The NBA announced on Monday the creation of NBA
Africa, which will oversee all of the league’s business on the continent, including the Basketball Africa League.
At least five former NBA players -Junior Bridgeman, Grant Hill, Joakim Noah, the Congolese Dikembe Mutombo and the Sudanese Luol Deng– are investors in the company. The commissioner of the NBA, Adam
Silver, and the deputy commissioner, Mark
Tatum, will be part of the board of directors.
Silver said the current value of the company NBA
Africa it is “nearly $ 1 billion,” although league and individual investment amounts were not disclosed. The league said that some of its main areas of focus with the company are the growth of the BAL and the launch of additional academies of the NBA in Africa.
“Growth and development is something we are all enormously proud of,” he said. Silver. There are currently at least 55 players in the NBA who were born in Africa or they have a parent there.
The NBA has played three summer exhibitions in Africa in recent years and more are expected, but there are no firm plans yet to bring preseason or regular season games to the continent.