Embiid, DeRozan to headline 2018 NBA Africa Game
The 2018 NBA Africa Game will feature a few marquee names.
On Thursday the league announced Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers will lead Team Africa, with DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors starring for Team World. Other players scheduled to participate include Serge Ibaka, Al-Farouq Aminu, Harrison Barnes, Danilo Gallinari, and Khris Middleton.
Full rosters for the game, which takes place on Aug. 4 in Pretoria, will be revealed at a later date. The league will return to South Africa for the third time in four years.
The game is set to take place following the 16th edition of Basketball Without Borders Africa. The event also falls shortly after Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday and will be played in support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
"We are deeply honored to be a part of the centennial celebration of President Mandela’s birthday," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
"Our third NBA Africa Game and 16th Basketball Without Borders Africa camp will embody one of the most enduring parts of his legacy, which is the belief that sports have the power to inspire and change the world."