Eight African players drafted into the NBA

Eight basketball players of African descent were on Thursday drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the league's annual draft exercise.

The exercise allows NBA teams to draft any potential new recruits, who have never played in the NBA before, into their teams. Most draftees are drawn from players playing professional college basketball in the United States or from other leagues across the globe.

Once recruited, candidates are bound to sign professional basketball contracts with the teams that have selected them.

Cameroonian national Christian Koloko (22), a centre playing for Arizona State University, was drafted by the Toronto Raptors as the Canadian team's only pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was the 33rd overall pick in the exercise.

"Koloko is the first Cameroonian player to be drafted since Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, who was selected 27th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. He is the third highest-drafted Cameroonian player of all time, behind Joel Embiid (third in 2014) and Siakam," NBA said in a statement.

20-year-old Senegalese centre Khalifa Diop was likewise picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers after a successful stint playing basketball in Spain's Liga ACB. His efforts on the court, have seen the  6’11” centre named in ACB's All-Young Players team of the year during the 2020-21 season.

He is the first Senegalese player to be drafted since Gorgui Dieng, who was selected 21st overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The Washington Wizards similarly picked 18-year-old Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) national Yannick Nzosa who is currently plying his trade for Spanish basketball team Unicaja Malaga after joining the side in 2019.

Five other players with direct ties to Africa were also drafted into the NBA on Thursday. They are: Ousmane Dieng, a French national with roots in Senegal, Mark Williams(Nigeria), Moussa Diabate (Guinea and Mali), Ochai Agbaji (Nigeria) and Ismael Kamagate (Ivory Coast).

Dieng was selected by the New York Knicks as the 11th overall draft while Williams was picked by the Charlotte Hornets with the 15th pick.

Michigan Forward-Center Diabate was selected 43rd overall by the LA Clippers while Agbaji was the 14th overall pick of the Washington Wizards.

Kamagate on the other hand was selected 46th overall by the Detroit Pistons.