BAL transforms African basketball into multibillion-dollar business
Wednesday, 29 July 2026, 15:27
ASC Ville de Dakar faces Union Sportive Monastirienne in the BAL Sahara Conference final at Dakar Arena in May 2025. Photo by Patrick Meinhardt/
Investors are betting on Africa’s rising basketball market as leagues professionalize and franchises attract multi-million dollar bids. The shift could reshape sports economies across the continent.
From vibrant urban courts to packed arenas, basketball in Africa is turning the sport into a large-scale business that attracts investors and opens up new opportunities for the region.
In 2021, the NBA launched BAL, the first professional league outside North America. Now the organization is selling teams to private investors through a multi-billion-dollar bidding process, aiming to develop a franchise model on the continent.
According to NBA Africa, BAL has brought more than $250 million to the African economy since its launch and created nearly 37,000 jobs. Future projections expect growth to $5.4 billion by 2034 and the creation of more than 650,000 new jobs in the next decade.
To date, BAL, in its sixth season, brings together 12 African teams that qualify each year by winning their domestic leagues, and the championship consists of 42 games played across three cities: Rabat, Pretoria, and Kigali.
This is a proof-of-concept example showing that Africa is ready for a premium sports and entertainment brand that we can have on the continent. We have proven that there is elite talent on the continent.
Key BAL Facts
- 12 African teams in BAL season
- 42 games during the competition
- Three hub cities: Rabat, Pretoria, Kigali
Investor Perspective and the Future Franchise Model
Currently, teams are required to qualify each year to participate, but NBA Africa aims to turn them into permanent businesses that will compete in BAL every season.
In May, the league held its first Investor Day in Kigali, where about 100 potential investors learned more about the right to own and operate a BAL team on a permanent basis.
- Investor City: Kigali
- Number of interested: around 100 investors
Franchise ownership will allow teams to “really earn money” through merchandising, tickets, media rights, and events – a more predictable structure that, in her words, “takes the league’s value to a new level.”
Franchises will be sold through a competitive process, Akamanzi said, “in the tens of millions of dollars.”
NBA Africa does not publish financial information, but in 2024 Bloomberg published a piece about BAL’s potential losses in the early seasons; the assessment sparked discussions among league leadership.
Among those interested in future franchises was two-time WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike, who said: “I’m trying to get there. I need this. Basketball has always been something that can change lives.”
Being here in Kigali is amazing to see a new revival of sport through basketball, so that young girls like my sisters and I can truly realize their dreams.
Interest in the African market and global investment is highlighted by NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum, who emphasizes the importance of local ownership for BAL’s future.
The African market is incredibly important. Eleven of the world’s twenty fastest-growing economies and a young population – we see this as a wonderful opportunity to truly make basketball a driver of economies.
However, the league’s expansion is not without criticism. Amnesty International raises concerns about the NBA’s partnership with the government of Rwanda, one of BAL’s key partners and whose Visit Rwanda logo appears on jerseys. This underscores the need for transparency and accountability in collaborations with government and international organizations.
In response to the criticisms in February 2025 Tatum replied in a letter noting that the NBA complies with the requirements of other countries in its overseas operations. BAL’s financial landscape this season will also depend on transparent management of costs and revenues, improvements in infrastructure, and local support
Regarding the future franchise model, the city of Kigali has become one of the key venues: BK Arena hosted the BAL final and will host the 2026 final. Also next to the arena, Zaria Court has emerged – a jointly funded center that supports youth through educational camps and courts with distinct aims, co-founded by Masai Ujiri and Giants of Africa.
Ujiri believes BAL must spread to realize its full potential: “It has to be in Nairobi. It has to be in Lagos. It has to be in Abidjan, Accra, Johannesburg.”
Looking ahead, there is a need for further development of infrastructure, transparency in costs and revenues, and the growth of local support networks. BAL should become a true engine of economic activity in the region while ensuring financial accountability and performance, enabling African basketball to compete on the global stage with renewed strength and confidence in the future.
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