NBA/FIBA: a joint project to create a professional basketball league in Africa by January 2020

The NBA and FIBA have announced a joint project for the creation of a professional basketball league in Africa, the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which should begin in January 2020, according to the two entities on 16/02/2019.

"It's yet to be determined which existing club teams will be part of the league. Qualification tournaments will be held later this year to determine those clubs, with teams from Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia expected to be among those taking part. No nation will have more than two teams in the league," said the NBA.

The BAL, which would be the NBA's first professional league outside North America, should build on the foundations of the club competitions that FIBA has already organised in Africa such as the FIBA Africa Basketball League (formerly the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup).

"The Basketball Africa League is an important next step in our continued development of the game of basketball in Africa. Combined with our other programs on the continent, we are committed to using basketball as an economic…