The NBA and FIBA jointly announced the launch of the Basketball Africa League, an NBA-operated 12-team league that will commence in 2020.
NBA and @FIBA announce their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. @NBA_Africa #NBAAllStar https://t.co/mhnp0bgNX4 pic.twitter.com/S5NjSf4ksP
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2019
This will be the first NBA-affiliated league outside of North America, and former President Barack Obama is expected to be involved with the league’s operations.
“The Basketball Africa League is an important next step in our continued development of the game of basketball in Africa,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said 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.”
