The second edition of the Giants of Africa Festival concluded with a beautiful closing ceremony at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday (2 August 2025).
Some 320 basketball athletes from 20 countries converged to learn, interact and compete. Dubbed “a borderless Africa” this year, the festival sought to unite the continent through the incredible power of sport.
“Being an African and traveling all over the country, the continent, we have so many cultures; so many types of people, tribes, religions, everything, and I think we work well when we share,” co-founder of the festival Masai Ujiri told Olympics.com.
Ujiri’s main goal in starting Giants of Africa (GOA) was to increase the interest in basketball across the continent, while also fostering competition among countries and building courts in different cities.
In Kigali, the Zaria Court has opened to the public. Located near Amahoro Stadium and the BK Arena in the Remera district, it is one of the best examples of Rwanda’s growing strength in sports infrastructure.
“I think the facilities make a lot of sense. We have an arena, we have a stadium, we have an encroaching ecosystem around it,” said Masai Ujiri, explaining Giants of Africa’s decision to select Rwanda as host for a second consecutive edition.
“To me, everything revolves around. We were opening Zaria Court, so we wanted to show that this whole ecosystem works together with sports, entertainment, music, culture, fashion.”
Another set of courts were opened at St. Ignatius School in Kibagabaga, a suburb of Kigali, by NBA champion Kawhi Leonard – furthering Ujiri’s dream of making basketball accessible to the youth of Africa. The courts were built under the ‘Built Within’ initiative, a 100-court investment in basketball infrastructure throughout Africa.