Wednesday, 7 June 2023
Lee Nxumalo is a writer, content producer and podcaster who is always trying to find the connection between sports, culture and music.
She has worked locally and overseas, writing and producing content for NPR, ESPN, NBA Africa, Red Bull and Bubblegum Club, to name a few.
When Sandy Alibo visited in 2015, she connected with Accra’s small but vibrant surfing and skating community. It was enough for her to move there and help grow the sports in the country.
Arena co-owner Ayanda Mbele has turned car spinning into a family affair, taking the sport off the streets and giving aspiring spinners – particularly young women – a place to hone their skills.
There may have been too many obstacles in his path to make it big as a player, but Boston Celtics’ head coach is making his mark on the management side of the National Basketball Association.
The Liberian Surf Club has grown from its humble beginnings into an organisation on the crest of producing world-class surfers, all while keeping community at its heart.
The mountain kingdom, even though it has natural features best suited for the sport of cycling, was without a viable cycling culture for many years. That is beginning to change.
It was by chance that Ntombizile Mthombeni found herself playing wheelchair basketball. Yet she has gone on to coach many teams and be an ambassador for the sport in South Africa.
Despite the pandemic and limited funds, Wheelchair Basketball South Africa successfully staged a women’s wheelchair basketball tournament. With stable sponsorship deals, the sport will strive.
There has been a noticeable rise in the number of women coaching men in professional sport across the globe. But is this positive trend an honest effort and can it be sustained?
Basketball, once the fastest-growing sport in South Africa, now hardly has recognisable leagues or talents. A group of campaigners have come together to get it thriving and growing again.
It is evident that Africa’s basketball scene is blooming, as more and more of the continent’s players are drafted into the top flight in the United States. But more still needs to be done.
The Women’s National Basketball Association led the charge in amplifying the Black Lives Matter message, taking a stand before Colin Kaepernick sat out the national anthem and then took the knee.