#Basketball Africa League

[afrotumble]

Game Highlights: Petro de Luanda (Angola) v Al Ahly Ly (Libya)

[netbuzzafrica]

2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs’ Quarterfinals Set

KIGALI, RWANDA – MAY 25: Firas Lahyani #23 of the US Monastir hits the game winning shot during the game against the Petroleos De Luanda during the 2024 Basketball Africa League Playoffs on May 25, 2024 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty…

[defensefilms]

Some Updates

Other than Nikola Jokic putting me through the five stages of grief, I've been keeping busy, and I feel I neeed to write these posts because otherwise I'll have no way of tracking my progress, because I don't really talk to anyone about this stuff.

Basketball National League

The BNL is the top semi-pro league in the country and after contacting one of the team administrators, I shot some of thier games at the Mandeville Sports Complex.

The BNL broadcasts thier games live on television and the production vans and crews were there, but more on that later.

It was a lot of fun photographing this league but more importantly is making contacts with people within the league, and I have contacted the marketing people and there is a chance that I'll be shooting video for them next season/later this year. So I'll hold thumbs for that.

It also happened that the Cape Town Tigers were playing on the day that I was shooting, and the Tigers are South Africa's representative team in the Basketball Africa League, you may have seen thier games on ESPN, so that gets me a bit closer to Franck Traore, who has been making headlines since the BAL built a new court in Rwanda.

Again making a solid impression on Franck Traore opens up a world of possibilities, as far as the BAL, and those NBA player interviews.

2. Tshwane Basketball Association

While I was scouting locations for an idea I had, I happened to run in to an old buddy of mine and he told me about a local league that had recently started up and that they were looking for a photographer.

There's a whole bunch of teams in this league, from pups, to high school guys to semi-pro guys.

After showing some of the teams my work, I've been able to get in touch with the marketing team of the league and started contributing photos to the leagues marketing campaign, so being part of something like that, helps knock down another milestone.

One of the teams that they played against has an affiliation with the Jnr NBA, it's likely attend their basketball camps/seminars, the last of which was held in Soweto. I'm going to use that footage to impress one or two of the Jnr NBA's HR people on LInkedIn and get access to these events.

For now though, the TBA will have most of my time and attention and I feel like I need to work more with others because most of the time I'm running isolation plays, so this experience will be a dope one.

3. VisionView Productions

I mentioned the guys that were broadcasting the BNL games and I happened to bump into their company again a few months later, this time they were shooting a broadcast of the Davis Cup tennis tournament.

Funny how the world works.

Just having that in-road to some of the biggest sporting events in the country along with the production company in charge of broadcasting them, will be a big plus, but I need to know more first.

All told I'm happy with the progress even if it has come with a whole bunch of sacrifice.

It's been a roller coaster of a year but you take the good with the bad and make the best of every opportunity.

[buddyverse]

The Buzz: NBA Finals 2024 Set! Can Kyrie Silence Beantown?

A thrilling NBA Finals matchup is set! The Mavericks, led by Doncic's dominant play and Irving's emotional return to Boston, will face the well-rested Celtics. Irving seeks redemption on the Finals stage, while Doncic aims to maintain his playoff mastery.

[iweb-rdc001]

Basketball Africa League 2024 : Dévoilement des dates, villes et stades pour la saison régulière

La Basketball Africa League a annoncé le début de la 4e saison le 9 mars 2024 à Pretoria, en Afrique du Sud, avec la participation de 12 équipes championnes nationales d’Afrique. La saison comprend 48 matchs répartis sur quatre mois dans quatre pays différents : Afrique du Sud, Égypte, Sénégal et Rwanda. Les équipes seront divisées en trois conférences pour une phase de groupes, suivie de matchs…

[demifiendrsa]

NBA Global Ambassador and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo has passed away at the age of 58 from brain cancer.

Mutombo played 18 NBA seasons for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, then-New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets before retiring after the 2008-09 season.

Nicknamed "Mount Mutombo" for his defensive prowess, he is commonly regarded as one of the best shot-blockers and defensive players of all time. Mutombo followed most blocks with a playful wag of his right index finger, a gesture that became his enduring signature and inspired many others after him. He received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, tied with Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert for the most awards. Mutombo led the NBA in blocked shots three times, led the league in rebounds twice, and was named to eight All-Star teams. On January 10, 2007, Mutombo reached second place on the list of NBA career leaders in blocked shots.

