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Every summer NBA players make the trip over to Africa to play a game and in the very near future, the biggest superstar in the league could be heading over. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Lakers supertar LeBron James has expressed interest in the past in playing in the game in Africa and at some point Silver expects him to make the trip over.
James has appeared in eight straight NBA Finals which makes his offseason a bit shorter than other players and the rest of his summer is pretty packed with vacations and other previous commitments. Silver was speaking to the assembled media on Saturday before this years Africa game.
Via ESPN.
“The way the Africa game works is that the players who come are volunteers, they ask to come. Both Amadou [Gallo Fall, NBA managing director for Africa] and I have spoken directly to LeBron James and he has stated that he would very much like to come to Africa and be part of the game.”
“I will say on his behalf that he has an extraordinarily complicated schedule, evening in the offseason, and he is someone who for the last eight years has played in the NBA finals.
“So his season has gone from September to late June, so he has a very short break. During those summers he also often plays for the national team, Olympic Games, things like that.
“I know it's high on his list of priorities. I don't want to put undue pressure on him, but I'm sure that at some point he will make the trip.”
With everything that James does for the community, it's really not a surprise that he wants to help grow the brand of basketball overseas. As his career winds down there is a good chance James starts making more times for opportunities like these that he has a true passion for.
The Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, are simply happy having LeBron James close by and ready for the upcoming NBA season.
