French NBA-star Tony Parker sat down with Africanews during his visit in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this interview, he shares his vision for the Congolese youth and tells them to “keep dreaming big”.*
Tell us about your project to develop sport in the DRC.
I wanted to give something back, starting with my own country. I bought a basketball team in France and I bought a women’s team. I built an academy because I wanted to develop talent. The captain of my team, who has been with ASVEL for ten years, comes from Congo. One of my players, Dominique Malonga, is also from Congo.
Last year we did a trial with a young player from Congo. He was the first player to go straight from Congo to the Euroleague and sign a professional contract with us. I said to myself that we could do something with this country. There is a lot of potential there.
A lot of young people here, through mutual friends, have told me that they just need a platform to express themselves. To try and succeed and reach the highest level. I decided to come here and talk to the President and various ministers to see how, with my group, I could bring the expertise, the knowledge and what it takes to coach and encourage these young people.
Did President Tshisekedi support this project?
Yes, very favourably. He is a great fan of sport and very enthusiastic about it. You can see that he wants to do something for his country. We are going to get on very well together because I have the same passion, the same energy. I told him that I did not just want to make a splash. When you build things gradually, you can build things that can last over time.
You inspired a lot of young people in Africa when you played for the San Antonio Spurs. Why did you choose the DRC, out of all the African countries?
It was through mutual friends and relationships. It is a beautiful country and I said to myself that the only way to find out was to come here. That is why I am here.
The DRC and many other African countries have millions of young people who love sport. Many of these young people do not have the opportunity to develop and play in top leagues as you have done. What message do you have for these young people who dream of playing in the NBA for clubs like the San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics, or the Lakers?
You must keep dreaming big. You must dream big. I always tell the youngsters at my academy: if you tell someone your dream and they do not laugh at you, you are not dreaming big enough. I think that for these young people, you must keep dreaming.
There are a lot of things in place for them to succeed. The NBA invests a lot in Africa. A lot of people are trying to do it in their own way, trying to build and trying to provide opportunities for young people. I want to try to do the same for the young people of Congo.
As an NBA champion, you are well placed to defend certain important causes on a global scale. This country has been in conflict for more than three decades. There are currently around 7 million people displaced by an ongoing war in the east. Would you be prepared to defend peace if the authorities here asked you to become a kind of ambassador?
Yes, but it is a bit early to talk about that sort of thing. I have only just arrived. It is my first time in Congo. A lot of my friends are giving me books to work on my knowledge of the country and to find out all about the history and what happened here.
I have never been involved in politics in my life. Sport is my thing. I want to bring people together and sport brings people together.
So, I am going to concentrate on that now, trying to give young people opportunities to succeed in different sports, not just basketball and football. There are many sports in which the Congo is strong.
You have been involved in several charitable activities, but you have several other passions. One of them is singing. In the DRC, people love music, and I am sure a lot of them would be happy to hear just a sample.
Obviously, I love music. Congo has a lot of influence in France. The best artists from Congo like GIMS, DADJU, I can name a lot of different singers, like Hiro. They are all in France and come from Congo. These artists very much dominate music in France. I cannot wait for the new stadium to be built here so we can bring all these artists and have a music festival. That is something we want to put in place.