NBA commissioner Adam Silver targets growth in Africa
Friday 31 May 2019 07:46, UK
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league is targeting Africa as its next area of growth.
He was speaking at a state-of-the-league address in Toronto, Canada, where the NBA Finals are being held outside America for the first time as the Raptors host Golden State Warriors.
Four players on the sides were either born in Africa or have parents that were, and Silver said: "I think it absolutely speaks to the opportunity across the roughly 55 countries of Africa. It's one of the places we're looking in the world where we see enormous opportunity."
The 57-year-old believes there is a huge market in Africa to be exploited through technology and social media, explaining: "I think ultimately it's because of transformational nature of digital media where in Africa, a continent of over a billion people, where there are something like 700 million cell phones, 400 million of which are smart phones.
"So we see enormous growth opportunities both in terms of players and for participation and ultimately an interest for the league."
The NBA announced at the all-star game earlier this year it will partner with FIBA, international basketball's governing body, to operate a league outside of North America.
The Basketball Africa League is set to begin next year with 12 teams across the continent, and follows the model implemented in China, which is now the NBA's biggest market outside the US.
The NBA will also develop basketball at a grassroots level with programmes like Basketball Without Borders Africa, which plans to reach 2.5 million children in 21 African countries this year.
