Angolan president hosts LeBron James and Will Smith
BY FRANCISCO NUATIN
President João Lourenço of Angola on Sunday hosted four-time NBA star LeBron James along with actor Will Smith at the presidential palace in Luanda. It was the basketball star’s first visit to Africa.
Both gentlemen are in the country primarily for the fifth round of the UIM E1 World Championship held in Luanda Bay—James to back Team AlUla, the E1 electric racing team he owns, and Smith to back a rival team of his own, Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola. The presence of other sports celebrities/team owners, including legendary U.S. football star Tom Brady, is a welcome opportunity for the Southern African country as it hosts a major international sports event.
LeBron James, who is in the country at the invitation of the Angolan Ministry of Tourism, is gladly combining business meetings and sports while immersing himself in Angola’s history and culture, a nation that played a major role in the transatlantic trade.
Arriving in Angola on September 11, James wasted no time to visit the National Museum of Slavery in Luanda, a former slave-trading site on Morro da Cruz. Visibly moved by the tour, the basketball icon described it as an emotionally significant experience. He is quoted as saying, “There’s a lot of history here. A lot of history that is not only here in the country but also travels across to America.”
No doubt his audience, yesterday, with President Lourenço strengthened his statement following the tour of the slavery museum, when he said the visit was “already a meaningful one.”
Angola, a big basketball nation on the continental scale, is a 12-time African basketball champion. Befittingly, President Lourenço presented both gentlemen with a prototype of the jersey of the Angolan national basketball team—obviously with their names on it.
The audience with the head of state reportedly touched on tourism, cinema, and basketball.
James, a billionaire businessman, also held behind-closed-doors meetings with officials at the Ministry of Tourism and with business entities.
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Additional reporting by Alan Green.
Soumanou Salifou (administrator)
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