Latest news with #NBAAfrica
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Zawya
African Representation at National Basketball Association (NBA) 2K26 Summer League 2025
The NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 ( will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 10-20 and once again feature a strong presence of African players, coaches and referees, including: Six former NBA Academy Africa players 23 coaches from 15 African countries as part of the Africa Coaches Program Three referees from the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season The participation of these players, coaches and referees is part of NBA Africa and the BAL's commitment to developing talent and expertise throughout the African basketball ecosystem and contributing to the continued growth of the game across the continent. Below are storylines about the African players, coaches, and referees participating in this year's Summer League, which will air live in Africa on NBA League Pass, the league's premium live game subscriptions service available via the NBA App: PLAYERS Six former NBA Academy Africa players have joined Summer League rosters: Ibou Badji (Denver Nuggets; Senegal) Jean-Jacques Boissy (Milwaukee Bucks; Senegal) Ulrich Chomche (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon), who was selected 57 th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Nelly Joseph Junior (Atlanta Hawks; Nigeria) Khaman Maluach (Phoenix Suns; South Sudan; ties to Uganda), who was selected 10 th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, becoming the highest-drafted former NBA Academy Africa and Basketball Africa League (BAL) player ever. Babacar Sané (Minnesota Timberwolves; Senegal) Three players who participated in the 2025 BAL season will compete in Summer League: Boissy – 2025 BAL champion and MVP with Alahli Tripoli (Libya), Boissy averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 assists per game. Aliou Diarra (Mali; Dallas Mavericks) – Two-time Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year (2023 and 2025) and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA G League International Draft, Diarra will join the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – Cooper Flagg – on the Mavericks' Summer League roster. Sané – 2025 All-BAL Second Team as a member of US Monastir (Tunisia). COACHES: Twenty-three coaches from 15 African countries have been selected to participate in Summer League as part of the Africa Coaches Program, which is part of NBA Africa and the BAL's ongoing commitment to developing coaching talent across the continent. The 23 coaches (full list below) include: Four who previously played in the BAL: two-time BAL champion with Zamalek (2021) and US Monastir (2022) Solo Diabate (Bucks; Côte d'Ivoire), 2024 BAL champion with Petro de Luanda Carlos Morais (New York Knicks; Angola), as well as Marawan Sarhan (Miami Heat; Egypt) and Mostafa Kejo (Los Angeles Lakers; Egypt), both of whom competed for Al Ahly (Egypt) during the 2024 BAL season. Two female coaches: Fenan Atobrhan (Eritrea; Houston Rockets) and Ruth Bibeyi (Gabon; Indiana Pacers). Atobrhan served as an assistant coach with APR during the 2025 BAL season when the team finished third, its best-ever finish in the BAL. Bibeyi served as head coach of Espoir Basket Club (Gabon) during the 2023 Road to the BAL qualifying tournament, was part of the coaching staff at the 2025 BAL Combine, and has served as a mentor as part of BAL4HER, the league's platform for advancing gender equality in the African sports ecosystem. REFEREES Three referees who have officiated in the BAL will serve as Summer League officials: Claudio Eiuba (Angola), Vitalis Gode (Kenya) and Erick Otieno (Kenya). Please see below for the complete list of African coaches participating in the NBA 2K26 Summer League 2025 as part of the Africa Coaches Program: Name Country NBA Team Lamine Krideche Algeria Cleveland Cavaliers Carlos Morais Angola New York Knicks Francois Enyegue Cameroon Charlotte Hornets Antonio Moreira Cape Verde Atlanta Hawks Solo Diabate Côte D'Ivoire Milwaukee Bucks Pierrot Ilunga Democratic Republic of the Congo Detroit Pistons Mostafa Kejo Egypt Los Angeles Lakers Marawan Sarhan Egypt Miami Heat Wael Badr Egypt Portland Blazers Haytham Kamel Egypt Utah Jazz Fenan Atobrhan Eritrea Houston Rockets Ruth Bibeyi Gabon Indiana Pacers Reda Rhalimi Morocco Denver Nuggets Akil Driss Morocco Toronto Raptors Mohammed Abdulrahman Nigeria Washington Wizards Prosper Naci Rwanda Philadelphia 76ers Abdallah Mbaye Senegal Chicago Bulls Matar Mbodji Senegal Dallas Mavericks Samba Fall Senegal San Antonio Spurs Moratiemang Jr. Mmoloke South Africa Boston Celtics Igor Lunnemann South Africa New Orleans Pelicans Lindokuhle Sibankulu South Africa Sacramento Kings Amine Rzig Tunisia LA Clippers Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
eNCA
07-06-2025
- Sport
- eNCA
Eight teams featured in Basketball Africa League play-offs
JOHANNESBURG - The highly anticipated Basketball Africa League is being hosted in South Africa. The BAL playoffs and finals take place between 6 and 14 June at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria. Headlining the halftime performance is SA's very own Casper Nyovest. For more on the tournament, we are joined by NBA Africa Chief Operating Officer, Nakampe Molewa.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thunder vs. Pacers: Adam Silver says NBA 'should be exploring' expansion, notes potential Europe league ahead of NBA Finals
In a wide-ranging news conference on Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed a wide variety of issues around the league ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. And, like in many of the news conferences Silver has held in the past couple of years, one of the first questions of the night was about NBA expansion. Silver said that, when it comes to expansion, the league "should be exploring it," and they would address the possibility at the July owners' meeting in Las Vegas. "It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room. We have committees that are already talking about it. But my sense is, at that meeting, they're gonna give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore it," Silver said. Advertisement Silver said Thursday that he's received "unsolicited" calls from people about expansion, likely referring to potential investors. But Silver warned that, despite interest from owners, expansion might not be a guarantee. "I don't think it's automatic, because it depends on your perspective on the future of the league," Silver said. "Expansion is in a way selling equity in the league, and if you believe in the league, you don't necessarily want to add