The NBA and FIBA announced their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League, a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL will be built on the foundation of current club competitions FIBA is organizing in Africa. Scheduled to debut in Jan. '20, the BAL would mark the NBA's first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America. The NBA also announced its plan to introduce a re-imagined direct-to-consumer offering of NBA games for fans in Africa by the start of the '19-20 NBA season. The offering would include new packages, features and localized content, with additional details to be announced at a later date. The NBA and FIBA plan to conduct qualification tournaments later this year to identify the 12 teams that would represent several African countries, with no more than two teams from the same country able to qualify. The NBA and FIBA also plan to dedicate financial support and resources toward the development of Africa's basketball ecosystem, including training for players, coaches and referees as well as infrastructure investment (NBA).
OBAMA INVOLVED: USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt reported former President Barack Obama, an "avid" basketball fan, is "expected to have a hands-on role." Obama appeared on a video at the announcement, saying, "Through sport, if you put in effort, you will be rewarded." Obama's role has "yet to be determined," but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Obama "wants an active role." Silver: "[NBA Deputy Commissioner] Mark Tatum and I had the pleasure of spending several hours over the past few months with President Obama, and we all know how much work he has been doing in Africa and what a fan of the sport of basketball he is. He has said, 'I want to be directly involved with these activities in Africa.' He understands the economic opportunities in Africa" (USA TODAY, 2/16).
