The Basketball Africa League (BAL) yesterday announced Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and either Monastir or Tunis (Tunisia) as the host cities where the inaugural BAL regular season will take place and Kigali (Rwanda) as the host city for the first-ever BAL Final Four and BAL Final. Additionally, the BAL […]
via Basketball Africa League Announces Seven Host Cities For Inaugural Season — finixsportsblog
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) yesterday announced Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and either Monastir or Tunis (Tunisia) as the host cities where the inaugural BAL regular season will take place and Kigali (Rwanda) as the host city for the first-ever BAL Final Four and BAL Final.
Additionally, the BAL announced NIKE and Jordan Brand will be the exclusive outfitter of the new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa and scheduled to begin play in March 2020.
The announcements were made by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall during a reception at the Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar in the presence of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, along with current and former NBA and WNBA players.
“Today’s announcements mark another important milestone as we head into what will be a historic first season for the Basketball Africa League,” said Fall. “We now have seven great host cities where we will play and our first partnership with a world-class outfitter. We thank our first partners NIKE and Jordan Brand for supporting us on this journey and ensuring our teams have the best uniforms and oncourt products.”
Beginning in March 2020, the six cities will host a regular season that will feature 12 teams divided into two conferences, with each conference playing in three cities. The regular season will see the 12 teams play five games each for a total of 30 games, with the top three teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The six playoff teams – the “Super 6” – will play in a round-robin format to determine the four teams that will advance to the BAL Final Four and BAL Final in Kigali, Rwanda in late spring 2020. The BAL Final Four and BAL Final will be single-elimination games.
NIKE and Jordan Brand will outfit the league’s 12 teams with official game uniforms, warmup apparel, socks and practice gear, with six teams featured in NIKE and the other six teams in Jordan Brand. The collaboration with NIKE and Jordan Brand marks the BAL’s first partnership.
The announcement about the NBA and FIBA’s launch of the BAL, which would mark the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America, was made at the NBA All-Star 2019 Africa Luncheon in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 16.
The NBA and FIBA also plan to dedicate financial support and resources toward the continued development of Africa’s basketball ecosystem, including training for players, coaches and referees, and infrastructure investment.
Additional details about the BAL will be announced at a later date.
The NBA today announced the 10 boys and 10 girls who will represent the African continent in the second Jr. NBA Global Championship, a youth basketball tournament for the top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world that will be held Aug. 6-11 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.
The 20 youth players representing eight African countries were selected from Jr. NBA programs and clinics held across the continent. Bahati Mgunda (Tanzania) and Samba Fall (Senegal) were selected to coach the girls and boys teams, respectively.
*Africa Girls Team
Shaza Ayman (Egypt)
Badmus Mistura Bisola (Nigeria)
Fatou Cisse (Senegal)
Jana Ehab (Egypt)
Merit Atebe Innocent (Nigeria)
Sandrine Kamgain (Cameroon)
Ndeye Ndiaye (Senegal)
Aisha Nhantumbo (Mozambique)
Leslie Catherine Njukoua (Cameroon)
Kadidia Traore (Mali)
*Africa Boys Team
Hassan Amer (Egypt)
Badara Aliou Diakite (Mali)
Khadim Rassoul Diongue (Senegal)
Seydina Limamoulaye Faye (Senegal)
Mohamed Fofana (Guinea)
Dieu Merci Bolisomi Ilonga (DRC)
Ngeleka Kabeya (DRC)
Said Nkene F. Michel (Cameroon)
Marouf Moumine (Cameroon)
Emmanuel Owonibi (Nigeria)
In the inaugural event last year, the Africa & Middle East boys team won the international division to advance to the global championship game where they lost to the U.S. Central boys team and finished as the tournament runner-up. Marouf Moumine (Cameroon), who will be returning with the Africa boys team, was recognized with the Determination Award at last year’s event and is now a member of The NBA Academy Africa (https://on.nba.com/2LIlq4d) in Saly, Senegal. He joins Said Nkene F. Michel (Cameroon) as the only other male player returning from last year’s team. Sandrine Kagmain (Cameroon) and Kadidia Traore (Mali) will make their second appearance in the Jr. NBA Global Championship after participating on the Africa & Middle East girls team in the inaugural event.
The Jr. NBA Global Championship will feature boys and girls divisions, separated into U.S. and international brackets that begin with round-robin play and continue with single-elimination competition. The winners of the U.S. and international brackets will play in the global championship games on Aug. 11. During the weeklong event, all 32 teams will participate in activities designed to reinforce the Jr. NBA’s core values and provide the players with development opportunities and memorable experiences off the court, including life skills sessions, Disney park visits and a community service project.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and Senegalese Basketball Federation to host 17th edition of Basketball without Borders Africa in Senegal
The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Senegalese Basketball Federation today announced that Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa 2019 will take place Sunday, July 28 – Wednesday, July 31 in Senegal. The 17th edition of BWB Africa will be held at The NBA Academy Africa in Saly (https://on.nba.com/2LIlq4d) and at the Dakar Arena in Dakar.
BWB Africa 2019 will bring together the top male and female players ages 17 and under from throughout Africa to learn directly from current and former NBA and FIBA players, coaches and legends and to compete against the best young players from the continent. BWB Africa will also include NBA Cares and Jr. NBA outreach efforts in partnership with local community organisations.
