Where are the African Players?

Translated from French

From the Anglo-Sudanese Luol Deng to the Tanzanian Hasheem Thabeet, the list of Africans in the NBA has never been longer. But few have obtained the star status as once did the Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon, MVP in 1994 and 1995, or the Congolese Dikembe Mutombo, a four time defensive player of the year winner, leading many to wonder where are the African Players?
 "It is true that Africa lacks a headline player in the NBA today, a worthy successor to our glorious past generation who helped pave the way, " says Milwaukee Bucks forward Mbah A Moute.

Currenlty only three African born players play an important role on their respective teams: Ibaka, Mbah A Moute and Deng. The others are complementary players (DeSagana Diop and DJ Mbenga), or non rotational substitutes that you can usaully find at the end of the bench (Hamady N'Diaye Thabbeet). "We're mostly interiors with a rather defensive emphasis, says Ibaka, and since the trend is towards the ultra-offensive minded post, we are not always options of first choice for many coaches."

"The flop of Michael Olowokandi (1st choice draft pick in 1998), Saer Sene (10th pick in 2006, now with Gravelines a French Pro A team) and more recently Hasheem Thabeet (2nd choice in 2009) have cooled the ardor of some clubs in recruiting of players of African origin," says NBA.com Sekou Smith is a reason why NBA front offices are more reserved in seeking African talent.

Despite these recent flops, Africa still continues to be a vantage ground. "The pool is unbelievable in Africa, says French agent Bouna Ndiaye (among his clients are French born Rodrigue Beaubois and Nicolas Batum). It is true that there were failures and mistakes in the choice of some African players in the past, but NBA franchises remain attentive to this market. "

Since 2005 at least one African player has been selected in every draft. With the opening of the the first NBA office on the African continent, in Johannesburg, South Africa there is a belief that there is a future for African in the NBA. For Amadou Gallo Fall, vice president of the NBA in Africa, there is no shadow of a doubt, the continent will participate significantly in the future of the basketball world: "Africa is full of talent, it is our job to help their development."