Basketball Africa League 2021

NOT many athletes’ careers span two decades or even close in on a third (decade), and fewer are laden with success during that time. So when the name Radhouane Slimane or Sekka is mentioned in conversations by African basketball aficionados, you have to take notice, as it’s a name that illuminates success.

When Sekka recently sounded the buzzer on his career, it was the ending of a storied playing career of an African legend, whose career is worthy of possibly being inducted into the FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame.

It was also a realisation. A golden age in African basketball had come to an end, and Slimane was one of that era’s representatives. He was the consummate stretch four, always steady, making the simple plays look flashy and an exceptional leader.

In his performances in the opening season (2021) of the BAL in the colours of US Monastir, already 40, Slimane put up an impressive 10.3 points and 2.3 rebounds. And in that first season in a group game against Madagascar’s GNBC in a fast-break move, he showed he could still get up and throw down.

Until the age of 45, when most of his age mates had long called it a day, the smooth-moving Slimane kept going, blocking out the noise when asked how long he sees himself running up the hardwood.

In an interview with The Big Tip Off, he told this journalist that “love for the game” kept him wanting to sweat it out on the court.

“It’s for the love of the game, a love of the game. I am healthy and enjoying the game. I have sacrificed for this game and if I have more years to give, then I will give them,” he said ahead of Season 5 of the BAL.

He’s set foot on some of the greatest basketball stages, including the FIBA World Cup and the AfroBasket, which brought Tunisia titles, with Slimane and his generation leading the North African nation to its entire continental trophy haul.

Before the 2021 title victory, Sekka, then 41, wanted to go out with a bang as he sensed, and before the tournament, spoke with clarity in an interview with FIBA Africa that the end was near for him and some of his teammates.

“This year must be the last chance for my generation to win one more African championship. Players like myself, Salah (Mejri), (Mohamed) Hadidane, (Omar) Mouhli might retire from the national team after Kigali,” said Slimane.

Having built a career resume of success with the national team, with US Monastir on the continent and in the Tunisian and Iraqi domestic scenes, Slimane should be satisfied with his career, but as he told Al Jazeera before the 2021 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, he wondered how far he could have gone had his talent got proper exposure.

“A lot of agents and a lot of coaches told me I would easily play in the NBA, but the media (coverage) here in Tunisia (is close to) zero,” said Slimane at the time.

Yes, a player, despite enjoying many successes, can always ask themselves what if about their careers. But as fans of the African game, it’s safe to say we appreciate his greatness and his role in setting a high bar in African basketball.

The legend has bowed out, but the memories he’s left us with are eternal.