Outside of basketball, he was well known for his humanitarian work. He served as an ambassador for the sport, particularly in the development of the Basketball Africa League. He founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997, concentrating on improving health, education and quality of life for the people in Congo. His foundation led the building of a 170-bed hospital in Kinshasa, the capital city, and that facility has treated nearly a half-million people regardless of their ability to pay for care. He also had served on the boards of many organizations, including Special Olympics International, the CDC Foundation and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

[kwebtv]

TV Guide -  January 23 - 29, 1965

Kevin Joseph Aloysius “Chuck” Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) Film and television actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played both Major League Baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers 1949, Chicago Cubs, 1951) and in the National Basketball Association (Boston Celtics 1947–48). With a 40-year film and television career, he is best known for his five-year role as Lucas McCain in the highly rated ABC series The Rifleman 1958–63).

Connors had a rare comedic role in a 1955 episode (“Flight to the North”) of Adventures of Superman. He portrayed Sylvester J. Superman, a lanky rustic yokel who shared the same name as the title character of the series.

Connors was cast as Lou Brissie, a former professional baseball player wounded during World War II, in the 1956 episode “The Comeback” of the religion anthology series Crossroads. Don DeFore portrayed the Reverend C. E. “Stoney” Jackson, who offered the spiritual insight to assist Brissie’s recovery so that he could return to the game. Grant Withers was cast as Coach Whitey Martin; Crossroads regular Robert Carson also played a coach in this episode. Edd Byrnes, Rhys Williams, and Robert Fuller played former soldiers. X Brands is cast as a baseball player.

He also became a lovable television character actor, guest-starring in dozens of shows. His guest-starring debut was on an episode of NBC’s Dear Phoebe. He played in two episodes, one as the bandit Sam Bass, on Dale Robertson’s NBC western Tales of Wells Fargo.

Other television appearances were on Hey, Jeannie!, The Loretta Young Show, Schlitz Playhouse, Screen Directors Playhouse, Four Star Playhouse, Matinee Theatre, Cavalcade of America, Gunsmoke, The Gale Storm Show, The West Point Story, The Millionaire, General Electric Theater hosted by Ronald Reagan, Wagon Train, The Restless Gun with John Payne, Murder, She Wrote, Date with the Angels with Betty White, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Virginian, Night Gallery hosted by Rod Serling, and Here’s Lucy with Lucille Ball.

As Connors was strongly typecast for playing the firearmed rancher-turned-single-father, he then starred in several short-lived series, including: ABC’s Arrest and Trial (1963–1964), an early forerunner of Law and Order featuring two young actors Ben Gazzara and Don Galloway, NBC’s post-Civil War-era series Branded (1965–1966) and the 1967–1968 ABC series Cowboy in Africa, alongside British actor Ronald Howard and Tom Nardini. Connors guest-starred in a last-season episode of Night Gallery titled  “The Ring With the Red Velvet Ropes”. In 1973 and 1974 he hosted a television series called Thrill Seekers.

In 1983, Connors joined Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd, Ken Curtis and Noah Beery, Jr. in the short-lived NBC series The Yellow Rose, about a modern Texas ranching family. In 1985, he guest-starred as “King Powers” in the ABC TV series Spenser: For Hire, starring Robert Urich. In 1987, he co-starred in the Fox series Werewolf, as drifter Janos Skorzeny. In 1988, he guest-starred as “Gideon” in the TV series Paradise, starring Lee Horsley.   (Wikipedia)

[reasoningdaily]

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo – known for his shot-blocking and famed finger wave after denying opponents at the hoop – died Monday from brain cancer aged 58, according to the NBA.

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times.

His defensive prowess – leading the league in blocks for five consecutive seasons during an 18-year playing career and retiring second on the NBA’s all-time blocked shots list – was offset by his huge, playful smile.

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the 7-foot-2-inch Mutombo came to Washington’s Georgetown University initially on an academic scholarship in 1987 and rose to fame when he joined the basketball team in his second year.

