Basketball without Borders coming to SA again

South Africa has been chosen once again to play host to Basketball without Borders.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) confirmed that the 19th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa will be held at the American International School of Johannesburg in South Africa from Friday, 28 July to Monday, 31 July.

This marks the 15th time that the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme will be held in Johannesburg and first since 2018.

BWB Africa 2023 will bring together 40 boys and 40 girls from more than 25 African countries to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.

The campers and coaches, who will be announced prior to the camp, will also take part in life skills, leadership development and NBA Cares programming.

“Interest in basketball and the NBA continues to grow in South Africa, and we are excited that BWB Africa will return to Johannesburg next month, 20 years after the first camp was held at the American International School in 2003,” said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams.

“We look forward to welcoming some of the best young players on the continent, who have earned the right to represent their country at this prestigious camp and who will now have the opportunity to learn directly from players and coaches who have reached the highest levels of the game.”

“This year's 19th edition of BWB Africa in South Africa is sure to be an excellent camp for all participants,” said FIBA National Federations & Sport Director Zoran Radovic. “Basketball is growing rapidly in Africa, which was particularly evident in the recent BAL season.

This camp will provide a valuable opportunity for young players to showcase their skills and learn from experienced professionals on and off the court. We look forward to seeing this young talent shine later this month.”

Thirty-eight former BWB campers were among the 120 international players on opening-night rosters for the 2022-23 NBA season, including 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011 in Johannesburg), who became the first former BWB camper to be named NBA MVP, and 2019 NBA champion Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012 in Johannesburg).

In total, 12 former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA since 2003. Fifty-four former BWB Africa campers have been featured on Basketball Africa League (BAL) team rosters over the league’s first three seasons.

BWB Africa 2023 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.

BWB has reached more than 4 000 participants from 136 countries and territories since 2001, with 111 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA. The NBA and FIBA have staged 69 BWB camps in 46 cities across 32 countries on six continents.