Lagos has been selected Among Cities To Host Inaugural Season Of The Basketball Africa League.
According to a press release from the NBA, Lagos was selected alongside six other cities – Cairo, Dakar, Luanda, Rabat and either Monastir or Tunis — with the season finale to be played in Kigali. Looking at the selections, it’s clear the NBA plans to have the league touch every region on the continent.
The 12 teams in the league will be divided into two conferences, and each conference will play in three cities. By the time each team has played five games, the top three teams in each conference will have qualified for the playoffs, which will determine the four teams that will advance to the BAL Final Four.
The Basketball Africa League will partner with Nike and Jordan Brand to outfit all the teams. This comes with all the uniforms and on-court products that will be used through June 2020.
The announcement about the NBA and FIBA’s launch of the BAL, which would mark the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America, was made at the NBA All-Star 2019 Africa Luncheon in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 16.
The NBA and FIBA also plan to dedicate financial support and resources toward the continued development of Africa’s basketball ecosystem, including training for players, coaches and referees, and infrastructure investment.
