American Basketball Brings the World Together

Four NBA Stars from other countries

Dikembe Mutombo, Democratic Republic of Congo

Ventura County Star, May 23, 1999

While Nixon and the Table Tennis team were making history in China, 7’2” center Dikembe Mutombo was learning to play basketball in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. After he moved to the United States, he attended Georgetown University on a USAID scholarship. He played 18 seasons in the NBA for six different teams, starting with the Denver Nuggets. He was named “Mount Mutombo” for his great defensive play. He was also a humanitarian and philanthropist.

Yao Ming, China

Yao Ming was born in Shanghai and began his career playing for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese basketball league (which mirrors the worldwide popularity of the American sport). Before retiring due to ankle injuries, at 7’6,” he was the tallest player in the NBA. Yao is one of the best known international athletes, sponsored by worldwide companies, and he himself owns a California winery. His autobiography Yao: A Life in Two Worlds, has made him a modern icon of “the New China.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Nigerian-Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks. His parents emigrated from Nigeria to Greece, where he was born. He earned the name the “Greek Freak” for his great abilities as a power forward, and he was named one of the three fittest athletes of all time.  He is considered one of the greatest players of the NBA.

Nicola Jokić, Serbia

Nikola Jokić from Serbia plays center for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA.  His nickname," the Joker," comes from his Serbian surname, which is actually pronounced “Yokich” in his native language. He is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding players and centers of all time, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in three of the last four seasons (including 2024). In his last contract extension for Denver, he was paid over $200,000,000.

Activities

  1. Find on a map: Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Greece, Serbia 

    Which of these countries had problems with the United States which these athletes might have improved in the minds of both sides? What were those issues?

  2. These one paragraph mini-bios were not written with Chat GPT. Use it to create a mini-bio for another foreign national who became an NBA star. Choose from: Joel Embiid, Patrick Ewing, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitski, Tony Parker, Arvidis Sabonis. Or you may choose another player from a foreign country.