The City
NAIROBI, KENYA
A hot and dry city, Nairobi thrives at night or early morning before the temperature gets too hot. While other countries in Africa have had notable NBA stars, such as Nigerian born Hakeem Olajuwon or Joel Embiid who grew up in Cameroon, Kenya is more famous for its marathon runners. However, there is a strong passion for basketball in the country but with little infrastructure to support it, the country hasn’t yet made a significant impact on the basketball world.
The Run
The organizing committee went above and beyond in planning this run. They told me I would be playing at the “Rucker Park” of Kenya. It was about an hour drive from my hotel in the center of Nairobi to Umoja where the court is located. To my surprise, I realized the court had recently been renovated and opened by Masai Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors president. Masai’s mother is from Kenya so this court carried particular meaning to him.
As soon as I arrived, I knew I was in for a special afternoon/evening. As the sun dipped, the crowd rose and by nightfall, a fully fledged tournament complete with referees, scorers, trophies and even security guards was underway. I got one run in and made my only proper shot, which was a three, but there wasn’t many other opportunities to impact the game.
The Star
Too many to choose from given just how many people were playing and the fact that I had to leave early as I had a morning trip to the Masaai Mara first thing the following day. But a huge crowd made for a truly memorable experience.
