Over the course of 16 seasons in the NBA, Antawn Jamison has spent a considerable amount of time traveling throughout North America to pursue his basketball career. He also had the opportunity to represent Team USA in Japan during the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Nevertheless, it is his journey to Senegal that may leave a lasting impression on him.

Jamison understood that the significance of the island, which lies only a few kilometers off the coast of Dakar, far exceeded its modest 28-hectare size. This perspective is widely held. After all, how could it be otherwise for a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has held this status since 1978?

 Gorée Island was a major center for the slave trade on the African coast for centuries. Today, it functions as a vital location for remembrance and education, ensuring that future generations are aware of its history.

Even for Jamison, who grew up in the southern United States and was educated about slavery, the experience of visiting the island revealed the stark realities of the past

Antawn Jamison sought to fully engage with his afternoon on Gorée Island, immersing himself in the experience as deeply as possible.

He was drawn in by the guide’s presentation, leading him to ask further questions of his friend Makhtar. His intention was to absorb the profound history of the location.

During a visit to a slave house, the former Washington Wizards player took his time, exploring each cell, including one so low that he had to bend down to enter due to his height of 2.06 meters.

 In that cramped space, hundreds of starving African captives had been confined centuries ago. Those who survived were forced through the Door of No Return, onto ships bound for the Americas. Even someone as robust as Antawn Jamison was deeply affected by the experience.