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Gorgui Dieng
This Senegalese basketballer became a household name when he played for Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville. Dieng’s accomplishments at Louisville have been inspiring perfor- mances for his Senegalese compatri- ots and the African sporting diaspora.
The 6ft11 athlete is one of Africa’s elite basketball players due to his ability to amass stats quickly and
he was named the 2013 Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Gorgui Dieng, whose first name means “The Old One,” went on to represent
the Senegalese national basketball team during the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Leia Dongue
This Mozambican 6ft native plays as a small forward. She was voted MVP at the 2014 Angola Women’s Basketball League and at the 2014 and 2015 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup. She cur- rently plays for the Spanish team Gernika Bizkaia. Leia has become one of the most popular in the African continent, leading her country to the Semi Finals of the FIBA tournament in 2017.
42 | The Lion King | April - June 2019