He was selected fourth in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Aside from the Nuggets, he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, the then named New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.

Off the court, the towering center was known for his humanitarian work. In 1997, Mutombo established the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with a mission to improve education and quality of life in his native DRC.

In 2022, the NBA said Mutombo was receiving treatment for a brain tumor in Atlanta.

The league said he was surrounded by his family when he died Monday.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement, saying, “Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa.

“I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people. He was always accessible at NBA events over the years – with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.

“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly.

“On behalf of the entire NBA family, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back,” Silver’s statement said.

‘He was even better off the court’

Sixers general manager Daryl Morey lauded Mutombo during the team’s scheduled media day on Monday.

“There aren’t many guys like him. Just a great human being,” Morey said. “When I was a rookie GM in this league, my first chance in Houston, he was someone I went to all the time. He was older than me which is pretty rare.

“Obviously, his accomplishments on the court, we don’t need to talk about too much but just an amazing human being – what he did off the court, for Africa. Rest in peace, Dikembe.”

Speaking to reporters, 76ers star Joel Embiid said: “It’s a sad day, especially for us Africans and really the whole world, because other than what he’s accomplished on the basketball court, I think he was even better off the court.

“He’s one of the guys that I look up to as far as having an impact, not just on the court but off the court. He’s done a lot of great things, he did a lot of great things for a lot of people. He was a role model of mine, so like I said, it is a sad day.”

‘A heart of gold’

CNN Sport anchor Andy Scholes was a Rockets ballboy as a child, and fondly remembers getting to witness Mutombo up close.

“I was around him nearly every day for three years. He was intimidating on the court but off it he had a heart of gold,” Scholes said.

“I didn’t see him for some time after starting my journalism career. But at an All-Star game some 10 years ago, he came running up to me and said: ‘Andy, why didn’t you tell me you work for CNN! I watch you on TV every morning’.

“From then on whenever we’d see each other he always told me how proud he was of me. That meant so much to me because I always looked up to Dikembe, literally and figuratively.”

[alexbkrieger13]

Has the article already been shared? www(.)espn(.)com(.)au/football/story/_/id/38079094/how-cornhole-created-frenzy-swedens-world-cup-camp

How Cornhole has created a frenzy at Sweden's World Cup camp

UPPER HUTT, New Zealand -- Sweden and Bayern Munich defender Magdalena Eriksson has a target on her back. "Everyone wants to beat Magdalena," her Sweden teammate Olivia Schough says.

Eriksson and Scough are both part of the Sweden squad that hope to win the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but they are fierce rivals when it comes to what has been dubbed "The Alternative World Cup," a Cornhole competition that has gripped the camp between games. In the run-up to Sweden's nervy 2-1 win in their opener against South Africa, the Cornhole "group stage" took place, with the knockout rounds being played this week ahead of their second World Cup match against Italy at Wellington Regional Stadium.

Cornhole is a simple game, but one that's stirring strong emotions among the Sweden players. The competition is ferocious; there have been tantrums and wild celebrations, while both players and coaching staff have come up with far-fetched reasons not to take part because they can't handle the idea of losing.

The idea for the competition was proposed by team psychologist Rasmus Liljeblad as a way to help cure the boredom that can set in when you are away from home for potentially more than 40 days. For Sweden, whose base camp is in the quiet town of Upper Hutt, some 20 miles north of Wellington, that was a particular danger; therefore, they sought ideas to keep the players entertained. There are table tennis tables, a basketball court and a massive indoor screen alongside one of the training pitches where they can play interactive games. There is also an area where they can practice their golf swing.

However, Cornhole is the one activity that's created a frenzy across the squad.

Teams of two -- some opted for a three-player squad -- met in a "group stage" before this week's playoffs. The games take place in the players' lounge, using boards branded with the national team's crest. The aim is to throw a small hand-held sack through the hole in the board. If you manage that, you get three points. If the sack lands on the board, you get one point. The winning team is the first to 21 points.

The game is popular in the United States, one of the seldom-seen sports from around the world that features annually on "ESPN 8: The Ocho." The American Cornhole League events, which are broadcast globally, allow ACL pros to team up with celebrities for the competition: maybe the winners of Sweden's Alternative World Cup could get an invite next year?

