ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - Former France international Boris Diaw visited FIBA Africa in Abidjan on Tuesday in a bid to boost the development of youth basketball programmes on the continent. 

During the two hour-long meeting with FIBA President Hamane Niang and FIBA Africa Regional Director Alphonse Bile, Diaw stressed the importance of education, funding and perseverance as key elements for the future of the game.

As a host of a basketball programme in Senegal, the Frenchman knows too well how Africa is blessed with basketball talent.

Boris Diaw is seen here with Mali's Oumar Ballo at FIBA U16 Africa Championship 2017

Back in 2017, the FIBA EuroBasket 2013  champion and NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, attended the U16 African Championship in Mauritius where he witnessed first-hand the potential of the game in Africa. 

Two years later, Diaw saw the same Mali team that clinched the continental trophy in Mauritius, reach the final of FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019.

"I saw several talented lads in a hard-fought tournament won by Mali," Diaw recalled. "I was able to appreciate the quality of training of the youth and the development potential on the African continent.

"Mali’s performance at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 is the proof that Africa has the capacity to win at international level. But it’s all about good training programmes."

 Diaw, who retired from his playing career in 2018, noted that Africa can not rest on laurels achieved by Mali last year, when they became the first African country not only to have reached the Quarter-Finals but also to go all the way to the Final.  

"It is true that much is said about the potential of the youth in Africa, but this potential must be well-managed and be turned into reality. I have noticed that in recent years things have improved as many countries have built modern infrastructures. It’s therefore important to accentuate the training so that African basketball emerges at its true value," Diaw emphasised.

Meanwhile, Niang thanked Diaw for his wisdom and noted that "the [basketball] development activities he organizes in Senegal can be extended to other countries."

Bile welcomed Diaw's valuable advices and urged his peers from across the continent to continue their work with grassroot basketball programmes. " I hope that [Diaw's] visit to Abidjan, will be an opportunity to awaken the passion of all the young Africans who have seen him play or who watch his videos." 

"Boris went through all the categories before arriving where he belongs today. He was trained at a centre of excellence in France, and I urge the African federations to work for the creation of high-level training centres in order to produce more players of Boris Diaw’s caliber."

FIBA