Basketball fans in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been celebrating news that Goma city-born Jonathan Kuminga has been signed by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors picked the 18-year-old during a draft session on Thursday night at an event in Brooklyn, New York.
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Back home, former basketball player Emmanuel Mwango remembered: “He was the best of the kids of his age here, I could tell he would become something… He just makes DR Congo and his home here in Goma so proud.
Kuminga moved to the US in 2016 where he played for his high school and in the G-League, which is for developing players, before he was drafted.
Analysts say he was “the most athletic player and rawest talent” during last night’s draft, averaging 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game last season.
Kuminga hasn’t returned home since he left for the US, but in May when his hometown was hit by volcanic eruption, he organised a fundraising to help those affected.
He becomes the sixth DR Congo-born player to play in the NBA after Dikembe Mutumbo, Bismack Biyombo, Didier Ilunga-Mbenga, Christian Eyenga, and Emmanuel Mudiay.
