The NBA announced the rosters for the NBA Africa Game 2017 on Thursday, which included two Denver Nuggets players on Team Africa and Team World. Head coach Michael Malone will also participate in the game as a coach along with several other coaches.
Emmanuel Mudiay, born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was selected to be a part of Team Africa, while Wilson Chandler, an American, has been included on the Team World roster.
Playing against international competition will not be anything new for either player as the Nuggets have an extremely diverse roster. The probable Nuggets’ roster for the 2017-18 season includes players from four different countries. Most players hail from the U.S., but Nikola Jokic is Serbian, Juan Hernangomez is Spanish, and the duo of Trey Lyles and Jamal Murray are Canadian.
Additionally, both Mudiay and Chandler played professionally in China during their careers. Mudiay played one injury-shortened year in China in lieu of playing college basketball in the United States. Chandler played with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions in 2011-12 during the NBA lockout.
The 2017 Africa Game will be the second installation of the exhibition. The first game, which was played back in 2015, saw Team World win by a score of 101-97. Luol Deng and Chris Paul were named MVPs of their respective squads in the 2015 game. A young Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers in the 2015 game with 22 points.
The game will be played at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 5.
The full rosters are as follows:
Team Africa
Luol Deng* (Los Angeles Lakers; South Sudan)
Thabo Sefolosha* (most recently with the Atlanta Hawks; Switzerland; parent from South Africa)
Bismack Biyombo (Orlando Magic; Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Clint Capela (Houston Rockets; Switzerland; parents from Angola and Congo)
Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal; BWB Africa 2009)
Joel Embiid** (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011)
Serge Ibaka (Toronto Raptors; Congo)
Luc Mbah a Moute (most recently with the LA Clippers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2003)
Salah Mejri (Dallas Mavericks; Tunisia)
Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver Nuggets; Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers; U.S.; parent from Nigeria)
Dennis Schroder (Hawks; Germany; parent from The Gambia)
Team World
Dirk Nowitzki* (Mavericks; Germany)
Kemba Walker* (Charlotte Hornets; U.S.)
Leandro Barbosa (most recently with the Phoenix Suns; Brazil)
Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics; U.S.)
Wilson Chandler (Nuggets; U.S.)
DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans; U.S.)
Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons; U.S.)
Courtney Lee (New York Knicks; U.S.)
Kyle Lowry (Raptors; U.S.)
C.J. McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.)
Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks; Latvia)
*Team Captain **Will Not Play