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Along with Embiid, Raptors’ Koloko and Siakam eager to make history for Cameroon

Cody Taylor
·4 min read

Cameroon natives Christian Koloko and Pascal Siakam each made history this week, and are set to do so once again on Wednesday as the Toronto Raptors host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Koloko, 22, and Siakam, 28, are both from Douala, Cameroon, and became the first pair of teammates from the country to start in the same game when the Raptors faced the Miami Heat on Monday. Koloko, the 33rd pick in the draft, has started in place of Scottie Barnes (ankle).

With Embiid on deck, more history could be made.

Embiid, who is from Yaoundé, Cameroon, has started several times against Siakam but, with Koloko probable to start again, the contest would be the first in which three players from the country start in the same game. Koloko was the fifth Cameroonian to ever start.

Koloko said the game will have special meaning.

It is going to mean a lot having three Cameroon players playing in an NBA game at the highest level. It is just going to show people back home to put the work in and trust the process like Embiid used to say. I think that is going to inspire a lot of people back home.

The three players each attended Basketball Without Borders in the past, an instructional basketball camp for young people hosted by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. The program promotes leadership, education, sportsmanship and healthy living.

More than 1,400 campers from more than 30 African countries have participated in Basketball Without Borders since its inception in 2003. A total of 12 African alumni of Basketball Without Borders have been drafted into the NBA, including Embiid, Siakam and Koloko.

Embiid and Siakam often give back to their communities often by hosting camps in an effort to bring awareness to the game of basketball. The program can also serve as a reminder that anything is possible for young individuals interested in basketball around the globe.

Siakam recognizes how impactful Wednesday can be.

It is amazing to see how far we’ve come. I think we’re still a long ways (away) but I think we’re making good steps forward. I think the most important thing is I hope the next generation is seeing that and, for them, hopefully, that means something (to have) that representation that we don’t really get to have most of the time.

I didn’t watch that much basketball but when I did, I didn’t really see a lot of people that were from where I’m from. Seeing three people from the same place in one game is huge. Hopefully, that makes younger kids want to dream to be in the NBA because it feels like something you can touch because we’re doing it.

The contest will be just the sixth appearance for Koloko with the Raptors. He recorded two points, two rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot on Monday, and is averaging 1.8 points and three rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game.

With Barnes missing time, the team has turned to him. He emerged as a tremendous defender in three years at Arizona and has shown glimpses of that ability in the early going, something that will be key against the Sixers and Embiid.

Though Koloko and the Raptors will have their hands full with Embiid, Wednesday will likely be a day that the three players remember for a long time.

“It is going to be amazing,” Koloko said. “Joel is one of the best big men in the league. I always try to watch all of the big men — Joel, Jokic, all of those guys. Just playing against him, it is going to mean a lot. That’s why you want to play in the NBA; you want to play against the best players in the world.”

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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire