Joel Embiid - The African Mirror

Oct

2023

The World of African Basketball

FORMER Kenya women's basketball team captain and international commentator Silalei Shani provides all the latest moves and grooves in this week's The World of African Basketball. After applying for American citizenship in a move that saddened many Cameroonians, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has come in for criticism again with the announcement that he would be playing for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Embiid, who holds three passports, made his decision for family reasons and to follow his dream of winning an Olympic medal. “It was difficult. Obviously, I like all three options. I love my country…But…

May

2023

By The African Mirror

Embid become the 2nd African to win NBA MVP Award

BASKETBALL

PHILADELPHIA 76ers centre Joel Embiid has won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the first time, the league announced. Embiid was chosen over Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic, to whom he lost the award in the past two seasons, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won back-to-back awards in 2019 and 2020. The Cameroonian big man received 73 first-place votes from a panel of 100 broadcasters and journalists, marking the fifth consecutive win for an international player. The 29-year-old is only the second African player to become MVP after Nigerian-American Hakeem Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets in the…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Meet Africa’s Mr Basketball

SPORT

BOITUMELO RANTAO FOR the majority of basketball players in Africa, their only hope of creating a career out of basketball is to seek a change of scenery and travel overseas. For others, basketball can be used to better the current situation by seizing opportunities to better schools that might have not been available before. Football was known as the clear-cut favourite as Senegal’s No.1 sport, but the growing presence of basketball could not be ignored. Though hard to find the facilities, and at a time when courts were not readily available. One youngster had just received a basketball from his…