Embiid and Antetokounmpo are potential African NBA All-Stars
One of the badges of honor for any NBA player to wear is an appearance in the All-Star Game. As the NBA’s elite annual exhibition game, the event matches the league’s most exciting players from the Eastern and Western conferences against each other.
With only a week until the voting for the 2017 edition of the event closes and some of the preliminary results already released, it looks like we might possibly be looking at an end to the recent African drought in the All-Star Game.
The lineups for the All-Star teams are selected by a fan ballot, while the reserves are chosen by a vote among the head coaches from each team’s respective conference.
In the past, African players such as greats like Hakeem Olajuwon, who played in 12 All-Star games,
and Dikembe Mutombo who had eight appearances represented the continent on this great stage with the most recent player being South Sudanese forward Luol Deng who played in the 2012 edition of the event.
Last week when the initial fan-vote results were released, two exciting young African players appeared high on the list of potential All-Stars and could possibly end a five-year absence of African talent in the All-Star Game.
Cameroonian rookie sensation Joel Embiid has made it onto the preliminary list of the Eastern Conference backcourt with 221 984, currently ahead of big names like Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler and Paul George.
Embiid has captured the excitement of basketball fans worldwide with his explosive debut onto the scene and his elite style of play in his debut season. The Philadelphia 76ers center has defied all odds and come off an injury that had him side-lined for two years to emerge as one of the elite big men in the league at the moment.
At only 22 years of age, he has already drawn comparisons to the great Hakeem Olajuwon because of his versatility and presence on the court, coupled with a high basketball IQ.
Also on the initial Eastern Conference frontcourt list, Greek-Nigerian forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has fast become a fan-favorite. Also 22 years old and now with four years’ experience in the NBA, he is steadily working his way to superstardom.
An unorthodox big man, Antetokounmpo is redefining the image of the future NBA player with his ability to mark all five positions on the court and aptitude to dominate inside the arc. When he perfects his three-point shooting game, he will be virtually unstoppable.
When the votes were released, he was second only to LeBron James with 500 663, placing him even ahead of Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love on the Eastern Conference frontcourt list.
Other players that we feel deserve the fan’s vote are Congolese power forward Serge Ibaka of the Orlando Magic, who is a dominant force at the franchise and one of the more exciting African players to watch in the league at the moment, and would be great to watch.
German-Gambian point guard Dennis Schroder has All-Star potential and would be a great addition to the Eastern Conference squad, he is his team’s dependable guard and would bring some great dynamism to the game.
Charlotte Hornets’ Nicolas Batum is equally a great player to watch with slick gameplay. As one of the points-leaders at his team he is an offensive and defensive talent that is exciting on court and would also bring a great deal of entertainment value to the NBA spectacle.
The 2017 All-Star weekend was initially scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, but in July last year, the NBA changed the venue to New Orleans and the All-Star weekend will be one of the biggest events on the globe.
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