Page 43 - IB June July 2024

Sports Sports

is among many sports analysts and commentators to suggest week with updates on Dillingham and the NBA Draft.
Dillingham could have been the draft’s top pick – a selection In a direct message, site administrator Tasileloto
that would have yielded an approximate US$57 million Fa’amanu’amoni later wrote: “We are familiar with his story
contract. because as a young kid, his mother brought him to visit the
“Who won the draft to me was the Minnesota islands. And when he attended Kanye West’s school, we all
Timberwolves,” he said on his podcast. sent him prayers and well wishes on his endeavors.
“The reason the Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft “Incredible talent, defying the odds with his height, and
is that they drafted their point guard of the future, Rob representing us all,” the Manu’a resident continued. He
Dillingham, who I think is a very special player. Some of those said Dillingham has “shown Polynesians that hard work and
home teams at the top of the draft were afraid because he dedication can open up doors of opportunity in the NBA, not
got swag, and he got game. …at times, we run into these just the NFL.” More than 70 players in the National Football
guards with swag that they just don’t fit in the system, and so League are of Polynesian descent, including 30 players from
teams run away from them. There’s going to be some teams American Samoa.
that regret passing Rob Dillingham.” “Rob’s home pride being a Manu’a descendant and having
visited his mother’s homeland…has given him a sense of
When one wins, all win belonging and identity as a South Pacific Islander… He literally
“There is an old saying that when a Samoan wins, we all wears it on his sleeve with his Samoan tribal tattoo in honor of
Pacific Islanders win,” Fonofale McCarthy, Pathway Director his Manu’a roots and lineage,” added the site administrator.
and Elite Coach of the National Samoa Basketball Institute On a recent Saturday evening at the basketball court in
in New South Wales, Australia, said two days after the draft. Namaka Park in Nadi, Fiji, Ethan Fisher, 18, was hooping with
“What Rob Dillingham has done is inspiring us to keep doing a half-dozen other young men. He had not heard of Dillingham
what we do – provide pathways for kids to achieve this.” but is familiar with the Timberwolves and said his favorite
McCarthy, who coaches Samoans in the semipro NBA team is the Los Angeles Lakers.
developmental component of Australia’s National Basketball Laisiasa Puamau, Chief Operating Officer of Basketball Fiji,
League or NBL, said Dillingham is “a classic example of a said there has been a push to promote the sport in school and
guy off the rock” achieving greatness and “proof that Pacific communities, but major impediments are a lack of facilities
Islanders can play sports other than football and rugby”. and access.
“Our people are starting to realise there are other sports,” “Basketball is limited to urban centers – Suva, Nadi and
he said. “There is power in rugby and football, and Pacific Lautoka because of facilities,” he said. “We strive to reach
Islanders excel in that. Basketball is different because all centers and islands, but the sport goes head-to-head with
endurance and IQ are involved. Our people are beginning to infrastructure. The environment favors those other sports
adapt. We have Pacific Islanders who are 6’5” and 6’7.” (rugby, football and cricket).
McCarthy noted James Johnson, of American and Samoan Puamau explained girls’ netball is popular because “you
heritage, was third-team All-ACC for two years at Wake can make it yourself. All you need is a post and weld a rim
Forest before entering the 2009 NBA Draft. Now age 37, he to it. Basketball is different because there is a bit of a cost
has played for nine NBA teams, including the Timberwolves associated with it. There are only two community recreational
and last season averaged 0.9 points per game for the Indiana facilities with basketball courts in Fiji.”
Pacers. Johnson is the second person of Samoan heritage to One such hard-surface court is in Raiwaqa, a site he called
play in the NBA. Wallace (Wally) Allifua Rank played for the “the heart and soul of basketball in Fiji”, and the other is
Los Angeles Clippers in the 1980-81 season. He was selected in Samabula – both in Suva. He noted there is a fee required
by the then-San Diego Clippers with the 99th pick in the 1980 to use a basketball court at the private Nadi Sports and
NBA Draft. Social Club, and the outdoor court in Namaka, where the
McCarthy said now a pipeline from Australia and the Pacific Nadi basketball association’s league plays weekly games and
Islands to the NBA is developing. Roman Siulepa, a 17-year- tournaments, has no water, electricity or toilets.
old, 6’7” point guard of Samoan heritage playing in the NBL However, Puamau said there is renewed emphasis on
developmental league is expected to be in the 2025 NBA youth basketball development and competition ahead of the
Draft. He would follow Australian players LaMelo Ball, Josh International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup qualifiers
Giddy and Alex Sarr, the third pick in last week’s draft, to the for under-15 girls and under-17 boys in Australia in November,
League. and added there is a search to identify Fijians living abroad.
Also expected to compete at the qualifiers are Vanuatu,
Dillingham’s other home Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Dillingham’s family lives on Ofu, part of American Samoa’s
Manu`a island group. The 39,000-follower strong social media Jason Jett is a New York-based journalist currently living in
group Manu’atele Community Worldwide, formed in 2011 to Nadi, Fiji.
“spread awareness of our isolated paradise”, was abuzz last

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