Kenya: The NBA seals a deal to grow basketball in the country

Kenya has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to facilitate the development of basketball infrastructure and talent in the country.

The MoU, signed by Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports, and Arts and NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams in New York, was witnessed by President William Ruto, Toronto Raptors Vice Chairman and president Masai Ujiri, Basketball Africa League president Amadou Fall, and former NBA All-Star who is the South Sudan federation boss and BAL's ambassador Luol Deng.

The MoU focuses on three key areas:

1. School- and community-based grassroots talent development under the Talanta Hela Initiative, including training of teachers as certified basketball coaches and scouts.

2. Development of basketball infrastructure, including basketball courts in schools, communities, and neighbourhoods, and an elite arena for hosting top-level competitions.

3. The NBA will open an office in Nairobi in November 2023 to coordinate all activities under the historic MoU.

"The signing of an agreement with the NBA will facilitate the development of basketball infrastructure in Kenya, with the capacity to host top-level competitions. The pact will also facilitate scholastic and grass-roots talent development under the Talanta Hela Initiative and the opening of an NBA office in Nairobi," President Ruto said.

Kenya's men and women under 23 years old will this month represent the country in the World Championships in Poland. The championship is expected to kick off from September 27 to October 28. Kenya will compete at the open men and women as well as the U21/U17 Cup in Cairo, Egypt, in December, where they will be training in order to make it to the Olympic Universality Tournament.

The NBA has a long history of supporting basketball development in Africa. In 2019, the league founded the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a professional basketball league featuring 12 teams from the continent. The BAL's inaugural season final was held in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2021 with the following two editions held there too.

The NBA also has a number of programs in place to support African basketball players, including the NBA Academy Africa, a training center for elite young players from around the continent; the NBA Global Academy, a training center for top high school basketball players from around the world; and the NBA G League, the NBA's minor league.

All systems go as the Kisumu City Road run takes centre stage.