NBA: 2 Africans Selected The Same Year As France’s Victor Wembanyama
The NBA picks talented players from diverse backgrounds to present at the biggest basketball stage. The NBA has selected 2 African players from Nigeria & Senegal. In the 2023 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs had the first pick and selected Victor Wembanyama, an incredibly talented player from France. However, it wasn’t until the second round that we saw two African players chosen. James Nnaji from Nigeria and Mohamed Guèye from Senegal were selected in the draft. James Nnaji, a Nigerian power forward, had recently won the Spanish championship with FC Barcelona. He was chosen 31st by the Detroit Pistons but was later traded to the Boston Celtics, who then sent him to the Charlotte Hornets. Nnaji, who has been training with Spanish-Congolese player Serge Ibaka, is known for his skills and joined Barcelona’s first team at just 16 years old. Mohamed Guèye, a Senegalese center, was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 39th pick. However, the Hornets traded him to...