Jonathan Kuminga has only played three games to become the DR Congo’s leader in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers.
Despite the fact that DR Congo lost all three games in Monastir in August to Cameroon, South Sudan, and Tunisia, Kuminga’s statistics spoke for themselves.
“WE’RE WORKING HARD TO REBUILD THIS TEAM. WE ARE TRYING TO MARKET [DR] CONGO. IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME, BUT WE WILL GET THERE.”
-Jonathan Kuming
The 2.03m (6ft 8in) forward was only 19 when he made his Leopards debut, scoring 17.7 points per game, surpassing Christian Lutete, the other DR Congo player to average ten points or more per game in the African Qualifiers.
The Golden State Warriors player has also recorded the tournament’s highest Efficiency rating of 12.7, but in his own words: “We’re attempting to rebuild this team. We are attempting to re-establish [DR] Congo on the map. It will take some time, but we will get there, “He noticed.
Kuminga, the first NBA champion to compete in the World Cup African Qualifiers, described his experience in Monastir as eye-opening and urged other NBA players to participate in FIBA basketball.
“It’s a pleasure to be an NBA player.” “Kuminga stated before expanding on the significance of other NBA players joining African basketball programs. “It means a lot to come back and play for your own country,” he said.
Kuminga was one of five current NBA players to compete in Window 4 of the World Cup African Qualifiers in August, alongside Gorgui Dieng (Senegal), Bruno Fernando (Angola), Ishmail Wainright (Uganda), Josh Okogie, and Chimezie Metu (Nigeria).
“I wanted to be the first [DR Congo] player (in the NBA) to represent our country. Hopefully, this inspires other NBA players to see the bigger picture and return to help the country. We are not asking for much; we simply want them to come here and represent their country for a few days. That will not take much of your time.
“We’ll have good results as long as we come back and help the team,” the 20-year-old added.
Kuminga moved to the United States when he was young and had never played competitive basketball in Africa. And when the opportunity to represent his country arose, he jumped at it. Kuminga made sure to keep his promise of wearing the Leopards uniform after missing Window 3 of the World Cup African Qualifiers in July due to personal reasons.
“There are no regrets,” he said when asked about his team’s 0-3 record in Monastir.
He went on: “I’m very proud of the group of guys who came to play for us. We fought until the bitter end. It will take a long time, but as long as we stick together and pick each other’s brains, we will be able to rebuild our team. There are no remorse. I am extremely grateful to everyone who came together and contributed to the formation of this team.”
With three games remaining in the African Qualifiers, DR Congo is fifth in Group F with a 4-5 record.
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