It’s been something of a talking point of late; the dominance of European players in the NBA, that is. The chatter particularly rose high in the last season with players such as Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo continuing to mark their names in the league as key pieces to watch out for. Denver’s very own “Joker” took home a championship and the MVP award after winning it back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. Before Jokic, Antetokounmpo held the MVP title for two straight years, with Cameroonian-born Joel Embiid clinching it in 2023. That’s six years since an American-born NBA player won an MVP!

And where do we even start with the Slovenian phenom? From winning the 2019 ROTY, Doncic has managed to keep the NBA and the basketball community at large, slack-jawed with his incredible and non-traditional performances. Of course, he arrived in the NBA with a proven international resume. But there’s always that adjustment period for European players. Luka didn’t seem to mind it one bit as he breezed through it, taking his Dallas squad to greater heights and putting Slovenia on the map.

So yeah, the worry of the NBA world is warranted. And to an extent, something many are looking to avoid, as NBA insider, Anthony Slater said in the latest episode of The Athletic NBA Show. Responding to his co-host, Dave DuFour’s statement of Africa holding veritable talent in its palm, Slater said, “That’s the reason the BAL, the Basketball Africa League, and the NBA working hand-in-hand is super important.”

“I’ve watched those games in the spring the last couple of years and the talent that’s coming out of there is great. And I know that the NBA wants to cut off the European pipeline. So they want to get these guys younger and get them to come out here. “

But if we were to bring it somewhat closer home, The Athletic senior writer has none other than Luol Deng and South Sudan as the prime example.

South Sudan is the perfect example of the kind of talent the NBA would want to counteract a European takeover

Ahead of discussing the European pipeline, Slater had nothing but high praise for the Bright Stars. While it might seem like a basketball enthusiast’s unfiltered admiration for the talent, these young men possess, the Warriors’ reporter for The Athletic was making his point on how the league could benefit from the talent pool Africa boasts.

“Their style of play, it’s up-tempo, they crash the glass, and every single guy has a green light when they’re open… So, if you’re a team like South Sudan and you are at a talent disadvantage [when compared to the elite Team USA squad], you wanna run, you wanna go high, hard variance, everyone taking shots so everyone has to be guarded. This is clearly a team that has an athletic pipeline there. All of these guys can run and jump and got good length. South Sudan is going to be one of those stories that we are gonna have to follow for years!” 

Great words indeed! The roots of the NBA in Africa go back over 50 years when the league arrived in the continent in 1971 in support of basketball clinics conducted by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. About 10+ years later, the future NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon would be selected as the No. 1 pick in the 1984 draft. From there, it has been a steady rise of not just basketball, but a way of life. With initiatives like Basketball Without Borders and the NBA Academy, the work that the league has put in over the decades is no small feat.

Talking about the success of all the hard work which culminated in BAL, President Amadou Gallo Fall, recently spoke about the doors they open. “With the vast amount of talent that remains, there is an opportunity to create a ‘sports and entertainment’ product that the rest of the world is going to want to consume, pay to watch, travel to different African countries to visit, and use basketball as the convening power.”

As both DuFour and Slater said unanimously, “The talent is obviously there.” The ball is now in Adam Silver’s court. Thoughts?

 Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.