festus Ezeli– Ifeanyi Festus Ezeli-Ndulue is a former Nigerian-American NBA player born on October 21, 1989 in Benin City, Nigera. Festus played as Centre and was the 1st Round 30th Overall pick by Golden State Warriors in 2012 Draft. He won a NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015 and stopped playing after 2016 following an injury. He now plays for Westchester Knicks.
5) D.J. Mbenga– Didier “D. J.” Ilunga-Mbenga is a Belgian-Congolese former Basketball Player born on December 30, 1980 in Kinshasa, Zaire. He played as Centre and went undrafted in 2002 NBA Draft. He was later signed by Dallas Mavericks, then later by Golden State Warriors for a year and Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. He won 2 NBA Championships with Lakes in 2009 and 2010.