The NBA’s commissioner Adam Silver held true to his promise to expand the league and make the game more of a global experience by holding the first ever Exhibition game played in South Africa. #TeamAfrica was lead by captain Luol Deng while #TeamWorld was lead by Chris Paul; however, the shining star and maybe most surprising player in the game was 52 year old Hakeem Olajuwon!
During the course of the game, it looked like #TeamAfrica was sure to dominate and win the game after being up by 20 points. With Chris Paul taking over the game with 12 points, he helped #TeamWorld over come the deficit and lead them to a 101-97 victory. Aside from the exciting game, this was definitely a monumental move for the NBA as it is the first game to ever be played on the continent of Africa.
The people of Johannesburg, South Africa were definitely excited to be able to watch a game in person that featured some of the league’s current greats and legends alike. 52 year Hakeem Olajuwon, originally of Nigeria, entered the game and was actually balling! Hakeem hit his signature ‘Dream Shake’ and scored a couple buckets! Not only was Hakeem Olajuwon in attendance, but Dikembe Mutombo made a surprise entrance into the game as well!
Hakeem Olajuwon X Dikembe Mutombo…
This exhibition game is definitely not going to be the last stop for the NBA as the league has already travelled and played games in places like Mexico and London. As Adam Silver and the NBA continue to push the game into global position, we can definitely expect these types of exhibitions to become more common.
