Sports
Joakim Noah is increasing his commitment to African basketball on his first trip to South Africa
BROEDERSTROOM, South Africa – How do you make a powerful, athletic 6-foot-8 man feel small and short?
Witness the visit of two-time NBA All-Star Joakim Noah to the Lion & Safari Park in South Africa.
“There is a different order in the wild,” said Noah Andscape of Lion & Safari Park. “They all the time say, ‘It’s the lion’s command.’ Just being here within the land of the lions and being so close to them, just having the ability to feel this energy, this primal energy in its most natural form, gives you such experiences… it changes you.
Noah excelled defensively, averaging 8.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 672 games in his NBA profession from 2007 to 2020. The 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year was named to the All-NBA Defensive Team 3 times. The former University of Florida star was also an NBA All-Star for the Chicago Bulls in 2013 and 2014.
Noah says he doesn’t miss playing within the NBA but stays connected to playing basketball within the Basketball Africa League.
“I shot every bullet within the gun when it got here to mowing. Thirteen years, eight surgeries. I missed the corporate of boys. But overall it costs me rather a lot. I like the sport, but I’m just completely satisfied to share this experience and watch other players get their opportunities,” Noah said.
Noah, Grant Hill, Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng and Dikembe Mutombo are former NBA stars who’ve invested in BAL. BAL is in its fourth season with 12 teams from 12 African countries collaborating, with preliminary competitions having concluded in Pretoria, South Africa. Dakar, Senegal; and Cairo, Egypt are next. The playoffs and championship match will likely be played in Kigali, Rwanda. Led by NBA, BAL is a partnership between FIBA and NBA Africa.
Noah’s father, former French tennis star Yannick Noah, took him to his native Cameroon when he was a baby. In recent years, Joakim Noah has built basketball courts in Cameroon and Nigeria. Through BAL, it helps construct the foundations for the event of African basketball players, coaches, referees and facilities.
“The opportunity to work with BAL is important,” Noah said. “Beauty actually travels across the continent. And South Africa is a special place. It’s a paid place. This is the land of the Zulus, the Zulu warriors. A tough story, the story of true revolutionaries. What made me join BAL within the first place was leadership. That’s what excited me essentially the most.
“(BAL president) Amadou (Fall) is someone I trust and believe in. He came to my village in Cameroon at the beginning of my career for my first (basketball) camp. He didn’t have to do this. This is long before the PROM. It’s just supporting my village, where my father comes from, my roots. I remember him talking to the kids and I thought, “OK, this guy is a real leader with a real vision.” And for this opportunity to happen as soon as I retire from basketball, I feel a greater sense of purpose now than when I played because of this opportunity.”
Andlandscape
Noah’s visit to South Africa was his first. This is the eighth country he has visited in Africa. He says he fell in love with South Africa, the restaurants and nightlife in Johannesburg during visits to the BAL Games and Special Olympics in Pretoria and the Mandela House. But of all of the events in South Africa, Noah was most enthusiastic about going to the Lion & Safari Park in March.
The 2,471-acre wildlife reserve includes lions, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and zebras. Like most guests, Noah was very excited and nervous to see the lions riding the security bus, and for good reason. In 2015, an American woman was mauled to death by a lioness on the Lion & Safari Park during a guided tour during which she made the error of opening her automotive window. An Australian tourist was once bitten by a lion after leaving his automotive window open, and a young person who broke protocol by riding his bike through the realm unsupervised was attacked by a cheetah.
“Lions on the loose, that is the model. Every time you could have the chance to see lions, yes, you could have to feel it. We are in cages today. I’m excited,” Noah said before the tour.
Experienced guide Alex Larenty led Noah and his friends on a private tour. Larenty (65) has been organizing trips for twenty-four years for stars comparable to comedian Kevin Hart, actor Will Smith, tennis legend Serena Williams, singer Celine Dion, rapper Snoop Dogg and his favorite actor Clint Eastwood. Larenty said he keeps several safari animals at his home, is completely satisfied to work seven days every week and doesn’t mind being around lions, whether he’s feeding them meat, cuddling them, brushing their mane or playfully catching them.
“When you have a lot of worries and a lot of things going on in your private life, (the lion) comes and gives you a big hug, everything just disappears,” Larenty said. “I actually think I have more animal friends than human friends. I don’t know if that makes any sense. The older I get, the more privilege it is for me to be able to work with (animals).”
Larenty’s first stop on the tour was a visit to two lions, including his pet named George, and two lionesses. He pulled the bus past the lazy lions resting on the bottom. The raw meat thrown by Larenty made the lions move.
