We look at the top five African internationals who have had success in the NBA thus far after 20 round of games in the first quarter of the 2022-2023 season have been successfully completed.
JOEL EMBIID – PHILADEPHIA 76ERS: Arguably the best African basketball player, Cameroon-born Joel Embiid is one of the NBA’s most difficult players to defend with his towering frame and athletic build.
Embiid was the league’s top scorer in the 2021–2022 season, making him the first foreign player to hold that distinction.
In November, the 7-foot center became the first player in NBA history to have 50 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks in a game since the 1973–74 season when he scored a career-high 59 points, with 11 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocks in a 105–98 victory over the Utah Jazz.
In the 13 games he has played this season, Embiid fondly called “The Process” has established himself as one of the top players in the league, averaging 32.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 51.9% from the field.
PASCAL SIAKAM – TORONTO RAPTORS: Siakam is another player that embodies the “best African” label because he is currently among the best in the NBA – His ascent to the top has been swift and remarkable.
With an average of 22.9 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in the 2018–19 season, the Cameroonian-born forward received the Most Improved Player title in addition to his first and only NBA championship.
In the 2022-23 season, Siakam averages 24.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 34.1% from 3-point range.
BOL BOL – ORLANDO MAGIC: The son of late African Basketball legend Manute Bol, is one of the tallest players in the NBA at the moment.
Born in the Sudanese city of Khartoum, the Orlando Magic centre Bol scored a career-high 26 points in a defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in November and he also had 12 rebounds and three blocks.
The Oregon College graduate appears to have settled down in Orlando, evidenced by his increased averages of 13.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game while playing 27.1 minutes per game and shooting 60.1% from the field.
PRECIOUS ACHIUWA – TORONTO RAPTORS: The Nigerian star is renowned for his defence and athleticism on both ends of the floor, averaging 9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.6 blocks while shooting 43.9% from the field in his debut season with the Raptors.
Achiuwa has featured in 12 games this season, averaging 8.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.6 blocks per game.
He is currently sidelined after suffering a severe ankle injury during his team’s 116-109 triumph earlier this month, and as a result, the Raptors have slipped to sixth place in the Eastern Conference with four losses in eight games.
JONATHAN KUMINGA – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Born in Goma, DR Congo, Kuminga was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors.
On October 30, 2021, Kuminga made his NBA debut in a 103-82 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, contributing just three points and one steal.
In his 15.7 minutes per game this season, Kuminga is averaging 5.8 points per game on a 42% field-goal percentage with 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
With his spirited cuts and dunks, deadly pick-and-roll skills, and all-around strong defence, the Congolese-born star will unquestionably develop into a key component.
