JOHANNESBURG – Leading up to the NBA’s first game in Africa on Aug. 1, NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches will participate in the 13^th edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa.  The NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program will take place July 29-Aug. 1 at the American International School of Johannesburg in South Africa.  NBA Africa Game 2015 will take place at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.    

 BWB Africa will gather the top 59 players from across Africa born in 1998 to learn from eight-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers; U.S.), two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng (Miami Heat; born in South Sudan), two-time NBA Champion Pau Gasol (Chicago Bulls; Spain), two-time NBA All-Star Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies; Spain), Al-Farouq Aminu (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.; parents from Nigeria), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; parents from Nigeria), Nicolas Batum (Charlotte Hornets; France; parent from Cameroon), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards; U.S.), Bismack Biyombo (Toronto Raptors; Democratic Republic of the Congo), Trey Burke (Utah Jazz; U.S.), Boris Diaw (San Antonio Spurs; France; parent from Senegal), Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal), Festus Ezeli (Golden State Warriors; Nigeria), Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets; U.S.), Jeff Green (Memphis Grizzlies; U.S.), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder; Congo), Luc Mbah a Moute (most recently with the Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon), Nazr Mohammed (most recently with the Chicago Bulls; parents from Ghana), Evan Turner (Boston Celtics; U.S.) and Nikola Vucevic (Orlando Magic; Montenegro).

These NBA/FIBA players will be joined by NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and NBA Africa Ambassador Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), as well as WNBA Legends Ebony Hoffman (U.S.), Clarisse Machanguana (Mozambique) and Ruth Riley (U.S.).

NBA/FIBA executives, coaches, and general managers will also participate, including NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, FIBA President Horacio Muratore, FIBA Africa President Niang Hamane, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bile, 2014-15 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets Coach Lionel Hollins, Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King, San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich and Boston Celtics Coach Brad Stevens.  San Antonio Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford and Toronto Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri will be the camp directors.

Current and former NBA/FIBA assistant coaches and trainers who will participate include David Fizdale (Miami Heat), Patrick Hunt (President, World Association of Basketball Coaches), Ed Pinckney (Denver Nuggets), Patrick Mutombo, Eric Waters (Washington Wizards), Keon Weise (Orlando Magic), and Monty Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder).

In its 15^th year overall, BWB will also feature an inaugural BWB Americas camp in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Aug. 13-16, while BWB Europe 2015 was held for the first time in Gran Canaria, Spain June 2-5.

As part of BWB and NBA Africa Game efforts, NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, and the NBPA Foundation will host a series of events to leave a lasting legacy in the community.  With support from Ford, local youth will participate in a Jr. NBA clinic on Wednesday, July 29 at the American International School of Johannesburg.  Also at the school, Hoops 4 Hope will conduct life skills sessions presented by South African Airways.  NBA/FIBA players, coaches and legends will hold sessions on leadership and health and wellness for BWB campers throughout the week.  

Members of the NBA/FIBA family will gather at the newly built Boys & Girls Club at Protea Glen on Thursday, July 30 for a basketball court dedication and clinic presented by NIKE.

Friday, July 31 will mark the third consecutive year that NBA/FIBA players will visit SOS Children’s Village Ennerdale, an organization that builds families for orphaned and abandoned children.  NBA Cares and the NBPA Foundation have undertaken their largest commitment to the village to date, working on a range of projects from the refurbishment of the local library to the construction of a new basketball court.

BWB campers will be outfitted with the latest footwear and apparel from NIKE, a BWB global partner since 2002.

Since 2001, BWB has reached more than 2,300 campers from more than 125 countries and territories, with 37 campers drafted into the NBA.  Twenty-two former BWB campers were on NBA rosters during the 2014-15 regular season, including 2015 NBA All-Star and BWB Africa 2015 coach Marc Gasol.

The first BWB Global Camp gathered the best players from around the world during NBA All-Star 2015 in New York City.  The second annual BWB Global Camp will be held during NBA All-Star 2016 in Toronto and will bring together the top players from this summer’s BWB camps.

The following is a complete list of players participating in BWB Africa 2015 in Johannesburg: