A record 55 of 135 international players competing in the new NBA season, which opened this week, are from the African continent or are first-generation members of the diaspora.
The success of African athletes in basketball coincides with heavy investment in the continent: In 2019, the NBA and the sport’s international governing body, FIBA, launched the Basketball Africa League, whose development program has helped produce players such as South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach, who was the number 10 pick in this year’s draft.
The NBA also announced last month it aims to franchise the league across the continent, “allowing it to locate teams in the most promising markets to maximize revenues and smooth the player pathway between Africa and the NBA,” SportsPro wrote. As the game becomes more international, the NBA hopes that its audience will follow with rising engagement on social media and streaming platforms.