Noah was sitting within the back row of the bus admiring the lions when Larenty told him to prepare for his or her close-up. Larenty placed three pieces of meat on a metal stick and placed it next to the bus, a meter away from the bars from Noah. The lion jumped up, grabbed the side of the bus and ate the meat, while a smiling but wary Noah looked him straight in the attention. An excited Noah then FaceTimed his wife, Lais Ribero, to excitedly tell her in regards to the encounter.
“It seemed like that lion wanted nothing more than to get to you,” Noah thought. “I’ll always remember that look from the lion. I’ll remember this for the remainder of my life. I can go home now and I even have an actual story to tell that is documented…
“Nature has a way of keeping you humble. This lion doesn’t care about your double-double. This lion is going to eat Shaq (O’Neal).”
Andlandscape
Andlandscape
The remainder of the tour included close-ups of wildebeests, hyenas, and even a black leopard. The lioness scared the tourists on Noah’s bus when she tried to rip off his backpack along with her teeth before Larenty dragged him away. There were also impalas within the wild that would change into prey to lions.
“See the letter ‘M’ on their butts.” It’s for McDonald’s,” Larenty joked. “It’s fast food here.”
The last and maybe most beautiful stop on the tour was a visit with a mild giraffe about 5 meters tall. Noah was all smiles and walked up to the giraffe and fed it some potato chips from his hand. Adventurer Larenty also fed the giraffe a potato chip.
The beauty and height of the giraffe left a long-lasting impression.
“It’s so beautiful. You don’t have to worry so much when you’re around a giraffe,” Noah said. “It’s a different energy than (lions). They eat leaves from trees. They want to eat chips. That lion trying to eat, chew… it’s a different vibe.” “
While Noah is technically a New Yorker, the Cameroonian t-shirt wearer bleeds Africa. From childhood trips to Cameroon with his father, through the development of recent courts in Cameroon and Nigeria, to trips to BAL matches in South Africa, Rwanda, South Africa and Egypt and visiting the Lion & Safari Park – every second spent in Africa is significant to him .
“Every time you enter the homeland, there is something about it,” Noah said. “It’s hard to put into words, but I know a part of me is always here.”
The 2025 Basketball Africa League season will feature a brand new venue for the finals and playoffs and will also start at a brand new location.
The BAL 2025 Playoffs and Finals, scheduled for June 14, 2025, will happen at the recent home in Pretoria, South Africa. This will be the first time the BAL playoffs and finals haven’t been held in Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL 2025 season will also debut in a brand new location in Rabat, Morocco on April 5, 2025. During the BAL 2025 season, 12 of the best club teams from 12 African countries will play 48 matches in Rabat, Kigali and Dakar, Senegal, before traveling to Pretoria for play- offs.
“Over the first four seasons of BAL, we have seen tremendous growth in on-court competition, attendance and engagement from fans and partners in Africa and around the world,” BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said in a press release. “Our groundbreaking fifth season will build on this momentum and continue to showcase the level of talent and passion for basketball in Africa, including through the first BAL games in Morocco and the first BAL Finals in South Africa.”
The 12 teams will be divided again into three conferences of 4 teams each. The group stage of the Kalahari Conference will happen from April 5 to 13, 2025 in Rabat. The group stage of the Sahara Conference will be held in Dakar from April 26 to May 4, 2025. The group stage of the Nile Conference will be held in Kigali from May 17 to 25, 2025. Eight teams from the three conferences will qualify for the play-offs in Pretoria, which will start on June 6 and end with the BAL 2025 finals.
“The Kalahari conference marks another expansion of BAL into a new country on our continent and we are more than satisfied,” FIBA Africa president Anibal Manave said in a press release. “The competition continues to grow each year, providing greater exposure for our sport and helping to raise the level of basketball in Africa, making the league increasingly competitive.”
National champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia routinely qualify for the BAL. The remaining five teams are from FIBA Africa’s Road to the BAL qualifying tournaments.
In the 2024 BAL season, Petro de Luanda of Angola became the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to win the championship. According to BAL, the 2024 BAL season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of greater than 120,000 fans in the 4 host countries and generated greater than 1.2 billion views across the NBA and BAL social media channels.
NFL Hall of Fame receiver and podcast host Terrell Owens has signed with a talent agency to further strengthen his claims within the entertainment game.
According to , Owens was signed by SMAC Entertainment, headed by host and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and his business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz has also joined SMAC Entertainment.
“We are excited to add TO and Jordan to the SMAC family. They are both at the top of their game and set the standard in their industry,” Schwartz-Morini said in a written statement. “TO and Jordan have already brought an infectious energy to our team, and we are excited to help them realize their vision for careers in media, business and branding.”