partners. On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States, and elsewhere — markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve." Silver added league expansion could also be an opportunity to expand outside the United States, mentioning the league's investment in NBA Africa. "We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe, and I view that as a form of expansion as well," Silver said. "We think there's an opportunity to serve fans in Europe." (Silver added this was not meant as a "knock on European basketball." "There's really high-level basketball being played there," he said.) Advertisement The issue of expansion is one Silver has had to field for a while. The commissioner has said the NBA wouldn't touch the issue until after the league's media right deal was finished; that deal was completed last July. However, if the owners want expansion, Silver said that the league would start a formal process to look into it. Seattle, which lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2007, has long been a favorite if the NBA chooses to expand. Las Vegas has been floated as another option. Silver speaks on formats for the season and the All-Star Game In addition to talking about expansion, Silver touched on other issues, such as the perception of a small-market Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement But he also spoke about the season schedule, and whether the league would be willing to cut down on player workload by shortening the season. Silver said he didn't see much of a benefit to changing the NBA's current 82-game season. "I don't really see the benefit to reduce the number of games," he said. One of the main points made by people in favor of the change is that it might reduce the number of injuries. But Silver said there isn't any evidence or data pointing to increased injuries as a result of the lengthy schedule and postseason. "If that were the case, you'd think you'd have more injuries in April than you do in October. We don't see that. Or you think you'd see more injuries in the playoffs than you do in the regular season, and you don't see that either," he said. Instead, he said longer seasons result in "more opportunities" for fans to engage in games, adding that he'd be more inclined to add rest rather than shorten the timeline. Advertisement Silver also spoke about the All-Star Game, which he said would be a version of a U.S. vs. World format. He added the All-Star break will take place around the same time as the 2026 Winter Olympics, and he hopes it'll help players get into a national spirit. "We've had positive conversations. I know I've been up here before saying, 'I think I have a fix,' and I haven't been so far, but I think we're onto something, and I think there's a real opportunity to create enhanced interest and enhanced competition from the players," he said of the All-Star Game. Silver thanks TNT after network's final NBA broadcast Lastly, just before ending the news conference, Silver took a moment to "share my appreciation and gratitude to Turner sports," as TNT's partnership with the NBA came to an end last weekend. "They were our partners for 41 years, I was with the league for 33 of those 41 years. Their coverage has been fantastic, and it's not just the on-air talent," Silver said. "I wanna share my appreciation and thanks with the literally hundreds — probably over the 41 years, thousands — of people who've worked on NBA production and wish them well, and just make sure we acknowledge them since this past weekend they went off the air." TNT's final NBA broadcast was Saturday, as the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks. The network's beloved postgame show, "Inside the NBA," signed off after the game with a literal mic drop. But the show won't be going away entirely, although its format might change. ESPN acquired the rights to "Inside the NBA" in November in a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and will keep the broadcasting the show next season.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pacers vs. Thunder: Adam Silver says NBA 'should be exploring' expansion, notes potential Europe league ahead of NBA Finals
In a wide-ranging new conference on Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed a wide variety of issues around the league ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. And, like in many of the news conferences Silver has held in the past couple of years, one of the first questions of the night was about NBA expansion. Silver said that, when it comes to expansion, the league "should be exploring it," and they would address the possibility at the July owners' meeting in Las Vegas. Advertisement "It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room. We have committees that are already talking about it. But my sense is, at that meeting, they're gonna give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore it," Silver said. Silver said Thursday that he's received "unsolicited" calls from people about expansion, likely referring to potential investors. But Silver warned that, despite interest from owners, expansion might not be a guarantee. "I don't think it's automatic, because it depends on your perspective on the future of the league," Silver said. "Expansion is in a way selling equity in the league, and if you believe in the league, you don't necessarily want to add partners. On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States, and elsewhere — markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve." Silver added league expansion could also be an opportunity to expand outside the United States, mentioning the league's investment in NBA Africa. "We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe, and I view that as a form of expansion as well," Silver said. "We think there's an opportunity to serve fans in Europe." Advertisement (Silver added this was not meant as a "knock on European basketball." "There's really high-level basketball being played there," he said.) The issue of expansion is one Silver has had to field for a while. The commissioner has said the NBA wouldn't touch the issue until after the league's media right deal was finished; that deal was completed last July. However, if the owners want expansion, Silver said that the league would start a formal process to look into it. Seattle, which lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2007, has long been a favorite if the NBA chooses to expand. Las Vegas has been floated as another option. Advertisement Silver speaks on formats for the season and the All-Star Game In addition to talking about expansion, Silver touched on other issues, such as the perception of a small-market Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. But