Trained in Cergy, Adam Mokoka could not miss the appointment. But the 22-year-old Chicago Bulls player, whose family still lives in the prefecture of Val-d'Oise, will not be the only NBA "Frenchy" to be present for the tournament in his city, from Wednesday evening (7 p.m.). Franck Ntilikina, the international leader of the New York Knicks, and Sekou Doumbouya, the winger of the Detroit Pistons, will also tread the floor of the gymnasium of the Maradas in Pontoise.
Andrew Albicy, bronze medalist with France at the World Cup last year, is also expected, like many other professional basketball players such as internationals Charles Kahudi, Edwin Jackson and Lahaou Konaté. "I think we're going to have a good time," says the latter, a new player from Boulogne-Levallois.
After long months of withdrawal due to the coronavirus health crisis, the big orange ball will once again bounce on the Parisian floors. With a flashy, rare cast, masterfully assembled by Amara Sy. The president of Cergy-Pontoise, nicknamed the Admiral, knew how to surround himself for the first edition of the Admiral League. A summer tournament with eight teams that will run until Sunday.
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For exceptional events, exceptional plateau! Frank NTILIKINA, Sékou DOUMBAYA, Adam MOKOKA, Andrew ALBICY, Bandja SY, Edwin JACKSON ... NBA players, of the French team and of the biggest European teams, they will be in Cergy-Pontoise from July 22 to honor the first edition of the ADMIRAL LEAGUE! Don't miss the hottest Summer League of summer 2020 with an XXL cast! See you on July 22 at Complexe Maradas Joël Motyl, we are counting on you!
A post shared by @ amiralleague on Jul 16, 2020 at 11:12 am PDT
“Originally we wanted to launch this Summer League ( Editor's note: summer tournament ) next year, reveals Manuel Munoz, manager at the Cergy club (N2). But with the crisis, we were told that it would be good to organize it this summer. When we found out on July 11 that we could welcome the public, we launched thanks to the support of the communities and the presence of many volunteers. "
Quickly, the phones of Amara Sy, who will begin his second season in September as a Paris Basketball player, and Manuel Munoz heat up to contact a prestigious plateau. "All the players wanted to come but some already had commitments", guarantees the leader.
Not qualified for the resumption of the NBA season in the bubble of Disney World in Orlando (Florida) with their respective franchises, Mokoka, Ntilikina and Doumbouya immediately accept.
Masked spectators
To give an even more festive atmosphere to the event, two DJs will be at the helm. Jamil, the former speaker of Nanterre and Levallois, will play Mr. Loyal. “We only organize evening matches to allow as many people as possible and families to come,” explains Manuel Munoz. We have deliberately limited the number of teams to 8 so that the public can see the players on any day. For 3 euros, the spectator is therefore guaranteed to attend 4 matches (2 halves of 16 minutes) and to see players that they are not used to seeing. Amara was one of the first pro players to participate in Quai 54 (famous streetball tournament) and we have experience in organizing these tournaments. "
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For health security reasons, some seats will be condemned to respect a distance between spectators. The latter will have to come with their masks.
