My parents got married in Africa (lived there over two years). I visited Egypt 11 years ago. I can communicate in the five languages dominating the African continent. There are about 55 countries there. A quarter of the political world from the Mediterranean to the joining of the Indian and Atlantic oceans lie here in this rather unknown land mass.

Oh, and have I ever mentioned that I am born and raised in Indiana? Basketball is my second (well, sometimes almost first) religion.

So who are the NBA players from Africa playing today? (2006).

I will start with the future champs, Dallas, and work my way from there...

Warning: I will post after each team is scoured, info coming from Fox, Espn, maybe Cnnsi or CBS.

Here goes:

DJ  MBENGA

PPG 1.7  RPG 1.3  APG 0.0     FG%    .533

Dallas Mavericks | C | #28 College:  Rookie Yr: 2004 Ht., Wt.: 7'0", 220 Contract Status: Active Born: Dec 30, 1980, in Kinshasa, Congo  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions

PPG 2.3  RPG 4.6  APG 0.3     FG%    .487

Dallas Mavericks | FC | #7 College:  Rookie Yr: 2001 Ht., Wt.: 7'0", 280 Contract Status: Active Born: Jan 30, 1982, in Dakar, Senegal  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions | Injuries

Senegal is a Muslim country of mostly French speaking people, with many native speakers of Wolof and other ethnic local languages. A contact of mine knows a ton about it: Joseph Hill, doctoral candidate in African studies at Yale. He speaks French, Wolof, Arabic, and now a few more Senegalese languages. He is my co-brother-in-law.

The Congo is a huge nation in the center of Africa that also speaks French and a number of other tongues. They have had the worst deaths and upheaval in the world in the last 10 years. The Rwanda massacres of 1994 has had a continiuing destabilizing effect there as well as other fiascos, such as political problems and poverty, disease. It used to be called Zaire.

Updated: Thursday May 18, 3:35 AM  TEAMS Select Team 76ers Bobcats Bucks Bulls Cavaliers Celtics Clippers Grizzlies Hawks Heat Hornets Jazz Kings Knicks Lakers Magic Mavericks Nets Nuggets Pacers Pistons Raptors Rockets Spurs Suns SuperSonics Timberwolves Trail Blazers Warriors Wizards  PLAYERS DIKEMBE  MUTOMBO PPG 2.6  RPG 4.8  APG 0.1     FG%    .526  Houston Rockets | C | #55 College: Georgetown Rookie Yr: 1991 Ht., Wt.: 7'2", 261 Contract Status: Active Born: Jun 25, 1966, in Kinshasa, Zaire  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions | Injuries

PPG 3.5  RPG 3.5  APG 0.2     FG%    .431

Toronto Raptors | FC | #9 College: Cal State Fullerton Rookie Yr: 2004 Ht., Wt.: 6'10", 250 Contract Status: Active Born: Nov 22, 1981, in Dakar, Senegal  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions | Injuries

PPG 0.4  RPG 0.1  APG 0.1     FG%    .200

Orlando Magic | C | #44 College: Georgetown Rookie Yr: 2001 Ht., Wt.: 7'0", 255 Contract Status: Active Born: May 20, 1978, in Edda, Cameroon  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions | Injuries

Cameroon is also French speaking, and has a pocket of English speakers, described as like Canada in reverse.

PPG 5.0  RPG 4.6  APG 0.5     FG%    .446

Boston Celtics | C | #41 College: Pacific Rookie Yr: 1998 Ht., Wt.: 7'0", 270 Contract Status: Active Born: Apr 03, 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions | Injuries

Nigeria is the most populous nation, with many English native speakers, and three major languages: Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. The Muslims are predominant up north and Christians are huge down south. It is the only African nation with more than 100 million people. It is in the center and has been a member of OPEC for a long time.

PPG 14.3  RPG 6.6  APG 1.9     FG%    .463

Chicago Bulls | GF | #9 College: Duke Rookie Yr: 2004 Ht., Wt.: 6'9", 220 Contract Status: Active Born: Apr 16, 1985, in Wow, Sudan  Main Stats  Splits  Transactions | Injuries

This is the biggest African nation. It speaks Arabic primarily, and each ethnicity has their own language, especially down south. The Muslims of the north have been blamed for causing a lot of heartache across the rest of the nation, especially against non-Muslim Christians and animists. Manute Bol is from here, from the Dinka tribe.

Wow? Wow? Deng is from Wow? I never thought I would write or say that, and feel so good repeating it! Wow!

Well, that is all I can find in a roster search of all the NBA teams.

Do you know of one I didn't list? Of course, historically Hakeem the Dream would be the best of all time. Current players were children of African immigrants, born in the US, Canada, France and Germany, like: Diogu, Okafor, Okalaja, Diaw, Iguodala, and perhaps a few others.

Let me know about anybody I have missed.

Jambo! (That is Swahili for "Aloha".)

Swahili is the major hybrid language of Tanzania and a few other nations.

That's it for now.