The 2018 NBA Africa Game was an exhibition
basketball
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 (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
game played on August 4, 2018 in the Sun Arena at Time Square in
Pretoria, South Africa
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
. It was the third NBA game to take place on the continent of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, and continued with the format of Team Africa versus Team World.
The series followed its previous format of a team of players of African origin or immediate descent against an assortment of other players, with the 2018 Team World roster consisting almost entirely of players from the United States, with one Italian. In a first for the series, each roster included one female member, each a retired alumna from the
WNBA.
Team World led for the vast majority of the game, with Team Africa, led by
Joel Embiid
Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who also holds French and American citizenship. After one year of college basketb ...
, pulling to within three points in the final minute of play. Team Africa missed several attempts at what would have been the tying
three-point shot
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
; Team World scored the clinching free throw with 5 seconds remaining.
Rosters