Africa has always been considered an infinite source of basketball talents. African players are characterised by their imposing physical qualities, many of them have been targeted very young by recruiters, with the aim of teaching and training them to turn them into world basketball stars. In the history of African basketball there have been many great players, but today we are going to select the 7 who would be part of the Double Seven Basket team.

Hakeem Olajuwon
First, we would like to mention Hakeem Olajuwon, a Nigerian-born, naturalised US citizen who played for the Houston Rockets for 17 seasons and won two NBA championship rings in 1994 and 1995. He also won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games with the US national team.

Dikembe Mutombo
Our list of the 7 best African basketball players of all time continues with Dikembe Mutombo. Born in the Republic of Congo and naturalised American, he played 18 seasons in the NBA. With his imposing height of 2.18m, he played as a centre and is considered one of the best defenders and shot blockers in the NBA. He played for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.

Manute Bol
South Sudanese-born player who played centre in the NBA for 11 years. With 2.31 metres tall, Manute Bol was the second tallest player in NBA history, after Romanian Gheorghe Mureşan. Manute Bol played for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. Bol was a member of the Dinka tribe, the tallest tribe in Sudan, and it is reported that Malouk Chol Bol, his grandfather, was 2.39m tall.

Luol Deng
Here is another player from Sudan and then naturalised as a British citizen. With his 2.06 m Luol Deng played small forward for 16 seasons in the NBA. He played for the Chicago, Cleveland, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Michael Olowokandi
Nicknamed “Kandi Man”, Michael Olowokandi was born in Nigeria and was selected as the first overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft. With his 2.31m he played as a centre for 9 years and was characterised as a talented and physically powerful player. He played for the Clippers, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics.

Cheick Diallo
NBA player from Mali. 2.03 metres tall, he plays at the power forward position. He has played for the Los Angeles Clippers, for the New Orleans Pelicans and for the Phoenix Suns. He currently plays for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League.

Serge Ibaka
Born in the Republic of Congo, Serge Ibaka is a Spanish basketball player who currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. Ibaka, 2.08 m tall, has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. At the age of 16, he played for Interclub Brazzaville, one of the country’s top teams.