Team World beat Team Africa 108–97 in the second NBA Africa Game on 5 August at the Ticketpro Dome.
The game was attended by more than 7 000 NBA fans. Team World led by 50–47 at halftime and the lead changed several times in the second half before Team World turned on the heat in the final quarter to deny a late comeback by Team Africa.
Victor Oladipo’s Most Valuable Player performance was not enough to give Team Africa their first victory on African soil. Oladipo, who is of Nigerian descent, led the game in scoring with 28 points coupled with his nine rebounds and five assists. Teammate, Congolese-born Emmanuel Mudiay of the Denver Nuggets had a near triple double as he managed to attain 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry were instrumental in Team World’s victory. Drummond, of the Detroit Pistons, was clearly the most impactful player in his team as he racked up a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Lowry, point guard for the Toronto Raptors added five assists and grabbed seven rebounds in his performance.
The game marked the end of NBA’s four-day tour of South Africa which consisted of training camps for the top 80 young basketball players under the Basketball Without Borders initiative.
Prior to the main game, a celebrity match was played which included award winning artists Cassper Nyovest and Riky Rick, 94.7 radio DJ Ayanda MVP and former 5fm DJ Poppy Ntshongwana.
Global stars such as soccer players Thierry Henry and Lucas Radebe, and singer Akon also made an appearance at the event.
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