From Gugulethu to the world stage, Vincent Ntunja was recently selected to join the Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA Summer League in the US.
Ntunja, who is also an assistant coach of the Cape Town Tigers Basketball team, was exposed to basketball in the late 1990s when a group of boys were playing the sport in his neighbourhood, and out of curiosity, he decided to give it a try.
"My father was a soccer legend; I grew up supporting him and thought one day I would be like him. He is actually the main reason that I believed and thought that I would go and be part of the sporting world. I wanted to just play football and become the star. And then eventually, I started seeing the game of basketball, and things changed," said Ntunja.
He that said after three months, he had also joined other kids on the streets playing basketball, not really knowing what they were doing. He heard there would be trials at a nearby sports complex.
"We then went to the trails with some of my soccer friends, and out of over 100 guys who were at the trails, I was selected to be part of the last 16 while they only needed 12 players. I was very surprised, as I only started this game for a short period of time and played it just for fun," said Ntunja.
Ntunja said from there he never looked back, and he started to take the game seriously and worked hard to improve his performance, which led him to be part of the Western Province in 1998. He was also selected to play for the national team at the World Youth Olympics.
Through basketball, Ntunja travelled and played in many places, representing his team and country, and he was also hand-picked by Michael Jordan as the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) at one of his basketball camps. He received four scholarships to study in the US; however, he had to turn down the offer to take care of his sick mother.
Amber Sylvester, who is also a basketball coach and was mentored by Ntunja, said she had always looked up to his leadership and wisdom, and that he has been a great model to her on and off the field.
"I was fortunate enough to be selected by Ntunja to be part of his organisation the Africa Grassroot Hoops, which seeks to mentor young people not only on basketball but also on life skills and leadership. With this organisation we had the opportunity to go on a tour to America, which was a life-changing experience for me," said Sylvester.
Sylvester describes Ntunja as someone who many people look up to for motivation and guidance; who is always available to listen and assist where he can.
Ntunja just touched down in Cape Town, coming from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA Summer League, where he was doing personal player development, working one-on-ones with the players and with the head coach.
"This was a valuable experience. There's a lot that we can still impact in the basketball community at large. I'm still part of the Cape Town Tigers, who are currently preparing to travel very soon to one of the biggest basketball competitions in China," said Ntjuna.