The Rise of Basketball on the World’s Youngest Continent.

January 21, 2025

10 min read

Over the past five years I’ve been researching the development around African sports and one trend that I have noticed is the increasing diversification of our elite athletes. The world is eagerly waiting for Africa’s sporting ecosystem to catch up to it’s talent pool and each nation is beginning to find its discipline of choice to invest in. Whilst football dominates the headlines across the continent and we are witnessing historic levels of success with the South African rugby team the most important thing happening in African sports is basketball and the ecosystems built around it.

Africa has consistently produced NBA players but the recent influx of superstar talent demands that the world of basketball begins to take notice and She is ready for the world to watch. Basketball is a form of expression — it’s a sport built on extreme athleticism, creative decision-making and expressive youth-culture. All of which are characteristics found abundantly throughout the continent. Africa is growing in population, economy, and global influence; by 2050 one in four people on the planet will be African. These developing societies full of young and smart individuals, represent a wealth of untapped talent just waiting for the right opportunity. At the time of writing; no sport is creating more new opportunities for Africans than the sport of Basketball. Basketballs recent uprise in global engagement has been spearheaded by it’s ever-growing African fanbase. While in most markets Basketball is the second sport to Football, it is growing rapidly and with good foundations — keeping economic viability in mind. Notably, unlike other popular sports on the continent — there’s a lot of parity in the development of both the mens and the women’s game, particularly in the countries of Nigeria and Mali, who consistently compete at the top of the women’s game. We’re also beginning to see true influence in the NBA, 35 players of African decent — representing nearly 10% of the league. These include two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greek-born Nigerian) and current NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama (French-born Congolese). In fact, half of the last 6 MVP awards have gone to Afro-diasporic players and this is all the more encouraging with the launch of Basketball Africa League (BAL), the NBAs first professional league outside of America.

Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, BAL is the premier basketball division serving as both a platform for the sport locally as well as a genuine pathway for Africans to join the NBA and WNBA respectfully. The impact of this reality on young Africans cannot be underestimated, giving aspiring athletes on the opportunity to play professionally without leaving for the US or Europe. However, it’s not just about developing talent to then be showcased overseas, but also to further develop the business of basketball on the continent itself. It’s important to highlight that Africa is a truly diverse land with a complex tapestries of cultures, religions and tribes — it’s a continent of 1.4 billion people speaking over 3000 languages and it’s diaspora can be found in every corner of the globe. With all of the above in mind we are going to explore the impact of basketball within multiple countries on the continent and the opportunities it provides for it’s athletes and their communities.

Transforming the future of African sports

Back in 2021, the NBA and FIBA partnered together to bring BAL to life and African Basketball as we know it, entered into a whole new world. This was a big deal. A continent brimming with raw talent and endless potential now gets to showcase itself to the world. The establishing of professional basketball on the continent signals a new era of sporting and economic development. With Rwanda staking a foundational claim in the BAL as it would host the entire inaugural season and partner as a hosting nation ever since. With sights set on developing state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Bank of Kigali commissioned the Kigali Arena, Rwandas purpose-built basketball arena. The Kigali Arena has been central to this vision, showcasing the sport in a world-class setting and establishing Rwanda as a leader in African sports and entertainment. Since then, the league has seen a great deal of momentum gathering, having already experienced some geographical expansion — season 5 promises to be the biggest season yet. For the first time ever, the season will be tipping off this April in Rabat, Morocco with games being held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex and all roads lead to the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, where the victors will be crowned champions of Africa. Another historic milestone.

Season 5, will feature 48 games across it’s four host cities: Rabat, Dakar, Kigali, and Pretoria. The league is comprised of 12 teams from 12 African countries and each year champions of seven pre-selected states directly qualify. In order to capture one of the remaining 5 spaces, teams have to compete in the preliminary Road to BAL tournaments playing through either the east or west conference. The top two teams from both conferences will advance to the main tournament, with a third-place playoff winner completing the 12 team league. We enter season 5 with the reigning champions Petro de Luanda (Angola) as favourites but preparing for difficult title defence as the level of competition rises each season.

As the league continues to develop rivalries are growing between teams and fanbases, the level of professionalism is developing within each organisation and national federations are getting access to capital that can be invested back into the sport. It appears that the BAL President, Amadou Gallo Fall, is seeing his vision is begin to manifest; a truly competitive sporting league with purposeful infrastructure at the heart of everything. There is a big emphasis on protecting this model as the BAL grows, with all qualifying squads requiring at least 8 home-grown players and of the foreign players only 2 non-African players are permitted. This commitment to local development extends through to the coaching teams too; 2024 saw coaches and players across the continent get an opportunity to participate in the NBAs’ 2K25 Summer League. This cohort also included coaches from the BAL 4HER, the league’s commitment to increasing the access to professional Basketball for women participating on any level, stakeholders right through to fans. I for one, am truly excited for this season and beyond, I’m excited to see how clubs grow in franchises. I’m curious to see how they’ll support their communities and begin integrating with schools and universities, hosting local combines and draft selections. Basketball, similar to many other sports, promotes the development of self-discipline and communication, which play out in real-life creating better societies at large. The positive impact of pan-African ecosystem realised through the BAL will influence not only other sporting structures, but all developing industries on the continent.