“Bringing the 17th edition of the Basketball Without Borders Africa camp to Senegal speaks to our commitment to expanding our footprint across the continent,” said NBA Africa Managing Director and Basketball Africa League President, Amadou Gallo Fall. “With grassroots basketball development remaining at the core of our strategy to grow the game across Africa, BWB remains our flagship development and community outreach initiative where Africa’s most talented youth have an opportunity to develop as players and learn important life skills they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”
“FIBA and the NBA have teamed up for several years to organize activities to boost the development of youth basketball in Africa. Those initiatives are very important for the continent,” said FIBA Africa Executive Director, Alphonse Bilé. “I hope that some of the participants in this BWB camp will one day play in the new jointly created Basketball Africa League and benefit from this fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents in this continental league.”
“We are excited to host this year’s Basketball Without Borders Africa camp and welcome FIBA and the NBA back to Senegal,” said Senegal Basketball Federation President, Babacar Ndiaye. “We look forward to the great week of basketball and to showcasing our city and the state-of-the-art Dakar Arena.”
BWB Africa has previously been held in South Africa (2003-2009; 2011-2015; 2017-2018), Senegal (2010) and Angola (2016). More than 1,100 players from more than 30 African countries have participated in the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, with 10 former BWB Africa campers drafted into the NBA, including 2019 NBA Champion Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012), two-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), Luc Mbah a Moute (formerly of the LA Clippers; Cameroon, BWB Africa 2003) and Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal; BWB Africa 2009).
NIKE, a global partner of BWB since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with NIKE apparel and footwear.
The NBA and FIBA have staged 59 BWB camps in 38 cities in 30 countries on six continents. BWB has hosted more than 3,500 participants from 129 countries and territories. More than 290 current and former NBA and WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams, with 68 former BWB campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents.
In February, the NBA and FIBA announced their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League (https://on.nba.com/2Lblfz8), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa scheduled to begin play next year.
The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010. Opening-night rosters for the 2018-19 season featured 13 African-born players, and there are more than 80 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo).
This year, the NBA plans to reach more than 2.5 million boys and girls ages 16 and under through Jr. NBA programs in 21 African countries. Since The NBA Academy Africa opened in May 2017
(https://on.nba.com/2YH6G9u), 25 elite male prospects ages 14-20 have received scholarships and training after scouting programs conducted with local federations across the continent. Four NBA Academy Africa graduates have gone on to commit to NCAA Division 1 schools.
The NBA has held three sold-out Africa Games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017 and in Pretoria in 2018, in support of charities including UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA). Through NBA Cares, the NBA has created 89 places for children and families to live, learn and play in nine African countries.
Follow BWB using the hashtag #BWBAfrica on Facebook and Twitter. BWB Africa campers and coaches will be announced at a later date.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and YouTube today announced the launch of the NBA’s first YouTube channel dedicated to fans in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to featuring two live games per week in primetime for the rest of the 2018-19 season, including the Playoffs, Conference Finals and The Finals, the NBA Africa YouTube channel will celebrate the impact of African players in the NBA. The channel will also showcase the league’s long history of growing basketball at all levels across the continent and using the game as a platform to inspire and empower African youth.
The first two live game broadcasts on the new NBA Africa YouTube channel will take place on Sunday, March 24 and will feature the Charlotte Hornets hosting the Boston Celtics at 12:00am (CAT) followed by the L.A. Clippers visiting the New York Knicks at 6:00pm (CAT).
The channel will feature original and archived programming, including a collaboration with Africa-based YouTube creators on original content, a customised weekly magazine show and NBA documentaries featuring current and former African players and legends.
“The NBA Africa YouTube channel is yet another important milestone for the NBA in Africa and will allow more fans to access our games, live and on demand, across the continent,” said NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall. “As we enter the home stretch of the NBA season and teams fight for playoff positioning, we look forward to bringing the excitement of the NBA to more fans in sub-Saharan Africa while celebrating the NBA’s rich history and bright future in Africa.”
“From inception, YouTube has been a hub for fans to catch up on moments and coverage from their favourite sports,” said Manager of YouTube Partnerships in Africa, Dayo Olopade. “We are delighted to be partnering with the NBA to bring the action and inspiration of basketball to our audience in Africa. We hope NBA fans on the continent enjoy watching the live games and commentaries on YouTube.”
The NBA’s partnership with YouTube goes back more than a decade when it became the first professional sports league to partner with YouTube and launch its own channel in 2005, and the first to join YouTube’s “Claim Your Content” program in 2007. Last year, YouTube TV became the first presenting partner of NBA Finals and WNBA Finals. To date, the NBA YouTube channel has generated more than 5.4 billion views.
The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010. Opening-night rosters for the 2018-19 NBA season featured 13 African-born players, and there are more than 80 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Last month, the NBA and FIBA announced their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL will build on the NBA’s existing grassroots and elite basketball development initiatives on the continent, including the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and The NBA Academy Africa.
Since The NBA Academy Africa opened in May 2017 25 elite male prospects ages 14-20 have received scholarships and training after scouting programs conducted with local federations across the continent. Three NBA Academy Africa graduates have gone on to commit to NCAA Division 1 schools.
The NBA has held three sold-out Africa Games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017 and in Pretoria in 2018, in support of charities including UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA). Through NBA Cares, the NBA has created 87 places for children and families to live, learn and play in seven African countries.
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