Just weeks after projected No. 1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg or another prized rookie debuts for the Toronto Raptors at NBA Summer League, their chairman and president Masai Ujiri will proudly make his way to Rwanda for the Giants of Africa Festival 2025 to highlight African youngsters. Ujiri is hosting the GOA Festival in Kigali, Rwanda, from July 26 to Aug. 2. The GOA Festival is projected to bring 320 young men and women from 20 different African nations together for a week of community, fellowship and competition. GOA Festival 2025 highlights culture, basketball, education, fashion and entertainment, with the goal of serving as a unifying force to inspire change across Africa. “There are so many things going on in this eight days and it goes fast,” Ujiri told Andscape. “But it was an incredible feeling being at the last one we had. And we’re hoping to make this even better.”
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The Nigeria native has long been devoted to promoting and developing the game of basketball throughout Africa. He founded the Giants of Africa organization in 2003 in hopes of creating opportunities through basketball and education. Since then, GOA has built over 37 basketball courts in 11 countries, had over 6,000 kids attend its camps that taught basketball and life skills, and impacted more than 40,000 youth across Africa. GOA was also highlighted in a documentary in 2016 and in December of 2023 celebrated its 20th anniversary in Toronto. The inaugural GOA Festival took place in Rwanda in the summer of 2023. It included eight days of programming with the likes of famed singers Davido and Tyla performing, more than 14,000 spectators in attendance, more than 2,000 youth participating and more than 50 paid internships. GOA said the event invested $1.5 million U.S. dollars to the local economy in 2023. The GOA Festival 2025 expects to induce $3 million of investment to the local economy over eight days at Kigali Sports City. There will be an opening ceremony, youth boys and girls basketball competitions concluding with All-Star games, sports business forums, coaches clinics, a fashion show, a concert and more. Ujiri is also excited to unveil Zaria Court, a new urban development project in Kigali that he has invested in that has a luxury hotel, restaurants, community space and athletic facilities.
“It’s about seeing Africa as one, and having these kids actually come and really see the other cultures,” Ujiri said. “And we have culture, food, education, entertainment, everything that brings all of us together on the continent. We have talent that shows our strengths. The real talent of Africa is the people, all the people of the continent and its youth. “The demographic of Africa is incredible. And bringing the youth together through sport is just something that’s special. And the Giants of Africa Festival was very special a couple years ago, and we decided that we would do it again.”
Have you spoken with any NBA players about what the transition is like? Cayden Boozer: I’ve talked to players like Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Immanuel Quickley – just guards that are there. And the main thing is just to keep working. A lot of guys like the lifestyle of it, but they don’t understand that you have to keep working when you get there to stay there. So just to keep working and stay in the moment.
Who was the best leader you learned from when you played previously for the Toronto Raptors and ultimately won a title in 2019? Fred VanVleet: Obviously, Kyle [Lowry]. He had a different way of doing things. So, I try to take as much good as I can and leave the bad. And [Raptors vice chairman and president] Masai [Ujiri] was also a great leader that I studied. It’s different. It’s not like in the locker room, but I watched him lead the organization and just watched him on a daily basis. So, I give both of those guys credit and I stole as much as I could from them. I try to learn from anybody. I watch everybody.
TJ McConnell on Kawhi Leonard's shot vs. Sixers in 2019: One of the craziest shots I've ever seen
TJ McConnell on Kawhi Leonard’s shot vs. Sixers: So, I’m on the sidelines and he shoots it and hits the front of the rim and a bunch of us are like, “All right, like overtime.” And it bounced off the rim again. And I heard someone in the back of the bench be like, “What the f*ck?” And then it bounced on the other side of the rim and then just drops in. And I’m like, “What in the f*ck just happened?”. Like the one of the craziest shots I’ve ever seen. I mean, the bounce was in incredible. I don’t know if it was the Air Canada Center at that time, but it was so loud and you’re kind of just like like honestly what the f*ck just happened and you walk back and you have time to process it and it was a really shitty feeling.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo: I always believed this is a phase into my career, and I always felt like that would be my last phase—as a guy that can playmake and can set up the team and be like a legit point forward out there. At times I show that I can do it. At times, when I have a great point guard next to me, I just let the guy do his job, and I do my job. But I believe—I’ve seen one of the greatest players, LeBron James, being the best at it. You see a lot of people playing that way right now—from Paolo, from Scottie Barnes. You see a lot of players that can handle the ball, put teammates in the right place, playmake, and make the team better. It’s something I enjoy doing. If I have the opportunity to come back next year and be able to do that, I would love it. I think I can be good. I can help the team in that way.”
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San Antonio, Toronto possible destinations for Giannis Antetokounmpo
However, two other places the Bucks could look for a partner are San Antonio and Toronto. No, Bucks fans, you’re not getting Victor Wembanyama for Giannis. But you might get Stephon Castle. The Spurs also have two 2025 lottery picks (their own and Atlanta’s), an unprotected 2027 pick from Atlanta and several swaps, plus they can deal their own picks in 2029 and 2031. Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes would be the salary ballast. If Antetokounmpo was OK going to any non-glamour market, this is probably the one where the allure is clear (Wemby-Giannis!) and the trade assets make sense.