Sonny Side of Sports - VOA Africa

On Wednesday's show, we'll hear from Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elevate player Churchill Abass of Nigeria, who played for defending champion US Monastir this season.

The 18-year-old Abass is based at the NBA Academy Africa in Dakar, Senegal, and he says it was a great learning experience to compete in the BAL.

Also on the program, Fisayo Dairo, the chief football writer at www.aclsports.com, comments on AC Milan and defending champion Real Madrid advancing to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Madrid has won the competition a record 14 times and this is the 11th time in 13 seasons the Spanish giants have reached the final four.

Tuesday's show begins with a Sonny Side of Sports salute for Kenyan athletes Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri, who won the men's and women's titles Monday at the Boston Marathon.

Chebet successfully defended his Boston men's title in 2:05:54, and Obiri, a two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist at 5,000m, won her first marathon in 2:21:38.

On the program, Chebet comments on winning in Boston again and the support he's received from training partner Benson Kipruto, who finished third overall (in 2:06:06) in Boston.

On Sonny Side of Sports:

We hear from Ruben Boumtjie-Boumtjie, the Basketball Africa League’s head of operations and former center for the National Basketball Association’s Trail Blazers.

Boumtje-Boumtje discusses the upcoming BAL Nile Conference games that are set for tipoff in Egypt.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

Coach Liz Mills is the first and only female head coach in the men's Basketball Africa League (BAL). She is currently in charge of Abidjan Basketball Club of Ivory Coast, which has qualified for next month's BAL Playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda. In an interview with VOA's Sonny Young, Coach Mills talked about the BAL's gender equity initiatives; the spark that ignited her passion for coaching; the BAL's upcoming Nile Conference games in Cairo, Egypt; and the BAL's future growth.

On Friday's show, we'll hear from Emmanuel Amunike, the 1994 African Footballer of the Year. Amunike says he's proud of the performances of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze, who have been playing well for Napoli and Villareal, their respective European clubs.

Amunike coached the players as members of Nigeria's national under-17 team that won the FIFA World Cup title in 2015.

Also on the program, VOA's Gwen Outen reports how a pair of sneakers basketball great Michael Jordan wore 25 years ago sold this week for a record-breaking $2.2 million.

On Thursday's show, Coach Liz Mills - the first and only female head coach in the men's Basketball Africa League (BAL) - talks about the BAL's gender equity initiatives, the spark that ignited her passion for coaching and the upcoming Nile Conference games in Cairo.

Mills coaches Abidjan Basketball Club of Ivory Coast, which has qualified for the BAL Playoffs and Final next month in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Voice of America is a proud broadcasting partner of the BAL and will be covering the Nile Conference games on radio in three languages: English, French and Portuguese. The Nile Conference games tip off April 26 in Cairo, Egypt.

VOA's Sonny Young brings you the latest sports news and trends as well as questions and comments from sports fans around Africa and the world.

On Tuesday's show, CAF Secretary-General Veron Mosengo-Omba comments on the inaugural CAF African Schools Football Championship held over the weekend in Durban, South Africa.

Also on the program, Fisayo Dairo, the chief football writer at www.aclsports.com, comments on the qualifying campaign for next year's Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast, plus much more!

On Monday's show, Cape Town Tigers captain Pieter Prinsloo talks about the team's goals as it prepares for Nile Conference play in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Conference action tips off April 26 in Cairo, Egypt, and Prinsloo says the Tigers will continue the season, a disappointment if they don't advance to the BAL Final.

Also on the program, Samson Omale has a report on the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League football tournament.

It's Fun Feature Friday on the Sonny Side of Sports!!

VOA's Gwen Outen tips things off with a feature on Michael Jordan's game-worn sneakers from the 1998 NBA Finals, which are being auctioned off and are expected to fetch a record price. Last year, a jersey worn by Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals sold for more than $10 million - a record for sports memorabilia.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!