Several elite international prospects are slated to attend the sixth annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global Camp in Chicago February 14-16, a joint venture of the NBA and FIBA held during All-Star Weekend.
Despite only being conceived in 2015, the BWB Global Camp has quickly ascended to the top of NBA executives’ calendars as a must-scout event, with some of its alum include the likes of Deandre Ayton, RJ Barrett, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen and Rui Hachimura and others. The 2020 NBA draft will feature two likely lottery picks who participated at last year’s BWB in Deni Avdija and Killian Hayes.
Sixty-four boys and girls, ranging in age from 16 to 18 and from 34 countries and regions will get measured, undergo athletic testing, practice, scrimmage and conduct drills under the watchful eyes of representatives of all 30 NBA teams. Participants will also attend daily seminars for life skills and attend the dunk contest, 3-point shootout and the All-Star Game.
Jonathan Kuminga (Democratic Republic of the Congo), ESPN’s No. 1 player in the high school class of 2021, is the camp’s headliner, along with ESPN top-10 recruits Moussa Cisse (Guinea) and Moussa Diabate (France). Projected 2021 lottery pick Juhann Begarin (Guadeloupe/France) is the most highly touted prospect not currently playing high school basketball in the United States.
Some of the other more recognizable names are Hall of Famer Sarunas Marciulionis‘ son Augustas Marciulionis (Lithuania), and 7-footer Kai Sotto from the Philippines. While the camp is largely built around players born in 2002, per FIBA mandate, four 2003-born players have been invited as well and will be among the most closely watched prospects in attendance by NBA scouts. They include five-star recruit Sadraque Nganga from Angola, Jean Claudio Montero from the Dominican Republic, Pape Sow from Senegal and Yongxi Cui from China.
Cui is one of 15 international prospects invited to Chicago who are currently members of the six NBA Academies scattered around the globe, including Australia, China, Mexico, India and Senegal. The depth of talent of the NBA Academy rosters has improved significantly over the past year, with players like Josh Giddey (Australia), Augusto Cruz (Brazil), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Canada) and Babacar Faye (Senegal) expected to garner intrigue from the NBA scouts in attendance.
A host of NBA players and coaches will help run the camp and share their vast experience in professional basketball, including the likes of Pascal Siakam, Davis Bertans and Markkanen. They will be joined by former WNBA players Ashley Battle, Michele Van Gorp and Ebony Hoffman.
Portions of the camp will be livestreamed on the NBA’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/NBA. The full rosters are below:
BWB Boys Roster
Sadraque Nganga (Angola), Juan Fernandez (Argentina), Biwali Bayles (Australia), Joshua Giddey (Australia), Blake Jones (Australia), Tamuri Wigness (Australia), Augusto Cruz de Oliveira Cassia (Brazil), Charles Bediako (Canada), Ben Mathurin (Haiti/Canada), Josh Primo (Canada), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Canada), Jerry Ngopot (Central African Republic), Felipe Inyaco (Chile), Yongxi Cui (China), Honglin Qu (China), Leo Menalo (Croatia), Ivan Perasovic (Croatia), Jean Claudio Montero (Dominican Republic), Jonathan Kuminga (Congo DR), Mohab Abdalatif (Egypt), Juhann Begarin (Guadeloupe/France), Moussa Diabate (France), Alex Tchikou (Croatia/France), Ariel Hukporti (Togo/Germany), Luc Van Slooten (Germany), Moussa Cisse (Guinea), Amaan Sandhu (India), Augustas Marciulionis (Lithuania), Adama Sanogo (Mali), Esteban Roacho (Mexico), Yannick Kraag (Netherlands), Taine Murray (New Zealand), Samuel Ariyibi (Nigeria), Kai Sotto (Philippines), Rafael Pinzon (Puerto Rico), Babacar Faye (Senegal), Pape Sow (Senegal), Cheikh Sow (Senegal), Stefan Todorovic (Serbia), Junseok Yeo (South Korea).
BWB Girls Roster
Jade Melbourne (Australia), Olivia Pollerd (Australia), Maggie Besselink (Canada), Merissah Russell (Canada), Naylee Cortes Espitia (Colombia), Daniela Gonzalez Viveros (Colombia), Alberte Rimdal (Denmark), Yara Osama Hussein (Egypt), Anna Gret Asi (Estonia), Janette Aarnio (Finland), Aminata Gueye (France), Serena Kessler (France), Siya Deodhar (India), Harsimran Kaur (India), Maho Hayashi (Japan), Abril Reyes (Mexico), Jazzmyne Kailahi-Fulu (New Zealand), Chizaram Victory Fredricks (Nigeria), Charlotte Carvalho (Senegal), Aminata Tal (Senegal), Mama Dembele Traore (Spain), Paula Fraile Ruiz (Spain), Camila Kirschembaum (Uruguay), Florencia Niski (Uruguay).