Eriksson, who recently left Chelsea for Bayern Munich, hopes she will be in the running when the final comes around. "It's extremely competitive, as you can imagine," she told ESPN. "We don't know who is the best yet. We are coming into the playoffs now after a very tight group stage."

After a tough start, Eriksson and her partner, Barcelona forward Fridolina Rolfo, progressed to the knockout rounds, although they needed a win over the team's physios to kickstart their campaign. "If we had lost that, I think we would have withdrawn from the tournament," Eriksson added. "We wouldn't have deserved to be included."

Rosengard midfielder Schough, part of a team with defender Linda Sembrant and Sweden captain Caroline Seger, is waiting for Eriksson in the next round. "We had an easy group stage, four out of four wins," Schough told ESPN. "We are a strong team, but now we are facing Magdalena and Fridolina. [Eriksson] is a tough one, but I am very excited to beat her.

"Of course there is a fun side, but we always want to win ... and everyone wants to beat Magdalena."

Once the competition is over, there may still be some debate about who is the best. That's because Everton right-back Nathalie Bjorn and Manchester City midfielder Filippa Angeldal are not taking part.

Bjorn and Angeldal have known each other since they were six. They have gone on to play in an Olympics, a European Championship and now a World Cup together, but perhaps more importantly, they won the inaugural Cornhole competition, which took place at a camp before the World Cup. Given their 20-year relationship, they might have already had an advantage over their teammates, though some previous training with Bjorn's dad also helped hone their skills.

"My dad plays a little bit at home in Sweden, in Uppsala," Bjorn told ESPN. "He took me at Christmas, with Filippa and her girlfriend, and we went and played and had a competition against other players."

So why are they not trying to retain their crown? "I already won once," she added. "This time I felt like I can be a coach or referee and just see because I get easily bored. I can play two games and not be focused anymore. I just thought no, I am just going to watch now."

Eriksson is not so sure. "They don't want to come back and do worse after winning the last tournament," is her opinion. That gives an idea of how competitive the games can become.

"We have some players that get so angry and frustrated which is just funny to watch," Bjorn said. "You sit on the sidelines and just laugh. I would say everyone here is so competitive, so it's hard to name one or two because it's the whole team. When they are going to throw the bag and it goes somewhere else, it's just bad words coming out."

While some members of the backroom staff are involved, the coaching staff are not. Schough jokes that we should ask assistant manager Magnus Wikman why he didn't sign up.

"I like to play and I think I am quite good," Wikman laughed when asked by ESPN. "But in this situation, I think it's bad for the players to play [with me] because I talk a lot with them and [have to make decisions], so I think it's better I don't compete. If I lose, I am not going to control my emotions and that's not good for the players!"

Ultimately, the silliness and competitive Cornhole helps take some of the pressure off a group of players who headed to New Zealand with heady expectations placed on their shoulders by those back home in Sweden. Peter Gerhardsson's side are ranked third in the FIFA rankings and have a rich history in the women's game. They were runners-up at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and finished third at the World Cup in France four years ago. There is a demand for them to go far this summer.

"It is important to do these type of things as a team, to not always only think about football," Eriksson said. "Talking from my own perspective, I know I can be quite obsessive about football so I need things to distract myself and other competitions.

"It is a really nice way to get the group together. These games have been the highlights of the evenings. It's been fun and now we have the playoffs, so I will keep you updated."

[beardedmrbean]

Finland ranks among the European Union's most racially discriminatory countries, according to the findings of a survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

Finland takes third spot in the report, which investigates the challenges faced by people of African descent in Europe, encompassing issues of race-based discrimination, harassment, and violence. Austria and Germany were the only two countries to rank ahead of Finland.

Reporting on the Being Black in the EU survey, newspaper Helsingin Sanomat writes that the survey shows how discrimination has become more rampant in recent years, both in Finland and across the EU.

Some 54 percent of the respondents in Finland reported experiencing racial discrimination during the past year, with 63 percent having encountered such discrimination over the past five years.

"People of African descent are routinely met with unfair treatment and bias when seeking jobs or homes. Racial discrimination, harassment and violence continues to haunt their daily lives," the report notes.

