Newton Mayenge

Award Winning HBO Actor Newton Mayenge was born on June 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is best known for his role as NBA Legend Jim Chones on the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The youngest of four children; Mayenge's parents are of African descent from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Formerly Zaire). He speaks fluent Lingala and has a basic proficiency in French. While he is not an only child, because of the age difference, his siblings were in college during his formative years. With a passion for basketball, he played all through his younger years and received scholarships and played in college. After graduating from the University of North Carolina with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and African-American Studies, he played professional basketball in Germany. After a car crash ended his dreams of playing in the NBA, he turned to his next love, performing. Since then, he has been seen on fashion show runways in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Palm Springs.
He has also been on book covers and in various films. He is the Host of The League Talk Show produced by his wife, Actress Whitney Bowers. As of 2023, Newton is attending The Juilliard School's drama division in New York.