J. Cole, Barack Obama, Steph Curry To Appear In Documentary On African Basketball
J. Cole, Barack Obama, and Steph Curry will appear in an upcoming documentary covering African basketball.
Deadline reports that the doc, Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League, will feature the three men “extensively.” Additionally, the Fremantle project will include appearances from former NBA player Joakim Noah, Nigerian-born Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri, Cameroonian NBA player Pascal Siakam, and the NBA’s Commissioner Adam Silver.
Succession star Fisher Stevens is set to executive produce the project while Richard Brown looks to write and co-direct the doc.
Throughout the documentary, the former president will detail how sports is a lifeline to Africa. Obama, who is also a strategic partner of NBA Africa, will also describe the challenges of creating a basketball league throughout a continent with 54 countries.
U.S. President Barack Obama plays basketball during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House tennis court April 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people are expected to attend the 134-year-old tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn that was started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878.
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Cole has been tapped to give a first-hand account of how he made his hoop dreams (and history) come true by playing in the first-ever Basketball Africa League. Adam Silver will share NBA Africa’s game plan and complete vision. The outlet reports that Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League will also explore the “complex” relationship between Africa and America outside and inside of basketball.
“From the beginning it was clear that the launch of a Pan African Sports League consisting of 12 teams from 12 countries across the most diverse continent in the world presented an exciting opportunity for a thrilling documentary series,” Brown said. “Then the reality superseded all expectations as we were able to dive deeply into the stories of some fascinating and extraordinary characters; from players and coaches to the visionaries behind the project.”
In 2021, Cole famously suited up to play with the Rwanda Patriots. Jermaine appeared in three regular-season exhibition games for the Basketball Africa League. During his time, Cole scored five points, three assists, and five rebounds in 45 minutes of playtime.
However, his career was short-lived. Cole departed from the Rwanda Patriots due to a “family obligation.” But he managed to fulfill his contractual obligation of playing at least three of the six games.
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three point basket in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Four of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 10, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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