Actor and producer Emmanuel Kabongo, left, founder of the "TIFF Battleground: Hoops Against Cancer" fundraiser, addresses the crowd, while Canadian track star Andre De Grasse and the Raptor mascot look on, at the fundraiser in Toronto, on Sept. 12, 2024, in this handout photo. The Canadian Press/Handout - Karyzma Agency.
In 2021, Toronto actor and producer Emmanuel Kabongo’s mother, Nene, was diagnosed with breast cancer. What started as a personal battle soon turned into a mission. Kabongo launched TIFF Battleground: Hoops Against Cancer—a celebrity basketball fundraiser that blends his love for the game with his determination to support cancer care.
Basketball has always been a thread in the Kabongo family story. Sadly, cancer became part of it too.
This Friday, the event returns for its third year at Regent Park Community Centre, bringing together stars from film, television, music, and sports.
A Star-Studded Lineup
The charity match will feature familiar faces across entertainment and athletics. Expected on the court are actors Lovell Adams-Gray, Ashton James, Tommy James Murphy, and Percy Anane-Dwumfour. NHL player Matt Murray, producer Troy Crossfield, musician Kemdilo, and director Torrin Blades are also part of the roster.
Adding more energy are DJ Mel Boogie, Drew Smoothy, and basketball player Emani Clough. It’s not just a game; it’s a movement with talent uniting for a purpose.
A Mother’s Battle, A Family’s Strength
Doctors once told the Kabongo family that Nene had only six months to live. The cancer had spread to her liver and brain. Yet, years later, she continues to fight.
“Thank God, she’s still alive today,” Emmanuel shared, crediting the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation for her care. His fundraiser is a way to give back and raise awareness about what many families endure in silence.
Basketball Roots Run Deep
The Kabongos are a true basketball family. Emmanuel’s brother, Myck, played at the University of Texas and had stints with NBA teams before moving overseas. He also coached in the NBA G League. Another brother, Jonathan, played for Virginia Tech, while sister Vanessa represented the University of Delaware.
“My mother was a basketball mom,” Emmanuel recalled. She drove across borders, from New York to New Jersey, cheering for her children through every game. The sport became a bond, a constant joy through difficult times.
From Court to Camera
Emmanuel himself played varsity basketball at George Brown College. But a chance acting workshop shifted his path. Offered a basketball scholarship, he chose acting instead, inspired by a short film he appeared in that was posted online.
The decision paid off. Kabongo has since featured in shows like Murdoch Mysteries, Quantico, Star Trek: Discovery, and 21 Thunder. His talent has earned Canadian Screen Award nominations for Teenagers, Death She Wrote, and Chateau Laurier.
He is also a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Actors Conservatory and now contributes as part of its Producers’ Lab. Two of his own projects, Sway and Welcome, are set for release later this year.
Life Beyond the Game
Born in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kabongo’s early life was marked by upheaval. His family fled civil war when he was just six. After years in South Africa, they reunited in Toronto when Emmanuel was 11.
This journey shaped his resilience. Today, he channels that strength into both art and activism. Battleground is not just a name—it reflects the unseen struggles families like his endure while fighting cancer.
More Than a Game
For Emmanuel, basketball is no longer only about competition. It’s about connection, community, and creating change. By bringing stars together under one roof, the fundraiser is both a tribute to his mother and a rallying call for hope.
“Sometimes we fight silently and nobody knows,” he said. “This is my way to merge basketball and charity.”
With each bounce of the ball, Hoops Against Cancer reminds Toronto—and the world—that the fight is far from over.
