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Back home, the Tottenham boy who walks tall in US basketball
Matthew Beard, Olympics Editor14 Aug 2009
He is a multi-millionaire basketball star who is frequently mobbed for his autograph by fans.
Yet in his native Tottenham, Pops Mensah-Bonsu is virtually anonymous and is only likely to turn heads because he is 6ft 9in.
This weekend the 25-year-old returns to the capital to play at the O2 for Great Britain in the team's bid to qualify for the Olympics.
He said: "I'm living every American kid's dream. When you are a kid in London you want to join a Premier League team but in the US you want to make it in the NBA" (National Basketball Association).
A natural athlete, Mensah-Bonsu has become increasingly lethal as a goal-scoring "power forward". He was discovered by scouts a decade ago while representing Haringey at national schools athletics championships.
At the age of 14 he swapped the Sir Thomas More school in Tottenham for St Augustine College Preparatory School in New Jersey after being offered a scholarship.
He said: "I had to grow up fast. I knew it was the right thing to do because although I wasn't a problem child I was hanging out in London and there were temptations put my way."
Mensah-Bonsu was a linchpin of his George Washington University team and, after graduating with a psychology degree, had spells with the Dallas Mavericks before playing in the NBA with San Antonio Spurs.
He now plays in front of a home crowd of 20,000 for Toronto Raptors and is known as "Big Daddy" - his full name is Nana Papa Yaw Dwene Mensah-Bonsu.
He is at the centre of a bidding war between his club and the Houston Rockets in the world's richest professional sports league, where players earn about £5.5million annually.
This weekend's "Game On" friendly is between Britain, Poland, Israel and Turkey - ahead of next month's European Championships in Poland, where a strong performance could secure Britain a place in the 2012 Games.
Great Britain has not fielded an Olympic basketball team since London 1948. Its quest is boosted by British players in the NBA, including Londoners Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons and Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls.
Reader views (7)
I agree not even the best brit in the NBA, that's Steve Nash surely.
- Tom, London, 17/08/2009 09:46
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Gotta agree with what Swirsky said. I know it's exciting having your very first basketball player, but Pops is nowhere near a star. He'll be lucky to merely get a roster spot in the NBA this year and has a very real chance of being forced to play for 8000 pounds per year in the Developmental League.
If you're so eager to write about a basketball player, why not choose Luol Deng? At least he's a starter.
I have a feeling that English journalists writing about a homegrown basketball in Canada is a bit like Canadian journalists writing about a homegrown soccer (football) player in England. We have our Owen Hargreaves, and if the occasional newspaper special has taught me correctly Mr. Hargreaves is the single greatest force ever to step foot on a field.
Sidenote- Squiz, you're an idiot. Scoring frequency has nothing to do with how competitive or entertaining a sport is. Basketball games are a lot of fun to watch because close games can switch leads 10 times in the last quarter. Every shot in a big game is the most important shot so far. It's a bit like holding serve in tennis, where winning one set doesn't mean much but winning two in a row is huge.
- Cam, Toronto, 16/08/2009 08:46
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The only joke of a sport is soccer (or Football as you people call it). I would rather watch paint dry. I feel bad for you Brits.
And funny that you were offered free tickets. The morons that did that probably should have just tried selling them seeing as how most Raptor games are sold out.
- Some Guy, Toronto, Canada, 16/08/2009 07:17
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I entirely agree with you about football too Mr. Soldier. I am a rugby man myself, now there's a real game - and no padding either.
- Squiz, Islington, 15/08/2009 17:25
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Pops may be a star at some level but in the NBA he is a borderline talent hoping to get a minimum contract (about $700k) to continue his career in North America. Toronto Raptors have 1 spot remaining on their roster for the coming season and have not yet decided who should fill it.
- Larryb, Oakville, ON, Canada, 14/08/2009 16:38
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Umm.. so much wrong with this article.
1)Nobody calls Pops "Big Daddy" (atleast not in Raptorland)
2)There is no known bidding war for Pops. The fans here in Toronto love him... but there may not even be a roster spot for him
3) Some players do make 5.5 annual and more... but that is not the going rate... it is much, much less. And pops wil be lucky to get a 10th of that
To Squiz.... atleast its not football... passes the ball, passes the ball, passes the ball! Nothing better than watching a sport for 90+ minutes that ends in a 1-0 score. (although you do get to watch 50+ flops... amazing)
- Swirsky'S Soldier, Canada, 14/08/2009 15:59
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Basketball is a joke sport. 7ft tall freaks running back and forth taking turns to pop a ball in a basket only slightly higher than themselves racking up telephone number scores. When I worked in Toronto I was frequently offered Raptors tickets whereas Leafs tickets where like gold dust. It'd be a lot more entertaining if they got jockeys to play.
- Squiz, Islington, 14/08/2009 09:50
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