Basketball in Africa

Basketball in Africa is run by the FIBA Africa.[1] The major competition that FIBA Africa runs for national teams is the AfroBasket, while its biggest tournament for sports clubs is the Basketball Africa League. The National Basketball Association is investing millions to increase a foothold in the African market.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Hakeem Olajuwon is considered instrumental in developing and popularizing Basketball in Africa.

Basketball in Africa
Governing bodyFIBA Africa
International competitions
AfroBasket (National Team)
Basketball Africa League
Summer Olympics (National Team)
FIBA World Cup (National Team)

History

Introduced to Africa around the 1960s basketball has become a very popular sport. After more people took notice and practiced, professional teams were formed. The managers of the first African National Federation decide to participate and compete in FIBA, which is the world basketball governing body.[11] Held on the 30th and 31 August 1960 the FIBA Congress allowed the Egyptian Basketball Federation to set up an institution in order to compete.[11] This led to the integration of twelve African countries to join FIBA and the world stage. These countries include Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Morocco, Libya, North Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Togo. Currently, FIBA Africa grew to a point where every single country in Africa has a designated team, leading to 54 active teams in the institution.

The activities of the youth program Basketball Without Borders in Africa, and program director Masai Ujiri, are profiled in Hubert Davis's 2016 documentary film Giants of Africa.[12]

On February 18, 2019, FIBA and the NBA announced plans for a professional basketball league on the continent of Africa. The league was originally scheduled to start in January 2020.[13][14]

Major influences

Hakeem Olajuwon

One of the greatest African-born players to ever play the game of basketball, Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and his skills were great enough for him to be noticed by U.S. NCAA college basketball teams. He was drafted into the NBA by the Houston Rockets and with them he won two NBA championships. He was voted the most valuable player of two NBA finals, and he is both a Basketball Hall of Fame player and FIBA Hall of Fame player.[15] His career success helped to pave the way for many international players to compete in the NBA, and also inspired many scouts to look for new talent in other places in the world besides the U.S.[16][17]

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References
  1. "FIBA Africa: Considering The Continent's Basketball Future With Masai Ujiri And Amadou Gallo Fall". SBNation.com. 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  2. "NBA shoots for African basketball stars, courts new fan base". cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  3. Tunde Eludini (2016-04-30). "Interview: Africa Basketball League surpassing expectations". Premiumtimesng.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  4. "NBA Africa Game a symbol of hope". Espn.co.uk. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  5. Willens, Max (2015-08-01). "In Africa, NBA Will Broadcast More Than 500 Games On TV, Broadband And Mobile Next Season Through Econet Partnership". Ibtimes.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  6. Mike Richman (2013-12-18). "Mandela Instrumental in Popularizing Basketball in Africa". Voanews.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  7. elibawa (2016-03-05). "Africa Basketball League dunks off in Lagos". Punchng.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  8. Eben Novy-Williams (2016-04-21). "National Basketball Association Seals Africa TV Deal". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  9. "Raptors GM brings hope to a continent with Giants of Africa". The Globe and Mail. 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  10. "NBA brings the stars to Africa – but can basketball compete with soccer?". The Guardian. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  11. "History". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  12. "Masai Ujiri building on hope with Giants of Africa: Arthur". Toronto Star, September 2, 2016.
  13. Press, Tim Reynolds | The Associated. "NBA, FIBA announce plans for pro league in Africa". NBA.com. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  14. Faith Karimi. "NBA to start African basketball league with 12 teams across the continent". CNN. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  15. "Olajuwon: Godfather of basketball in Africa". NBA.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  16. "Why Africans will be basketball stars of tomorrow". cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  17. "NBA helping basketball grow in Africa with grassroots efforts". Usatoday.com. 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2016-07-18.


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