NBA to build 100 basketball courts in Kenya

Nairobi, 

Wednesday, 9 October, 2024 

McCreadie Andias 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Africa has committed to build 100 outdoor basketball courts in schools and communities across Kenya in the next decade.

The 100 Will be part of the 1000 courts the association committed to build across Africa during their meeting in Paris months ago. 

The initiative which will also be launched in Kigali, Rwanda, is in collaboration with Opportunity International that will also see basketball clinics concurrently launched as from next year. 

As part of the collaboration, each court will host a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA coaches clinic aimed at elevating and upskilling 100 teachers and coaches in each city through a comprehensive development program focused on coaching, refereeing, game operations, event management, program administration, and more. 

Earlier today, President William Ruto hosted NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum and NBA legend Derek Fisher at State House Nairobi. 

Fisher, a five - time NBA champion is currently in his first tour to Kenya as part of his mission to promote the sport for young people especially girls. 

"True growth can only happen when girls also have an opportunity as well and that's not an assumption or a theory. That's a fact "Derek Fisher said. 

NBA is also establishing its commercial hub in Nairobi, a major boost for investment in Kenya an effort to grow the sport in the country. 

On November last year, NBA Africa established a subsidiary in Kenya, with an office located in Westlands, Nairobi. The NBA Kenya office supports all of the league’s business and basketball development initiatives in the country. 

It also launched a court at the Kenya academy of sports last month in conjunction with Kenyan government. 

NBA Africa CEO, Claire Amakanzi said that the association has realized the lucrative capacity of the sport and the need to scale it up in Africa. 

"We've seen in the rest of the world that sports is a multi billion industry and that's is why we believe Africa has the capacity to tap into that economic space as well and this is why NBA decided to invest in the African continent with our most recent office being opened up here in Kenya."Amakanzi said.