Meet the basketball player hoping to be Hong Kong’s first born-and-bred NBA star

David Muoka is hoping to be the first player born and raised in Hong Kong to play in the NBA after he made history by becoming the city’s first to be drafted by the competition’s development league.

Muoka was the third pick in the minor league organisation NBA G League’s draft on Saturday, being selected by Capital City Go-Go of Washington out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). With hopes of reaching the highest level of professional basketball, he will enter the NBA draft next June.

“By playing in the G League, I can unlock the full potential of my game at the professional level with the help of NBA-experienced coaches and staff,” said the 22-year-old, who left his birthplace in 2018 after graduating from West Island School in Pok Fu Lam.

“This is to further prepare myself to play in the NBA by playing against past, current and future NBA players and showcase my skill set against that high level of talent in front of the NBA front offices and personnel.”

Born to a Nigerian father and an English mother, Muoka received a scholarship to study at Lamar University in Texas after spending a year at a college-preparatory school at Athlete Institute in Canada in 2019.

The 6ft 10in (2.08 metres) centre was the “rim protector” the Lamar Cardinals. Muoka averaged 5.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks his second year to be named the defensive player of the year of the Southland Conference.