AFTER two seasons in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and a stint in Germany, Johannesburg centre David Craig has landed with the Vanta Black Dragons. The Big Tip Off takes a closer look at his journey and the expectations surrounding the 7-foot-3 South African ahead of the Asian Tournament.
Craig from Johannesburg has signed with the Vanta Black Dragons of Hong Kong, where he will compete in The Asian Tournament (TAT) and begin the next chapter in a professional journey that has already spanned three countries and two continents in just over a year.
Building his reputation in the BAL
What the Vanta Black Dragons are acquiring is far more than exceptional size. They are adding a player with a highly defined and valuable skill set built around the fundamentals of winning basketball.
His BAL journey began with Made By Ball (MBB) during Season 5, when he became the tallest player in league history.
He returned for Season 6 with the Johannesburg Giants, averaging six points and six rebounds in only 15 minutes per game while competing against top-calibre opposition. Reflecting on his time in the BAL, Craig says the experience was “very solid” in terms of his production and efficiency, but he believes he could have reached another level.
“I think there was still another level I could have gone to, but that’s also a symptom of playing for a losing team,” he says. “And when your team (Giants) doesn’t make the necessary adjustments it needs to, it’s a lot harder than it seems to then level up as an individual.”
Aiming to set the scene alight
Craig now joins a Vanta Black Dragons side that has quickly become one of Asia’s emerging basketball powers. Based in Hong Kong, the Dragons compete in The Asian Tournament, a premier continental competition that crowned them 2026 TAT Leg 1 champions in Chengdu.
Held annually from April through October, TAT features a unique multi-leg format hosted across some of Asia’s leading basketball cities, including Chengdu, Laizhou, Manila and Beijing.
The tournament brings together elite clubs and world-class players from the continent’s strongest professional leagues alongside distinguished international teams, with each leg culminating in knockout rounds and a championship final. Every event is streamed live on YouTube.
For Craig, the move represents a much-needed change of environment. “I’m just excited to be in a lot more organised and a lot more of an efficient style of play,” he says. “Playing with other imports and playing with other guys that have travelled the world and are seasoned professionals, as well as playing with the other local players who know and understand the game very well.”
He is particularly encouraged by the technical quality of his new teammates. “I think fundamentally they are quite sound and can shoot the ball very well, because that’s generally speaking something that is fundamentally very important to the game in this part of the world. And so that’s going to be a breath of fresh air.”
Despite the frustrations of his recent BAL campaign, which saw the Giants go winless on home soil, Craig is looking ahead with optimism.
“I think all in all, though, I’m just happy to be able to spread my wings again,” he says. “I think it’s going to be a necessary refresh after a very frustrating time with the Giants.”
Eyes on the debut
Craig is set to join the Dragons from the third leg, scheduled for 20–26 July in Passi, Philippines.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter for all the latest feature stories and previews of events on the African continent.
