New Kings

Overview

A compelling, eye-opening chronicle of the rise of basketball in modern Africa and the burgeoning talent pipeline poised to transform the NBA

For a long time, hoop dreams born in Africa felt unattainable. The game had a small presence on the continent, taking a back seat to sports like soccer and track and field. Lacking a clear pathway to the NBA, players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, and Manute Bol needed extraordinary luck to make it.

But over the past 30 years, the basketball landscape has transformed dramatically. Fueled by the NBA’s heightened presence and investment, infrastructure has improved, access has expanded, and a pipeline to the best teams in America has been built. The results are beginning to show: at the opening of the 2025–26 NBA season, more than 55 players were from Africa or were first-generation members of the diaspora, including recent MVPs Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That number is expected to climb in the years to come.

Through extensive reporting on the journeys of four young prospects, New Kings chronicles the rise and future of basketball in Africa. At its core, it is a human story, universal in scope, about hope, perseverance, and the chasing of a dream that no longer feels out of reach.

Reviews

“With New Kings, Alex Squadron has demonstrated once again why he is one of the rising stars of sports journalism. This book is deeply reported and deftly written. Basketball may have been invented in America, but it is a truly global game, and Africa in particular has been a rich source of talent. In traveling to that faraway land to unearth these stories, Alex explored uncharted territory, and in these pages he presents richly human characters in full as they pursue their hoop dreams. This is a terrific piece of work.”
—Seth Davis, Hall of Fame basketball reporter, broadcaster, and author

"Alex Squadron is one of the premier journalists covering basketball today. New Kings is an extraordinary and timely blueprint for the future of the NBA. As AI spreads, superb reporters like Squadron who take us onto the courts and into the hearts of his subjects are ever more essential, helping us see the world around us more clearly.”
—Mirin Fader, New York Times bestselling author

"From the moment you open up New Kings, you will not be able to put this book down. The basketball universe has shrunk dramatically in recent years, and you’ll learn about the rise of basketball in Africa and its future pipeline to the NBA. More importantly, this is a story of hopes, dreams, and inspiration. From Hakeem and Dikembe to the present day, the floodgates of African basketball talent are fully open, and Alex Squadron tells the beautiful story of how it all happened.”
—Fran Fraschilla, ESPN basketball analyst

Author Biography

See Author