Much of the NBAs momentum in Africa is in thanks to their concentrated efforts on social media, nearly 70% of the NBAs engagement is coming from outside the United States. These platforms make the sport particularly accessible to the 750 million adolescents that call Africa home, as they are interacting with this content in real-time. This global exchange also encourages young athletes on the continent to share videos of themselves too, showcasing their ability to mimic the worlds best players. In this way Basketball also becomes a global platform for African culture, Africans get to share their own stories and amplify their own voices. The success of African basketball players in both the NBA and across international FIBA leagues has birthed a genuine enthusiasm for the sport. I believe the highest realisation of this is the recent Olympic warm up between USA and South Sudan, ending at 98–99 in USAs favour, but a real indicator of the way Basketball is trending.

How Africa’s narrative tradition cultivates economic opportunities

Live sport stands alone as a mass market entertainment product made to be consumed in real-time. Due to this, elevated moments like the Super Bowl or the World Cup are some of the biggest cultural touch points and therefore some of the of the most economically valuable moments. And this year, the world’s second-most popular sport is projected to reach $11.24 billion in global market revenue. It’s no secret that the growth of African basketball will result in the growth of African wealth and at the time of writing, sub-saharan Africa is experiencing a steady rise in it’s middle class. An audience with time for leisure and disposable income is essential in terms of generating revenue through viewership and targeted advertising. Coinciding with this, the continents leaders are younger, smarter and more ambitious than ever. These leaders are keen to build a range of dynamic income generators that can empower that power national growth in their respective states. Rwanda has been particularly successful, driving tourism and capital investment in their early pursuits into sport and entertainment. The high profile VISIT RWANDA campaign has already gained international attention; it’s long-term partnerships with both Paris Saint-German and Arsenal football club, drawing the attention of millions of people worldwide. Similar the systematic consideration of the Basketball Africa League, the VISIT RWANDA campaign has been praised for it’s integration of sustainability goals alongside it’s economic development and tourism promotion. As a result Rwanda has positioned itself as a global entertainment hub, the natural destination for the NBAs first international league. Moreover, private individuals like Masai Ujiri have been pivotal in developing basketball at both grassroots and professional levels, Ujiri is now beginning to enjoy the fruits of a 20-year mission. Grassroots projects like Giants of Africa are great examples for what sustainable diasporic investment in the continent looks like at large. Similarly, through it’s unique framework, the BAL has the opportunity to be bigger then a sporting federation, but a example of what true investment into pan-African advancement can be.

The unique nature of basketball means that there’s only a few players on the court at any given time and one individual can have a massive impact on the game. This capacity for individuals to influence pivotal moment allows them to rapidly develop a reputation — in doing so basketball players become extremely marketable, hence the likes or Michael Jordan and Lebron James neither of whom need any introduction. All the more amplified by an increased global awareness of physical health and wellness following a series of negative world events but positive global mindset shifts. It seems that the heroic story of a champion whose trials and tribulations are immortalised only in the case of victory and forgotten in the case of defeat, is capturing the imagination like never before. With such an appetite within the cultural zeitgeist, there’s a real opportunity to introduce African heroes to the rest of the world in a fresh way. There is a rich storytelling tradition ever-present across Africas’ various cultures and ethnic groups that will be brought to life as these stories become part of an athletes essence. The traditions will be expressed through the way they play; the joy, the flair and the tenacity will all be akin to how we consider brazil football today. I expect basketball will become a microcosm of African experiences, as each country builds out its own reputation within the game we’ll have the opportunity to learn about their various cultures. The BAL has ambitious goals and every reason to reach them, there is an enormous pool of talent and resources to utilise. As we continue to see private investors, local governments and international sponsors support the Basketball Africa League, its global influence will grow in parallel. Consequently the BAL will be offering higher quality entertainment for fans, more commerce for participating nations and more opportunities for professional athletes.

Imagine the opportunity

If Africa, the worlds youngest continent gets this right, She liberates herself entirely. Africa’s sporting potential has never been in question and we’re now seeing developments in the local expertise and commercial appetite to match that. The Basketball Africa Leagues capacity to effect change and shift perspective, renders itself invaluable to Africa at this point in time. I think we are witnessing the blueprint for sustainable development on the continent, the BAL model will influence not just the growth of sport but of the neighbouring industries of entertainment and technology. The legacy has already began to take form, as we hear early conversations surrounding Africas potential return to Formula 1’s race calendar — as soon as 2027. F1 which is going through a renaissance of it’s own, recognising the value in reestablishing its African presence is an indication of the continents ever-improving perception. It is time for Africa to make some real noise, it is time She shines Her light. As the competition grows I see a franchise style expansion with clubs representing each nation and all 54 countries hosting subsidiary national associations within them. I see the league being broadcast as a premier entertainment product globally with players choosing to play out their careers in the BAL. As a result, there will be a multitude of African nations competing for gold at future olympics games and other international tournaments.

The Basketball Africa League is redefining what’s possible for Africa, through the elevation of our athletes. With every season, the BAL reinforces its commitment to Africa’s development by bringing the continent closer to fulfilling its sporting potential. For Afro-diasporans this is the standard — this represents the level of execution we should come to expect from ourselves. The rise of basketball is a foreshadowing of the incoming rise of Africa. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and views on the subject area, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or email me: eugene.ekuban@icloud.com

Thank you for reading and God bless,

Ekuban, E. (2025)

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