- Complete Team Africa and Team World Rosters Finalized;  Tickets Available at Computicket.com -

- Game Will be Played in Support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Will Air Live in Sub-Saharan Africa on Kwesé Free Sports and Kwesé Sports 1 - 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced today the full roster of players and coaches who will participate in the NBA Africa Game 2018, the NBA’s third game in Africa, which will take place Saturday, Aug. 4 at 5:00 pm CAT at Sun Arena at Time Square in Pretoria, South Africa.

The NBA Africa Game 2018 will once again feature a Team Africa vs. Team World format.  Team Africa will be composed of players born in Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, and Team World will be composed of players from the rest of the world.  Tickets are available by visiting Computicket.com or Computicket’s retail outlets in South Africa.

Luol Deng (Los Angeles Lakers; South Sudan) and Ian Mahinmi (Washington Wizards; France; parent from Benin) join Team Africa, which already includes Al-Farouq Aminu (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.; parents from Nigeria), Bismack Biyombo (Charlotte Hornets; Democratic Republic of the Congo)*, Cheick Diallo (New Orleans Pelicans; Mali), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011)*, Evan Fournier (Orlando Magic; France; parent from Algeria), Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors; Republic of the Congo), Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Oklahoma City Thunder; France; parent from Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Pascal Siakam (Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012).  Team Africa will be coached by Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard.

John Collins (Atlanta Hawks; U.S.), JaVale McGee (Lakers; U.S.), Dennis Smith Jr. (Dallas Mavericks; U.S.) and Marvin Williams (Hornets; U.S.) join Team World, which already includes Harrison Barnes (Mavericks; U.S.), Danilo Gallinari (LA Clippers; Italy; BWB Europe 2003), Rudy Gay (San Antonio Spurs; U.S.)*, Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks; U.S.)*, and Hassan Whiteside (Heat; U.S.).  Team World will be coached by Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina (Italy).

Also participating in the game will be NBA assistant coaches Bill Bayno (Indiana Pacers), Harold Ellis (New York Knicks), Adrian Griffin (Raptors), Mark Hughes (Clippers), B.J. Johnson (Houston Rockets), Patrick Mutombo (Raptors; Democratic Republic of the Congo) and David Vanterpool (Trail Blazers), Raptors President Masai Ujiri (Nigeria), Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka, Magic Director of Player Development and Quality Control Becky Bonner, Magic scout Prosper Karangwa (Rwanda), athletic trainers Will Sevening (Spurs) and Stanford Williams (Phoenix Suns), as well as NBA referees Tony Brothers and Derrick Stafford.

NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will attend the game along with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia), Jerryd Bayless (76ers), Garrett Temple (Memphis Grizzlies), and former WNBA players Swin Cash, Astou N’Diaye (Senegal), Allison Feaster, Clarisse Machanguana (Mozambique) and Ruth Riley. 

The NBA Africa Game 2018 will take place following the 16^th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa.  In honor of the centenary of Nelson Mandela, the game will be played in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

The NBA Africa Game 2018 will air live in sub-Saharan Africa on Kwesé Free Sports, Kwesé Sports 1, the Kwesé TV app, as well as Kwesé’s partner pay-TV and free-to-air channels.

  The NBA has held two sold-out Africa Games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017, in support of charities including the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA) and UNICEF.There are more than 80 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Dikembe Mutombo.

For more information, fans can register at www.NBA.com/AfricaGame, visit www.NBA.com/Africa, and follow the NBA on Facebook (NBA Africa) and Twitter (@NBA_Africa). 

*Team Co-Captain

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

About the NBPA

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA’s mission is to ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected and that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals -- on and off the court.

The NBPA advocates on behalf of the best interest of all NBA players, including the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the filing of grievances on behalf of the players, or counseling players on benefits, educational and post-NBA career opportunities.

In addition, the NBPA provides a forum for players to participate in union activities -- from executive leadership roles, to team representative positions, global community outreach initiatives. The NBPA offers each NBA player the opportunity to get involved in the democratic institution that was created for, continues to exist for and is run by them.