Sonny Side of Sports - VOA Africa

The Boston Celtics beat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, 126-to-117, in the opening game of the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season. Jayson Tatum (#0) and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points for the Celtics, who honored their late franchise legend Bill Russell before the game.

n Tuesday night's second NBA game, the defending champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 123-to-109, in San Francisco, California. The Warriors received their championship rings before the contest, after beating the Celtics in June in the NBA Finals.

Sonny will report on both NBA games and he also says 120 international players from 40 countries are on NBA rosters to start the season.

Senegal and Bayern Munich football star Sadio Mane won the Socrates Award for humanitarian actions during the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris.

On Tuesday's show, the chief football writer at www.aclsports.com, Fisayo Dairo, talks about some of Mane's humanitarian ventures, and describes the Senegalese star as an inspiration to other African players.

Also on the program, Sonny gives a birthday salute to former Czech-American tennis star Martina Navratilova, who won 18 major singles titles and 31 major women's doubles titles during her career.

Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is being treated for a brain tumor in Atlanta, Georgia.

In a statement over the weekend, the NBA said the 56-year-old Mutombo is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists and is in great spirits as he begins treatment.

On Monday's show, Sonny looks at Dikembe's career on and off the basketball court and has some personal reflections.

Also on the program, Mario Leo, the CEO of Result Sports, rates the five African teams that will compete at next month's FIFA World Cup football tournament in Qatar.

Kenyan star Eliud Kipchoge is in contention for his third World Athlete of the Year award. The 37-year-old Kipchoge won the prize in 2018 and 2019, and he's one of 10 nominees for the 2022 award.

On Friday's show, the world record holder and two-time Olympic marathon champion talks about the focus he tries to bring to each race.

Also on the program, VOA's Gwen Outen has a feature on Qatar's Olympic and Sports Museum opening a "World of Football" exhibition ahead of the country hosting the FIFA World Cup next month.

The Giants of Africa Foundation says it's committed to building 100 basketball courts across Africa to develop the sport and help educate youth.

On Thursday's show, we'll hear from the foundation's co-founder, Godwin Owinje, about the inauguration of its 20th court at Abesan, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria.

Also on the program, the manager of Uganda's national men's basketball team, Albert Ahabwe, talks about the development of the sport in his country.

Gloves worn by German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the 2018 World Cup are among the items on display in a "World of Football" museum exhibition in Qatar, the host of the upcoming 2022 World Cup.

Sonny will have more on the exhibition during Wednesday's show. As the photo exhibits, Neuer couldn't stop this shot by Dortmund's Anthony Modeste on Saturday when Dortmund drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in a Bundesliga match.

Also on the program, Craig Gabriel reports on the launch ceremony Wednesday for the Australian Open tennis tournament.

The 22-year-old Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus is an African player to watch at next month's World Cup football tournament in Qatar.

Kudus has been earning kudos this season while playing for Ajax Amsterdam. He has scored goals in all three of Ajax's UEFA Champions League group stage matches and will be back on the pitch Wednesday when Ajax visits Napoli.

Fisayo Dairo, the chief football writer at www.aclsports.com, gives Kudus a SHOUT OUT on Tuesday's show, and takes a look at other African players making an impact in the UEFA Champions League.

Former Ghanaian footballer Haminu Dramani is shown celebrating his goal against the USA at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

On Monday's show, Dramani talks about the goal and the chances of the Ghanaian team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Monday marks 41 days to the kick-off of football's premier event. Sonny will look at the groupings of the five African teams, their opening matches in Qatar and their history at past World Cup competitions.

Plus much more! So tune in the Sonny Side of Sports!!

Next month, the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup will make history when it kicks off for the first time in the Middle East. And, in the last five years, the underlying potential of Africa’s sport industry is evident in the number of new leagues that have captured global attention, from Soccer to the NBA’s expansion across Africa with the launch of the Basketball African League (BAL).

Manchester City sealed a crushing one-sided 5-nil victory against FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in their quest to clinch the title for the first time. The city of Goma, in the east of the DRC, hosted last week the fourth edition of the basketball tournament "Kivu Stars International". Plus, Uganda Cranes Coach Milutin “MIcho” Sredojević says he believes Uganda will beat the odds and sail through group stages of the CHAN 2022 finals that will be hosted by Algeria.