Wayne Lumbasi
NBA will host its first-ever preseason game in Africa if discussions are successful according to Basketball Africa League (BAL) president Amadou Gallo Fall. The discussions are centered on having two NBA teams face off in Africa. The league has previously held three exhibition games in Africa in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
According to Amadou Gallo, the appeal of prior exhibitions makes an NBA preseason game an enticing prospect. Location and time are yet to be determined, but reports claim they could take place as early as 2024 in BAL venues.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), with whom the NBA collaborated on the BAL, which will launch its third season on March 11, has already established roots in Africa. Additionally, it maintains regional offices in Dakar, Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos (Nigeria), and (Senegal).
On Sunday and Monday, the BAL held a combine in an eastern suburb of Paris in an effort to draw players from all over the African diaspora to the league.
“We are looking for a way for us to expose African club teams to global talent in a way they do not usually have access to,”BAL vice president John Manyo-Plange said.
“In the past, before the BAL, African teams signed foreign players without even seeing them play. This gives us a chance to have teams and expose them to this kind of talent in a place that makes it easier for them to come together.”