The third NBA Africa Game will tip off Saturday in Pretoria, South Africa, with 18 NBA players participating in the exhibition as part of Basketball Without Borders, the NBA’s outreach program that helps spread the sport around the globe. This year, the game will be played in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation in honor of Mandela’s centenary, and the participants are spending the week mixing basketball camps with community service, including NBA Cares projects like Habitat for Humanity, Hoops for Hope, and other local organizations.
Over 80 current and former NBA players have direct ties to the continent of Africa, and while the NBA Africa Game focuses on positively impacting local communities, it also serves to honor the players who paved the way for African-born players to make it to the NBA.