African NBA Scout Eyes Talent in BAL Tourney

The inaugural Africa Basketball League tournament is entering the playoff stage. For Sonny Side of Sports, VOA's Prince Nesta spoke with Sarah Chan, Africa scouting manager for the 2019 NBA champion Toronto Raptors, about her basketball journey and the games plying in the BAL.

The interview was edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: Briefly, can you speak a little bit about your background? Chan: I am from South Sudan. I grew up in Khartoum until I was about 12. South Sudan was going through a civil war...a civil war that had affected everybody. And so, my family and I relocated to Kenya looking for greener pastures, looking for peace, putting education at the center of everything...My parents reiterated: "we go, we learn, we come back, and we impact." That was the song in our daily lives. And so, (I have) a background of civil war into being privileged to have an amazing family that's very supportive of a young girl that was trying something out.