Celebrated American female Dj Poizon Ivy, the official disk jockey for NBA giants Dallas Mavericks, has been appointed as the official music and sound coordinator at the highly anticipated Basketball Africa League. So far rated the highest tier continental league in Africa, the inaugural event is set to tip-off this coming weekend, running from Sunday, May 16-30 live from Kigali Arena. Born Ivy Awino, in Kenya before relocating to the US at the age of nine, Poizon Ivy started deejaying at the age of 19 while in university. She started with the Mark Cuban-owned professional basketball team as a ball kid before her love for music jumpstarted her stellar career at the Dallas-based franchise to its official in-arena deejay. The DJ has spun at three NBA All-Star weekends, becoming the first female ever to do so in 2018. She has also been a DJ for the Women NBA’s Dallas Wings till she joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2020, making her just the second-ever female NBA team DJ. The news about Poizon Ivy was broken by Marc Spears, the senior NBA writer for ESPN, the official broadcaster of the BAL. “Congratulations to Dallas Mavericks and former Dallas Wings’ Poizon Ivy the DJ who is the official music and sound coordinator at the BAL,” posted the American journalist before BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall commented ‘Very proud of this young lady! From ball kid to the Pros” Congratulations to @dallasmavs and former @dallaswings @poiZonivytheDJ who is the official music and sound coordinator at the @theBAL. She is a native of Nairobi, Kenya and has spun at three NBA All-Star weekends. pic.twitter.com/aglSqF7g4P — Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 7, 2021 Very proud of this young lady! From ball kid to the Pros. — Amadou Gallo Fall (@amadougallofall) May 7, 2021 Responding to his tweet, the first-ever female DJ for the Dallas Mavericks wrote on Twitter saying, “I’m coming home!” Prior to the BAL, the DJ left a message to the Mavericks’ supporters that she will be out of the court until after the competition. “Sunday was my last game [Mavericks’ win over Wizards] providing the musical vibes this regular season, I’m headed out on a very special assignment. Stay tuned! I’ll be back in time for our playoff run,” she posted on her Twitter account on May 5. 🚨@dallasmavs fans, Sunday was my last game providing the musical vibes this regular season. I’m headed out on a very special assignment 😉. Stay tuned! I’ll be back in time for our playoff run. Until then, y’all are in great hands with my g @shippyspins 📸 @emanueloma pic.twitter.com/6m76bfX3Zw — PoiZon Ivy The DJ (@poiZonivytheDJ) May 6, 2021 Congrats to our very own @poiZonivytheDJ! https://t.co/WsV4rXQoKb — Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 7, 2021 Awino will join a host of stars in Rwanda including the likes of American rapper J. Cole who landed in Kigali on Sunday, May 9, where he is expected to feature for local team Patriots BBC during the upcoming BAL competition. The New Times has learned he is on the clubs roster for the competition. In October 2019, Ivy walked away with the award for the ‘Best DJ’ in East Africa at the Afrika Muzik Magazine Awards held in Texas, USA, an addition to her 2017 Emmy for her Faith and Fate biography courtesy of Fox journalist Heather Hays. She was also listed in the annual edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 among the 2020 class of sports world’s brightest and youngest stars after becoming the first woman ever to DJ a National Basketball Association (NBA) all-star game.
