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October was a mixed month for Africa’s NBA stars, as the league tipped off, with 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid out with a knee injury and strong performances from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama not translating into consistent starts for their teams.
Wembanyama, who has ties to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Greek-Nigerian star Antetokounmpo continue to play starring roles, while Dennis Schröder, who is of Gambian descent, remains one of the league’s best creative players.
If that is to the disappointment of African NBA fans, then they at least had some relatively unexpected cause to cheer.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Cameroonian draft pick Yves Missi has given them some of the most exhilarating moments of the season to date, while Benin-Japanese star Rui Hachimura’s strong start to the season has helped the LA Lakers get off to a winning start.
Africa’s October MVP: Dennis Schröder (Brooklyn Nets)
Schröder was born in Germany to a German father and Gambian mother. Although he represents Germany internationally, he has publicly shown his pride in his Gambian roots.
“My mom is from Gambia, born and raised there. We always go back to Gambia to see our family and it keeps you humble. So, seeing all that, seeing our family there and what they have and what we got always humbles you as well. And that’s how we want to live by as a family,” he said in a recent interview with Andscape.
Schröder has had a superb start to the NBA season. In October, he averaged 24.6 points and 8.2 assists per game for the Brooklyn Nets. Like any quality point guard, he has not only helped the scoring but made his teammates better than they would have been without him.
Greek-Nigerian forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.4 PPG, 11.6 RPG & 5.8 APG) was statistically the best African player of the month. However, the Milwaukee Bucks have had a notably poor start to the season, so Schröder takes the honors this month for helping the Nets find some semblance of winning form after initially being slow out of the blocks.
Moment of the Month: Wemby’s 5X5 (San Antonio Spurs)
In the San Antonio Spurs’ 106-88 win over the Utah Jazz, Victor Wembanyama 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks.
Wembanyama, who has ties to DR Congo through his father, thus secured his second game with at least five in each of those five categories. He is only the third player in NBA history to have achieved that feat – the others being Andrei Kirilenko, who had three 5×5 games and another African giant, Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), who had six.
Surprise package of the month: Yves Missi (New Orleans Pelicans)
One of the early surprise contenders for Rookie of the Year is Cameroon’s Yves Missi, who was the 21st overall pick in the NBA Draft, selected by the Pelicans.
The former Baylor center has delivered some of the most memorable plays of the season so far – from some monster dunks to his huge block on fellow African star Jonathan Kuminga (DR Congo, Golden State Warriors).
The LA Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, the son of a Beninese father, has been another player who has exceeded expectations this season.
Having joined from the Washington Wizards in January 2023, Hachimura has not always had enough time on the court to stand out as an important part of the team. However, new head coach JJ Redick has handed him more minutes this season and he has maximized them.
In October, Hachimura averaged 15.6 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game.
There are signs that more players could come into the fold in this section during November. For one, the Boston Celtics’ Neemias Queta, whose parents are from Guinea-Bissau, has got the new month off to a superb start.
With Embiid back in practice and close to return from a knee injury, the month ahead promises to be an exciting one for African NBA fans.
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