Boris Diaw - Hoops to Hippos!: True Stories of a Basketball Star on Safari

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Trade paperback

ISBN: 978-1-4263-2052-1

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4263-2201-3

Reinforced library edition

ISBN: 978-1-4263-2053-8

v3.1

Thats me, Boris Diaw. Two of my favorite things are playing hoops and taking photos of wild animals. I photographed these hippos when I was in Africa on safari, a special trip to see wildlife.

I loved watching this little lion cub lounge on a termite mound.

H i, my name is Boris Diaw (sounds like DEE-ow). Im a professional basketball player. I play for the National Basketball Association, or NBA, for short. I play all over the United States. I also play in Europe.

I have played hoops my whole life. I grew up in a small town named Bordeaux (sounds like bore-DOH) in southwest France. My mom was a pro basketball player, too. She used to shoot hoops with me. The game was her passion. Now its mine, too.

I love how basketball is a team sport. Theres a lot of spirit in it. Everyone on a team must work together. Its like a pride of lions or a pack of African wild dogs.

Animals are another passion of mine. I love spending time outdoors and taking pictures of wild animals. I have taken photographs of wildlife in South Africa, Botswana (sounds like bot-SWAN-uh), Tanzania (sounds like tan-zan-EE-yuh), and India. Ive watched hungry lions eat. Ive tracked a tigress with her cubs. I have photographed colorful birds, rugged rhinos, and lounging leopards. When Im at home in San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A., my photos remind me of the peace I feel in the wild.

I started taking pictures of wildlife when I was seven years old. I was on a trip with my mom and my brother, Martin. We had gone to Senegal (sounds like sen-ih-GAWL) to visit my father. Senegal is a small country on the west coast of Africa. My dad still lives there today, in a city named Dakar (sounds like dah-CAR).

Martin and I had never been to Africa before. It was a big adventure for us. Dakar was very different from where we lived. The city smelled musty. The food tasted spicy.

During the trip, I got a disposable camera. I liked taking pictures of Dakar and all the people around me. But what I really wanted to see and photograph were wild animals.

Many wildlife lovers on safari hope to see lions. Trackers help find lions by looking for clues in the bush. They look for paw prints or signs of a kill, such as an animals hide on the ground or bones. They listen for the roar of lions and calls of alarm from animals that lions like to eat. They sniff the air for the sharp smell of lion scat, or poop. Following clues from the bush just might lead to an awesome encounter with a big catjust dont get too close!