Ibaka began his fifth season in Salt Lake City, in one of the impossibly faraway gyms that hosted those 1997 NBA Finals when Jordan ruled the NBA and Brazzaville was a war zone. He’s on pace to set career marks in minutes, points, and rebounds. Although it may be easy to brand Ibaka the best young African player in the league, that sells him short. Along with guys like Paul George, Damian Lillard, and Kawhi Leonard, he’s also one of the league’s best examples of player development and what can happen when a talented, hardworking kid is put into a nurturing environment in the right kind of organization.
The rapid globalization of the NBA has been remarkable for many reasons: On one level, international players like Ibaka demonstrate the value of a vaster global talent pool by heightening the overall level of play in the world’s premier basketball league. On another, it bridges the gap between places like Brazzaville and Moore, Oklahoma; it mimics the mounting connectedness of humanity. Stories like Ibaka’s provide proof of something more valuable than an NBA contract. And “making the leap” is more than just another locker-room aphorism. It’s a way to live.
via Thunder forward Serge Ibaka’s incredible journey from the Congo to the NBA – Grantland.
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