After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Anas Osama Mahmoud spent some time in the NBA Summer League with the Memphis Grizzlies. He then signed with Zamalek, a club based in his home country of Egypt.
Back in May 2021, Anas helped Zamalek win the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) Championship, a joint NBA and FIBA league. He was named Defensive player of the year and made the All-BAL team. The Louisville alumni now has another shot towards his NBA dreams, as he made the Raptors’ 15-man Summer League roster. At the very least, Mahmoud will have five opportunities to showcase his abilities in hopes of signing a regular season deal with Toronto.
Jose Neto, who was coaching Petro de Luanda, another team that participated in the BAL, is now an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets during this same NBA summer league campaign.
The full potential of the BAL is still to be unleashed, but it could create a pipeline for the next generation of African players heading to the North American basketball league. One thing that we know for sure, the BAL will be at the source of many amazing African sports stories for the years to come.
Watch this video from the BAL where you can see some of Anas' highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCkUXqbvK3U