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Chris Denari's Blog From Africa

Editor's Note: Pacers TV announcers Chris Denari and Quinn Buckner are in Africa as part of the NBA's Basketball without Borders program.

Needless to say, my trip to South Africa has been a trip to remember. And the NBA's first game played in Africa hasn't even occurred yet.

When Quinn Buckner and I were asked by the NBA if we would be interested in providing the play-by-play for Saturday's NBA Africa Game, we both jumped at the opportunity. At first, I thought we would fly to New York and provide the commentary out of an NBA Entertainment studio. That was not the case. They wanted Quinn and me in Johannesburg to experience the overall event, not just the game itself.

Needless to say, we are both honored to represent the Indiana Pacers and the NBA at this event. It is an All-Star Game featuring 20 NBA players, divided into Team Africa and Team World.

Our journey commenced with a 15-hour plane trip from Atlanta to Johannesburg that wasn't as bad as it sounds. I think my experience of twice traveling with the Pacers on pre-season trips to China, Taiwan, and the Philippines made it a little easier to handle.

Tuesday/Wednesday

After leaving Atlanta at 7 pm on Tuesday night, we arrived in Johannesburg at 5 pm on Wednesday night. South Africa is six hours ahead of Indianapolis, so on paper we basically traveled for nearly a day. After a dinner with the NBA group, I stayed up as long as possible so that I could shift to South African time.

Thursday

Our first order of business on Thursday was attending the morning session of the 13th Basketball Without Borders in Africa. The NBA hosts some of the top girls and 60 of the top boys from Africa for three days of instruction with coaches and players. Four NBA head coaches are here to do double duty this week, instructing campers and coaching the respective Team Africa and Team World teams in Saturday's game. Gregg Popovich of the Spurs, Lionel Hollins of the Nets, Mike Budenholzer of the Hawks, and Brad Stevens of the Celtics are here. It's been exceptionally fun to hang out with Brad, as well as his wife Tracy and kids. Brad and I worked together at Butler for 6+ years, and I like to tell him that my going to the NBA in 2006 opened the door for him in 2013. Ha ha.

It was great to watch the African youth learn from the best. And while there are never guarantees, some hope they could be like the Timberwolves Gorgui Dieng. Six years ago he was a Basketball Without Borders camper.

Our day continued that night as we visited with the announcers and production staff of Super Sport, the producers of sports content in South Africa. We toured their facilities...they have four channels. They have channels dedicated to soccer, cricket and rugby and are adding basketball to the mix. Basketball has been behind the other sports in South Africa, and this event is helping spotlight not just the NBA, but the growth of basketball in Africa. We made appearances on a one-hour preview show, and were joined by Boris Diaw of the Spurs (Team Africa) and Kenneth Faried of the Nuggets (Team World).

Friday

Team World huddles on the court

Friday brought more attention to the game with team practices at Ellis Park Indoor Arena. The arena is located near a soccer facility and tennis center that has hosted Serena and Venus Williams. While we had a production meeting with the NBA staff and local production team, I will have great memories of visiting with many of the players and coaches getting to know them better. I don't have a great deal of time to do that during the regular season, as we don't spend time with the opposing teams or coaches. I have valued my time riding on the bus and talking to them at practice. Though they are opponents once the Pacers season starts in October, I feel fortunate to be a part of the bigger NBA family. We are ALL part of the same brand, representing the NBA and the game of basketball. What I have learned from many of these individuals will stay with me forever.

In my mind, there is no greater honor than being selected to participate in an event like this. Working with the NBA staff has been outstanding. Each person has been phenomenal to work with and I can't think of a better way to spend a few days promoting "our" sport.

Last but not least, the highlight thus far has been our trip to a village 45 minutes from our hotel. Annandale houses many villages, but one in particular has taken the NBA's heart. The SOS Children's Village houses children who have lost their parents in some form. Children live in houses with a "mother" who helps lead them toward a path of success. We were greeted by music, dancing and most of all smiles as we all gathered on their new basketball court for celebration. The NBA has not just given money to SOS, but also time. It's no different than what the Pacers do under the direction of Kelli Towles and her staff in Community Relations. NBA/Pacers Cares is important because kids can see and feel these players. I see it all of the time in Indianapolis. It was absolutely AWESOME to see it in South Africa.

I can't wait for Saturday's game, the first ever in Africa. Some 60 players have played in the NBA from Africa, and tomorrow we will celebrate Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo, two players that opened the door to this continent. But I will remember seeing the smiling faces of the kids at the SOS Children's Village today. In my mind, if tomorrow's game was never played, we would have all been winners for sharing our time with those kids.