The NBA has become a global sport, and its popularity all over the world has increased rapidly over the course of this decade. Likewise, more international players are taking their talents from overseas and into the NBA.
In an effort to expand the game further, the NBA, in a partnership with FIBA, announced during February's All-Star Weekend in Charlotte that it is planning to create and operate a league in Africa, where the NBA's popularity has also grown tenfold. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reiterated their commitment to Africa and is looking to make the NBA the No. 1 lifestyle brand in the continent by 2030:
Speaking in Senegal, Commissioner Adam Silver said NBA’s goal is to become the No. 1 lifestyle brand in Africa by 2030.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) July 30, 2019
The NBA recently released an official statement, presenting the host cities of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) regular season: Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and either Monastir or Tunis (Tunisia). Likewise, Kigali (Rwanda) will serve as host for the BAL Finals and Final Four.
According to the official release, the league will commence in March 2020 with 12 teams. Each team will play 30 games in the regular season. The top six will reportedly play in a Round Robin format to determine which teams will head to Rwanda to play in the Final Four, which will be a single-elimination format. Likewise, the Final will also be a winner-take-all.
This is definitely a huge deal for the continent. The sport has grown so much in Africa, and more talents from there are coming to the NBA. Some of the more notable players from Africa include Philadelphia 76ers All-NBA center Joel Embiid and Toronto Raptors Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam.
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