The National Basketball Association has on Monday announced the formation of a NBA Africa which will oversee all the basketball league business on the continent, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
A minimum of five former NBA players have invested in the venture. These players are – Junior Bridgeman, Grant Hill, Joakim Noah, Congo native Dikembe Mutombo and South Sudan native Luol Deng.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum will join them as board of directors.
Speaking on Monday, Silver said the current enterprise value of NBA Africa is worth “nearly $1 billion,” though amounts of the league and individual investments were not disclosed.
The league said some of its primary areas of focus with the venture are to grow the BAL and to launch additional NBA academies in Africa, like they have done in Senegal.
“The growth and development is something we’re all enormously proud of,” Silver said.
There are at least 55 players currently in the NBA who were either born in Africa or have a parent from there.
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