"If it wasn't for playing basketball, I don't know what I would be doing with my life..." The Basketball Story of Edmonton Stingers forward, Mathieu Kamba.

The influences surrounding children or young adults could lead a person to a path of success or dissatisfaction. For two-time CEBL champion, Mathieu Kamba, he was almost steered into a different path due to the influences that surrounded him. Growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Kamba was always an athletic specimen but lacked guidance as he was surrounded by people that made bad decisions.

“I used to get into bad things from the people around me,” revealed Kamba, a core player to the Stingers dynasty. “Growing up, I was around a bad crowd and did some immature things like stealing every so often. One day, I had stolen something but got lucky as there was a hole in my pocket, and it fell through my pants. When the officers checked me, they only checked my pockets, so I managed to get away because of the hole in my pocket.”

Kamba was able to prevent a consequence from the officers that confronted him due to the hole that was luckily positioned in his pocket. While Kamba left that experience with no consequence, he learned a valuable lesson that day and abandoned his old habits alongside the item that fell out of his pocket.

“Once that happened, I took it as a blessing that opened my eyes, realizing that I had to stop as it would worsen over time,” explained Kamba. If I continued down this path, I would go from stealing candy bars to TVs, so, from that moment, parents in my community encouraged me to play basketball and invited me to play in their community league,” said Kamba.

The influences that Kamba previously had dramatically shifted after this experience. Rather than his community shunning or shaming him, they embraced him and forgave his mistake. His community and family used basketball as a tool to guide Kamba to a better path as opposed to the one that he was previously on. Kamba would move on from his previous mistake and by teenagehood, he trained almost every day and showed great potential on the basketball court. His dominance on the basketball court caught the attention of the community and offered him to join the community league. Unfortunately, Kamba was unable to afford playing in this league but luckily, his community decided to fund him.

“I grew up around a pretty big family and couldn’t afford to play at their community league, but because of my talent, the parents that encouraged me to play ended up paying for me. From that moment on, I realized that I had to move on from my past mistakes and look forward to my future and take basketball seriously,” revealed Kamba.

While the people in his community saw Kamba’s potential and skill, his biggest motivation for playing basketball was his family.

“By playing basketball, I realized I could use my talents to help my family,” shared Kamba. Growing up, we went from Africa to Canada; we didn’t have much – when I looked at my basketball, I thought to myself, if I can get this ball to the highest levels, I could be taken care of, my family could be taken care of, I can set a path for my kids and set an example of what hard work can do to someone,” explained Kamba.

The dedication of Kamba’s pursuit to professional basketball stemmed not from his passion but from his wanting to make his family and community proud. He wanted to represent his community positively to one day have the financial stability of providing for his family. However, basketball was not the only way that Kamba could have accomplished his goals, as he was just as talented in football as he was in basketball.

Basketball and football were the two sports that Kamba excelled at as his skill level was exponentially greater than the competition that he faced growing up. His versatility in both sports gave him a real dilemma in deciding which sport he should pursue.

“I played football a lot in elementary school and middle school and was told by coaches that if I took football seriously, I could one day make it to the NFL or CFL,” admitted Kamba. “Unfortunately, football season started during the fall and I hated the cold. After realizing that, I stepped away from football for good,” explained Kamba.

Football was a sport that Kamba was naturally good at growing up, basketball was the sport that was not only applauded by his community and family, but was also his true passion. His dedication to basketball was so strong that by the eighth grade, he had a realization that would change his life forever.

“I realized that I could make it to the professional level in the eighth grade as I could jump the highest and run the fastest. Growing up, I always played basketball and football, but one summer, I decided to pursue basketball full-time and the rest is history,” decided Kamba.

The work ethic from Kamba was unique. While other kids would be playing video games at home, Kamba would be around a basketball regardless of the weather or the time. If it rained or if it was a sunny day, Kamba would be seen outside working on his craft. However, Kamba was limited by the lack of interest and opportunity basketball had in Calgary.