The surveyed countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.

The FRA gathered data by interviewing individuals residing in these nations who either hailed from sub-Saharan Africa or had at least one parent from the region. The survey was conducted in 2022 and includes responses from more than 6,700 participants.

Covid strikes again

Data provided by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) suggests Finland could see a potential resurgence of Covid towards the end of the year, according to a report by tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.

THL's figures show a noticeable uptick in new Covid cases and patients in need of hospitalisation.

"A similar rise has also been observed elsewhere in Europe," Tuula Hannila-Handelberg, chief doctor at THL, told IS.

However, she cautioned that the situation could soon deteriorate as outbreaks typically see an upsurge around the Christmas holiday, usually leading to an increase in hospitalisation cases.

Despite this, Hannila-Handelberg stressed that the general population still has robust protection against severe illness.

"Covid has circulated so widely that everyone should already have some protection, either from previous vaccinations or infections," she told the paper.

Lauri Markkanen gets pay bounce

Finland's basketball celebrity Lauri Markkanen is about to start his seventh NBA season on Thursday, with tabloid Iltalehti anticipating a substantial increase in earnings for the player.

The Jyväskylä native has assumed an increasingly prominent role in the Utah Jazz's game strategy. The team is currently striving to regain a playoff spot after recently parting ways with centre Rudy Gobert and playmaker Donovan Mitchell, according to IL.

Under his current contract with the Chicago Bulls, which remains valid until the summer of 2025, Markkanen earns around 16.2 million euros per year.

Last summer the NBA implemented a new collective agreement. The players' union, the NBAPA, successfully negotiated a greater share of the total revenue for players. This is exemplified by the five-year, 288 million-dollar contract of the Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown, who, like Markkanen, falls into the category of emerging talents, according to IL.

Brown's new contract brings him an annual income of approximately 54.2 million euros (57.6 million USD).

While Markkanen is steadily becoming a shining star in the league, the Jazz also need to address a clear disparity in compensation.

Although Markkanen's existing contract runs until the summer of 2025, it is highly probable that the Jazz will seek to secure his services with a more substantial sum, possibly as early as this season. The new contract is bound to significantly multiply Markkanen's earnings, IL notes.

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THE 2024 BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: 🇦🇴 PETRO DE LUANDA 🏆✨ #BAL4

[netbuzzafrica]

Basketball Africa Announces Host Cities, Venues and Dates For 2024 Season

Basketball Africa League’s expanded fourth season will Feature Record 48 Games in Pretoria; Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal and Kigali, Rwanda; Fans Can Visit BAL.NBA.com to Register Their Interest in Tickets; 30 Aspiring Players from Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Around the World to Attend BAL Combine in Rabat, Morocco Jan. 5-7. The Basketball Africa League (BAL) today announced that the league’s…

[sportsvillagesquare]

Again, It’s Libya versus Nigeria as the Basketball Africa League begins in Tripoli

Months after an ill-tempered Africa Cup of Nations qualifying confrontation, Nigeria and Libya are back again in the sports arena. This time it is the qualification for the AfroBasket 2025. Unlike the October episode in which the Nigeria football team could not gain access into Libya, the tension is doused this time as the Nigerian basketball team, D’Tigers are already in Tripoli and will be…

[buddyverse]

The Buzz: Triumphs and Tribulations of the 2024 Basketball Africa League BAL Finals

While Petro de Luanda stole the championship spotlight, other players left their mark on the league. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. of Al Ahly Ly had a phenomenal season, earning both the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for MVP and the Dikembe Mutombo Trophy for Defensive Play

[iweb-rdc001]

Basketball Africa League 2024 : Dévoilement des dates, villes et stades pour la saison régulière

La Basketball Africa League a annoncé le début de la 4e saison le 9 mars 2024 à Pretoria, en Afrique du Sud, avec la participation de 12 équipes championnes nationales d’Afrique. La saison comprend 48 matchs répartis sur quatre mois dans quatre pays différents : Afrique du Sud, Égypte, Sénégal et Rwanda. Les équipes seront divisées en trois conférences pour une phase de groupes, suivie de matchs…