As part of its African expansion, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced last October a project to build 1000 basketball courts in Africa over the next ten years.
NBA Africa and Opportunity International, a global non-profit organization dedicated to combating extreme poverty, have just inaugurated a basketball court at Highland School in Nyamata, Rwanda.
A second court will be inaugurated on Tuesday, May 27, at Loiswell Academy in Nairobi, Kenya.
The event brought together figures from African basketball, including Luol Deng, ambassador of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and Amadou Gallo Fall, president of the BAL.
"The launch of this beautiful court in Kigali reflects our commitment to making basketball more accessible to Rwandan boys and girls. We look forward to continuing our work with Opportunity International to use basketball to have a positive impact on youth and communities in Rwanda, Kenya, and throughout East Africa," said Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa.
The project is part of a broader plan announced in October 2024 by Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner, to build 1000 basketball courts across the African continent over the next decade. An initiative that both Kenya and Rwanda have pledged to support. "This collaboration reflects our commitment to investing in local basketball ecosystems across Africa and providing young people with the resources and opportunities necessary to develop their leadership and skills," the NBA's number two official had said at the time.
NBA Africa, which claims to have reached over 350,000 young people through development programs last year, continues to invest in the future of basketball on the continent. In this ongoing African expansion, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) is also continuing in Kigali, Rwanda, this week, with the group stage of the Nile Conference, which will determine the final teams qualifying for the Final 8.