“Being from Calgary, it was hard to find opportunities so I would travel a lot to the States. I saw how other coaches and players responded to me as they would let me know that I had the potential to make it to the professional level. Once I heard that it pushed me to try harder and work harder,” revealed Kamba.

Kamba established that he was a hard worker that would do whatever it took to reach the professional level. Eventually, his efforts were rewarded and was invited to a camp in California where he competed alongside the former second-overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

“In the summer of grade 12, I was selected to an All-Star game camp in California where guys like Lonzo Ball were also selected. I held my own against the competition, and people were talking about me and wanted to know more information about where I play or where I am from,” revealed Kamba. “People would go as far as even asking me if I had a mixtape on my basketball skill because I was playing that well and so that made me realize that I can play with anyone at any level,” shared Kamba.

His invitation to the All-Star camp in California paved a path for him to play Division I basketball after he graduated from Bishop McNally high school in Calgary. Kamba received numerous scholarships to play Division I basketball and decided to sign with the Central Arkansas Bears in 2014. Kamba played four seasons with the Bears, and while he made it to a Division I school, it wasn’t all glamorous at first.

“When I went to college, I didn’t really play a lot,” explained Kamba.

In his freshman year, Kamba only averaged 7.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 48% FG% coming off the bench. By the time he reached his senior year, Kamba became a full-time starter and averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists while shooting 52% FG% and 36% three-point shooting in 35 games played.

“I kept the grind and would train every day and finally got my chance and never looked back,” revealed Kamba.

Despite Kamba having an underwhelming start with the Bears, his hard work and determination on and off the court allowed more playing time and recognition by the coaching staff. In his senior year, Kamba became a full-time starter and averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists while shooting 52% FG% and 36% three-point shooting in 35 games played.

Journey to the Edmonton Stingers

Once he graduated from Central Arkansas, Kamba embarked on his professional basketball journey and signed his first contract with the Saenz Horeca Araberri, a team associated with the Spanish LEB Gold league during the 2018-19 season. In his first professional season, Kamba averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.6 minutes of play. His two-way ability on the court caught the eyes of the newly formed Edmonton Stingers during the summer of 2019. His role on the team lacked consistency at first but solidified towards the middle of the season due to a front-office decision.

Kamba was in and out of the starting line-up in his first season with the Stingers until Jermaine Smalls took over as the head coach. Since that move from the Stingers front office, Kamba not only had a solidified role on the roster but also changed his perspective and embraced the culture of Stingers basketball.

“The first year that I was with the Stingers, it was rough as I didn’t have a role and promised things that didn’t end up being true. I almost left the team until Smalls came in and gave me a chance in the middle of the season. From that point, I have embraced the culture, and everyone that Smalls brings in as that is so important for team chemistry,” said Kamba.

The Stingers have won two championships while making the playoffs every season since the birth of the CEBL in 2019. The Stingers’ success heavily relies on the chemistry and culture built and established over the last few years.

“The culture that the Stingers has is one I would never like to leave as we are a family. I have seen other teams not have that same culture, which is likely why they have yet to win a CEBL championship. I love it here, and I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else. Everyone here supports and uplifts one another, which makes this team as successful as it is today,” said Kamba.

While the start of Kamba’s life was rocky and, at times, misguided by his peers, he found growth and lasting change in basketball. His community and family encouraged him to play basketball, which kept Kamba out of trouble early on in his life. Kamba would have been in a much different place if he didn't pick up a basketball. Despite all the success and status Kamba has made for himself through basketball, he is far from being done. He has aspirations to follow the path of his former teammate, Xavier Moon, in one day reaching the NBA.

“Growing up, my biggest dream was to make it to the NBA; for me, it was my number one goal. I grew up watching Allen Iverson and wanted to be him so badly and make it to the NBA. While I have had a lot of success with the Edmonton Stingers, I am far from reaching my full potential and hope to one day fulfill my dream,” said Kamba.