From lively street courts to packed arenas, basketball is growing in popularity across Africa — and becoming big business.
In 2021, the NBA debuted the Basketball Africa League (BAL), its first professional league outside North America. Now, it is selling teams to private investors through a multimillion-dollar bidding process.
NBA Africa says the BAL has contributed more than $250 million to Africa’s economy since its launch and created almost 37,000 jobs. By 2034, it says that figure will grow to $5.4 billion, with more than 650,000 new jobs over the next decade.
Now in its sixth season, the BAL features 12 African teams, which qualify by winning domestic leagues, playing 42 games across three cities: Rabat in Morocco, Pretoria in South Africa, and the Rwandan capital Kigali.
NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi told CNN the league has been a “proof of concept” showing “that Africa is ready for, and that there’s demand for, a sports brand, an entertainment brand that we can have on the continent at a premium level. We’ve proven that there is elite talent on the continent.”
