Kenya’s Ben Kwame Ayugi makes his mark at Basketball Without Borders Africa

Seventeen-year-old Ben Kwame Ayugi is standing tall, literally and figuratively, at the 21st Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa camp held in Kigali, Rwanda. At 6-foot-8, the Kenyan teenager became one of the campers joining 60 of the continent’s most promising boys and girls from 21 countries across the continent.

In an interview, Ben detailed his experience. For Ben, the experience has been surreal. “It was so cool working with them. I never thought I would be working side by side with an NBA coach or player,” he says of training under NBA and WNBA legends and coaches. “Especially in the defensive part of the exercise, I feel I can take a lot from that, mostly because I feel that is where I can grow my game the most.”

The games were hard and tough, and Ayugi is also surrounded by players taller than he is. The competition has sharpened his focus and broadened his network, helping him connect with peers from across the continent on and off the court.

When asked about his future, Ben keeps it simple and ambitious. His biggest dream right now is to play Division I basketball in the U.S. and represent Kenya in the college game and then get drafted into the NBA to represent his country on the biggest stage. As he puts it: “Anywhere in the NBA, just so I can represent my country.”

He hopes his journey encourages younger players back home: “I would like to say to the kids out there to keep working hard because you never know when an opportunity can come to you. Like this BWB came to me out of nowhere. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think it was going to happen.”

That spirit echoes the camp’s purpose. “I feel like this gives kids a purpose because my purpose is basketball,” Ben says. “If it wasn’t for camps like BWB, I would feel like I have nothing to do or have nowhere to pursue. Camps like this give you a reason to work hard to achieve those positions.”

Hosting BWB Africa in East Africa for the first time adds extra significance. As Michael Finley, NBA Africa Senior Director and Kenya Country Lead, notes: “It’s a big deal that the camp is here in East Africa for the first time. For young players, the first thing is motivation. Knowing that they now have an opportunity to showcase their talent to coaches and NBA personnel from around the world and it doesn’t get better than that.”

For Ben Ayugi, that motivation is now tangible, a pathway from Nairobi’s courts to continental competition, and a clear line of sight toward his dreams.