The 21st edition of Basketball Without Borders Africa which concluded in Kigali on Tuesday, August 26, left officials of African basketball impressed by the contribution and impact its camps continue to make on young basketball players across the continent. The four-day camp brought together 60 male and female high-school-age prospects from 21 African countries to learn from NBA, WNBA coaches and legends. ALSO READ: Women challenged to embrace basketball as BWB Africa camp opens in Kigali Among top instructors who were leading the camp in Kigali were NBA ex-stars Tamika Catchings, former NBA standouts Kerry Kittles and Marvin Williams, along with Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee, Indiana Pacers assistant Lloyd Pierce, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori. Rwandan had four players at the camp in Liliane Ingabire, Plamedie Bizimana Kayira, Sean Mwesigwa and Gabriel Ndoba Mwiba. “And so by the third day they're saying, look, there's really, really good talent. And that's what we want to find,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. “We want to find good talent. We want these young people to go back with their new ideas, new energy, new inspiration so they can do big things in their lives. And so finishing the 21st time is extremely successful. And we thank our hosts, Rwanda, for hosting us.” BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall talked about what such camps can do in terms of various things including developing coaches. “I think developing coaches is also a big part of what this program does. Basketball Without Borders remains the flagship of basketball development and community engagement program. The NBA partnered with FIBA to launch this project,” Fall said. ALSO READ: Ex-NBA stars coming to Kigali to coach top talents at BWB camp He noted that initiatives like the NBA Academy and BWB have done good work in developing players. “It's the pathway that we've been able to establish over the many decades that the NBA has been partnering with FIBA to grow the game that we see manifest itself whether it's in the Basketball Africa League or at Afro Basket. And that's the goal, we want to make sure that African talent, some of it stay on the continent, play in club basketball,” he said. ALSO READ: Four Rwandan youngsters selected for Basketball Without Borders On his part, 17-year-old Rwandan guard Mwesigwa said the camp offered him an opportunity to learn and get good advice from NBA coaches during the camp. Since its launch in 2001, BWB Africa has engaged over 4,600 athletes from 144 countries, with 142 advancing to the NBA or WNBA. Some alumni include Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, and 2025 NBA draft pick Khaman Maluach.
