Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball through the defender's hoop, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.
The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in all nineteen Olympic tournaments it has entered, including sixteen golds. In the professional era, the team won the Olympic gold medal in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. Two of its gold medal-winning teams were inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August 2010: the 1960 team, which featured six Hall of Famers, and the 1992 "Dream Team", featuring 14 Hall of Famers. The team is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University, it was merged into the University of Massachusetts system in 1991.
Ronny Turiaf is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the United States, where he led the West Coast Conference (WCC) in scoring in his senior year. After graduating from Gonzaga, he entered the 2005 NBA draft and was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers. He later played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Turiaf won an NBA championship with Miami in 2012. He was also a member of the French national team.
Christopher Franklin Lofton is an American professional basketball player for Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
AfroBasket 2007 was the 24th FIBA Africa Championship, played under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Basketball, the basketball sport governing body, and the African zone thereof. The tournament was hosted by Angola, in the cities of Benguela, Cabinda, Huambo and Lubango.
Gordon Walter Herbert is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player. He was named the head coach of the Germany national team in 2021 and guided them to a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championships and to the gold medal at the 2023 World Cup. Due to the long time spent playing and coaching in Finland, he became a naturalized citizen.
Basketball began with its invention in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith as a less injury-prone sport than football. Naismith was a 31-year old graduate student when he created the indoor sport to keep athletes indoors during the winters. The game became established fairly quickly and grew very popular as the 20th century progressed, first in America and then in other parts of the world. After basketball became established in American colleges, the professional game followed. The American National Basketball Association (NBA), established in 1946, grew to a multibillion-dollar enterprise by the end of the century, and basketball became an integral part of American culture.
Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr. is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Armenian national team in international competition. Standing at a height of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), Dunston plays at the center position.
Rodrigo Mascarenhas is a Cape Verdean-Portuguese former basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he played as forward.
Mário “Marito” Correia is a Cape Verdean professional basketball player. He played for Primeiro de Agosto at the Angolan Basketball League until 2014, before being struck by injury. Correia’s early introduction to basketball started in the District Sports Association Kwame Nkrumah abbreviated to ADESBA-KN. Correia is currently the captain of the Cape Verde national basketball team and helped Cape Verde to a bronze medal at the FIBA Africa Championship 2007, qualifying for a wildcard tournament for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt, nicknamed Mão Santa, is a retired Brazilian professional basketball player. Schmidt primarily played the power forward and small forward position, was 2.06 m tall and weighed 109 kg (240 lbs). Along with his home country, Schmidt also played in Italy for JuveCaserta and Pavia, and Spain for Fórum Valladolid. He was born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Marcos Antônio Abdalla Leite, also commonly known as Marquinhos Leite is a retired Brazilian professional basketball player and coach. He represented the senior Brazilian national basketball team at three Summer Olympics and four FIBA World Cup competitions. At a height of 2.08 m (6'10") tall, he played at the center position.
Walter Samuel "Edy" Tavares da Veiga is a Cape Verdean professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected with the 43rd overall pick in 2014 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and has played internationally for the Cape Verde national basketball team. Tavares receives praise as a physical phenomenon, standing 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) tall and possessing a 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) wingspan.
Santiago Aldama Toledo is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Loyola Greyhounds. He was named most valuable player (MVP) of the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship.
The 2022 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 2, was the second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 2 March 2022 and ended with the Finals on 28 May 2022. The group phase was played in the Dakar Arena in Dakar and the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo. The playoffs and finals were played in the BK Arena in Kigali for a second year in a row.
Aliyah Boston is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She plays the power forward and center positions. She was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and the AP Rookie of the Year.
Nisre Mimi Zouzoua is an American-Ivorian basketball player who plays for Aix Maurienne Savoie Basket and Ivory Coast. Standing at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), he plays as a shooting guard.
The qualification tournaments for the 2022 BAL season, also known as the Road to BAL 2022, were the qualification rounds for the second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The tournaments began on 19 October 2021 and ended 16 December 2021. Similar to the first season, the competition consisted out of two stages: the first round and the elite 16. Six teams advanced to the group phase of the BAL.
Cape Verde 
