NBA star Luol Deng tips Basketball growth in Africa

South Sudan born Luol Deng who features for NBA Miami Heat said Friday that there is imminent growth of basketball in the African continent.

Speaking to Xinhua on Friday night while watching the Uganda national team play a build-up match at the MTN Arena, Lugogo, Deng said he is impressed by what players, federations, fans and sponsors are doing around the continent to promote the sport.

The lanky forward is in Uganda to grace the finals of the inaugural Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) Junior NBA League as chief guest.

Deng said it feels great to visit Uganda for the first time.

"I am here to inspire young basketball players to play the game and fulfill their lifetime dreams of playing professional basketball," he added.

The star player however made it clear that more TV coverage of basketball will act further in streamlining the growth of basketball in the African continent.

"There is no way the sport will grow without more TV coverage which will in turn attract big sponsors," he explained.

Deng who played for the Chicago Bulls from 2004 until January 2014, when the Bulls traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers wished Uganda' s national team success at the 2015 AfroBasketbal Championship which takes place August 19-30 in Nabeul, Tunisia.

Uganda is drawn against hosts Tunisia, Nigeria and the Central African Republic. Besides title holders Angola, hosts Tunisia and Uganda, the other nations that will take part in the championship are Egypt, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Mozambique, Gabon, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Senegal, Central African Republic and Cape Verde. Endi