Charles Gitonga Maina (Gih-TONG-a My-EE-nah) was the 1991 Slam Dunk Champion of Nairobi, Kenya, but he never really thought about being a basketball star. He certainly didn’t plan on becoming a Hollywood star.
“I never dreamt of it in my life,” the 6-foot-8, 20-year-old said recently while in Chicago.
Yet Charles’ bright smile, smooth moves and flashy jam are shining on movie screens everywhere in “The Air Up There.” Charles plays Saleh, a young member of a tribe who’s recruited by an American college basketball assistant coach (Kevin Bacon).
Charles learned late last year about movie auditions in his hometown of Nairobi, so he showed up for the heck of it. Charles, whose trademark is a 360-degree slammer, shot around for the movie people, read some lines and got the part. Soon, he was headed for L.A.
“I couldn’t sleep in the plane, it was that exciting,” he said, adding that when he got to the hotel room that night, he spent hours exploring TV channels. “By the time morning came, I’d only slept for two hours and had all that jet-lag, and now here’s America during the day – why should I sleep all day?”
Now Charles is thinking about coming to America for college. “At home in Kenya, education is a first priority,” he said. “Sports you play for leisure; you can’t make a career out of it.
“Here is the opportunity to do college and basketball at the same time, and I hear they offer acting classes. That I would do.”
Will Bulls three-peat?
The NBA is big in Nairobi, but the TV station gets the games a year late. “This is ’93-’94, and we’re getting the ’92-’93 season,” Charles says, “though we have friends in the States who send us tapes and Sports Illustrated, so we are pretty much updated.” Charles says fans at home are inspired by African-born NBA stars Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo and Manute Bol. But their favorite remains Mr. All-American, Michael Jordan. (Over there he’s still playing!)