A five-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Owens played for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. In 2018, he was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A member of the 2000 NFL All-Decade Team, Owens finished his profession with 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards, 14.8 yards per catch and 153 touchdowns, rating third all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Since retiring from skilled soccer in 2012, Owens has already made several moves. He has appeared in several movies and tv shows, including “,” and in addition had his own reality show, “, on VH1.
He currently co-hosts the podcast with former NFL player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe.
SMAC Entertainment is home to stars similar to rapper and actor Common, Wiz Khalifa, Strahan, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and current NFL players similar to Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf.
Sports
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker brings an NBA championship desire with his Olympic experience
The gold medal went to the USA Basketball team. Mission completed on the 2024 Paris Games. U.S. men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr just answered his final query during his final news conference on Aug. 10 after his team defeated France within the gold medal game.
However, before leaving the stage of the press conference in Paris, Kerr stopped to deliver an unsolicited message to media around the globe.
“Devin Booker is an amazing basketball player. Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just desired to say that,” Kerr said.
The “underrated MVP” compliment meant so much to the Phoenix Suns guard.
“It meant everything. No one really asked him,” Booker recently told Andscape. “That was probably something that was weighing on his mind throughout the entire process. A 12 months ago I said what I desired to do for this team and what we desired to do for the country.
“It was a lot larger than all of us. Survival was something we’d discuss for the remainder of our lives.
The USA Basketball team was centered around NBA star icons LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. There has also been some discussion amongst media and fans in regards to the lack of playing time for Jayson Tatum and, to a lesser extent, Tyrese Haliburton. Lost within the shuffle was the all-around, unselfish play of sharpshooter Booker wearing the armband.
Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images
Booker was fourth in scoring for the U.S., averaging 11.7 points, 3.3 assists and a couple of.2 three-pointers made early in all six Olympics, and likewise had the perfect plus/minus (plus-130) for an American. Kerr was impressed with Booker’s deal with a difficult defense, regardless that he is thought for his offense, ball movement and the way he has adjusted to not being one in every of the highest options on offense.
“I just understood what was at stake,” Booker said. “I’m proud to be from this country. I’m happy with playing basketball. Even though it wasn’t invented in America, we dominated for a very long time. Obviously the world is incredibly talented and the sport is growing, however it was just one other message to allow them to know who we’re.
Booker said he also learned in regards to the preparations from his all-star team, watching the preparations on and off the court. The 28-year-old added that he gained lifelong friendships.
“It’s cool to see that everyone has their own issues,” Booker said. “In my 10 years in the NBA, I’ve learned that you have to choose what you can use for yourself. But the level of detail, the attention to detail, the intensity – it’s all consistent across the board.”
As for Durant, Booker said the bond between the 2 Sun stars “is close and grows stronger every day.” They live about five minutes from one another within the Phoenix area and commonly spend time at home and on the road. Most recently, Booker had to steer the Suns without Durant, who was sidelined with an injury.
The amazing Durant averaged 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and three.4 assists, which were tops for the Suns. However, the 14-time NBA All-Star has been sidelined since November 8 with a left calf strain. Suns players Bradley Beal (calf) and Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) were also sidelined. The Suns are 1-5 without Durant, which incorporates 4 straight losses.
Booker and Suns sans Durant’s next rivals shall be the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET). Over the last six games, Booker is averaging 24.1 points, shooting 43.2% from the sphere and making 16 of 43 three-pointers. Suns guard Tyus Jones said there was numerous pressure on Booker offensively due to the injury.
“We’re asking a lot of Book,” Jones said after Monday’s 109-99 loss to the visiting Orlando Magic. “It’s numerous pressure for him. We are very focused on it. They are physical with him, holding him and grabbing him, throwing two or three bodies at him all night long. So he’s got so much on his plate and we just need to proceed to seek out ways to get him open within the moments we will and proceed to assist him when other players are taking shots and making plays.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Booker currently has two Olympic gold medals, 4 NBA All-Star appearances and one NBA Finals appearance. The only thing missing from the Suns’ second-leading all-time scorer is an NBA championship. Since the Suns joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1968, they’ve yet to win a title.
After experiencing the joys of winning a gold medal, Booker as an NBA champion wants the gold Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy much more.
“Most of the guys that were there did it,” Booker said of his Olympic teammates who were NBA champions. “They were champions. This is standard for them. Anything lower than that, they need nothing to do with it. It’s contagious…
“That’s all I want. That’s all I want.”
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