NBA Announces Launch of African League, Kenya Among Countries Picked to Participate
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced the launch of an African Basketball League.
CNN reports that the African League will initially comprise of 12 teams drawn from across the continent.
Countries that will be participating for the 2020 tournament include Kenya, Angola, Egypt, Rwanda, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Participating countries will only be allowed to field a maximum of two teams each.
“The Basketball Africa League is an important next step in our continued development of the game of basketball in Africa,” says NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a statement.
“Combined with our other programs on the continent, we are committed to using basketball as an economic engine to create new opportunities in sports, media, and technology across Africa.”
The league will host qualification tournaments before the end of 2019.
The launch of the league aims at bringing together the continent’s various independent teams and offers more exposure as well as resources.
President Barack Obama, a known basketball lover, has congratulated NBA for the move and has expressed a desire to be directly involved with the league.
"I’ve always loved basketball because it’s about building a team that’s equal to more than the sum of its parts. Glad to see this expansion into Africa because for a rising continent, this can be about a lot more than what happens on the court," Obama says in a tweet.
Some of the current NBA top stars have African roots.
Comments (3)
They just have to go to Maasai land; Masaai people are extremely tall and have been jumping higher with their spears all their lives! they are a raw talent, great warriors and just need training.
That's great.
I really need to talk to Obama and his people about helping the toddlers in the Nyanza region.
If all the children in Nyanza region go to school, we will never have a shortage of doctors in Kenya.Am sure of this.
Africans, seek contract advise from your black brothers in the West who have dealt with NBA before signing contracts. Seek pro's and con's, then make informed decision. Experience is the best teacher. Make sure what will be promised is what you actually buy. This will reduce future complains out of frustration.