Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu scored seven points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Team Africa in the first-ever NBA game held on African soil early Saturday morning as Team Africa fell to Team World, 101-97, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In what was very much an All-Star Game atmosphere highlighted by cameos from African legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo, Team Africa led by as many as 20 before a three-point barrage from the Clippers’ Chris Paul, Memphis’ Jeff Green and Washington’s Bradley Beal sent Team World on a 24-3 run in the second half. For Trail Blazers fans, it was their first glimpse of Aminu in a Portland uniform after the Atlanta native, born to Nigerian parents, signed with the team as a free agent in early July.

Saturday’s game came secondary in the NBA’s weeklong trip to the African continent. Aminu, along with other players and coaches from around the league, spent the week visiting with youth around Johannesburg, educating and helping grow the game through Basketball Without Borders.

Before returning to Portland ahead of the 2015-16 NBA season, Aminu now joins the Nigerian National Team for the 2015 AfroBasket tournament in Tunisia with the goal of qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The tournament runs from August 19-30.