Interview By Simeon Onoja
Photo source: Netflix
Antonio Depina’s Thrilling Move from a Basketball Star to a Successful Entrepreneur Antonio Depina has made a fascinating transition from pro athlete to businessman. The 26-year-old is a first-generation American, whose parents migrated into the United States from very humble backgrounds in Africa. Under the care of his Cape Verdean father and Liberian mother, he found basketball. Antonio was a star athlete from high school and travelled the world playing professional basketball in Spain, France and Portugal.
D
own the line, Antonio returned to the US and launched his entrepreneurial career. His first business was a real estate company in Delaware called 302 Home Buyers which is now thriving. Then he launched Overseas Basketball Connection (OBC), a basketball talent company that connects basketball players with pro basketball teams across the world. Having had a feel of some of the world’s most developed entrepreneurial ecosystems, Antonio returned to Africa to give back and help develop the continent’s sports business. He launched the Praia League in his home country, Cape Verde, and is on a mission to fulfil the dreams of basketball talents across the continent. Antonio gained celebrity status after his time on Netflix’s The Circle. He was recently recognised by Forbes Africa in its 30 Under 30 list.
What inspired me to launch Praia League is my country has been trying to boost tourism with a lot of different things. But I think we haven’t tried sports. Sports is something that can spotlight our country and boost tourism, provide jobs and boost the economy. That’s why I started the Praia League. What was it like launching a basketball league in Africa?
I played professional basketball in Europe and have seen a lot of African players leave the continent to go chase their basketball dreams in other places. So I wanted to create a league here that was sustainable, durable and that allowed African talents to play at higher levels.
What has the reception for Praia League been like Business Elites Africa had the delight of sitting with this since launch? vibrant serial entrepreneur on the launch of his basketball league, Africa’s sports business, and a lot more. So far the Praia League experience has been great. It’s actually running itself right now. My staff are really good
18 | Business Elites Africa / ISSUE 116
www.businesselitesafrica.com