he also spoke about the season schedule, and whether the league would be willing to cut down on player workload by shortening the season. Silver said he didn't see much of a benefit to changing the NBA's current 82-game season. "I don't really see the benefit to reduce the number of games," he said. One of the main points made by people in favor of the change is that it might reduce the number of injuries. But Silver said there isn't any evidence or data pointing to increased injuries as a result of the lengthy schedule and postseason. "If that were the case, you'd think you'd have more injuries in April than you do in October. We don't see that. Or you think you'd see more injuries in the playoffs than you do in the regular season, and you don't see that either," he said. Advertisement Instead, he said longer seasons result in "more opportunities" for fans to engage in games, adding that he'd be more inclined to add rest rather than shorten the timeline. Silver also spoke about the All-Star Game, which he said would be a version of a U.S. vs. World format. He added the All-Star break will take place around the same time as the 2026 Winter Olympics, and he hopes it'll help players get into a national spirit. "We've had positive conversations. I know I've been up here before saying, 'I think I have a fix,' and I haven't been so far, but I think we're onto something, and I think there's a real opportunity to create enhanced interest and enhanced competition from the players," he said of the All-Star Game. Silver thanks TNT after network's final NBA broadcast Lastly, just before ending the conference, Silver took a moment to "share my appreciation and gratitude to Turner sports," as TNT's partnership with the NBA came to an end last weekend. "They were our partners for 41 years, I was with the league for 33 of those 41 years. Their coverage has been fantastic, and it's not just the on-air talent," Silver said. "I wanna share my appreciation and thanks with the literally hundreds — probably over the 41 years, thousands — of people who've worked on NBA production and wish them well, and just make sure we acknowledge them since this past weekend they went off the air." TNT's final NBA broadcast was Saturday, as the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks. The network's beloved postgame show, "Inside the NBA," signed off after the game with a literal mic drop. But the show won't be going away entirely, although its format might change. ESPN acquired the rights to "Inside the NBA" in November in a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and will keep the broadcasting the show next season.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Adam Silver says NBA 'should be exploring' expansion, notes potential Europe league ahead of NBA Finals
In a wide-ranging press conference on Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed a wide variety of issues around the league ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. And, like in many of the press conferences that Silver has held in the past couple of years, one of the first questions of the night was about NBA expansion. Silver said that, when it comes to expansion, the league "should be exploring it," and that they would address the possibility at the July owners' meeting in Las Vegas. Advertisement "It will be on the agenda to take the temperature of the room. We have committees that are already talking about it. But my sense is, at that meeting, they're gonna give direction to me and my colleagues at the league office that we should continue to explore it," Silver said. Silver said Thursday that he's received "unsolicited" calls from people about expansion, likely referring to potential investors. But Silver warned that, despite interest from owners, expansion might not be a guarantee. "I don't think it's automatic, because it depends on your perspective on the future of the league," Silver said. "Expansion is in a way selling equity in the league, and if you believe in the league, you don't necessarily want to add partners. On the other hand, we recognize there are underserved markets in the United States, and elsewhere — markets that deserve to have NBA teams. Probably even if we were to expand, more than we can serve." Silver added that league expansion could also be an opportunity to expand outside the United States, mentioning the league's investment in NBA Africa. "We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe, and I view that as a form of expansion as well," Silver said. "We think there's an opportunity to serve fans in Europe." Advertisement (Silver added that this was not meant as a "knock on European basketball": "There's really high-level basketball being played there," he said.) The issue of expansion is one that Silver has had to field for a while. The commissioner has said that the NBA wouldn't touch the issue until after the league's media right deal was finished; that deal was completed last July. However, if the owners approve the issue, Silver said that the league would start a formal process to look into expansion. Seattle, who lost its SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2007, has long been a favorite if the NBA chooses to expand. Las Vegas has been floated as another option. Advertisement Silver speaks on formats for the season, and the All-Star Game In addition to talking about expansion, Silver touched on other issues, such as the perception of a small-market finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. But he also spoke about the season schedule, and whether the league would be willing to cut down on player workload by shortening the season. Silver said that he didn't see much of a benefit to changing the NBA's current 82-game season. "I don't really see the benefit to reduce the number of games," he said. One of the main points made by people in favor of the change is that it might reduce the number of injuries. But Silver said that there isn't any evidence or data pointing to increased injuries as a result of the full schedule. "If that were the case, you'd think you'd have more injuries in April than you do in October. We don't see that. Or you think you'd see more injuries in the playoffs than you do in the regular season, and you don't see that either," he said. Advertisement Instead, he said longer seasons result in "more opportunities" for fans to engage in games, adding that he'd be more inclined to add rest rather than shorten the timeline. Silver also spoke about the All-Star Game, which he said would be a version of a U.S. vs. World format. He added that the All-Star break will take place around the same time as the 2026 Winter Olympics, and that he hopes it'll help players get into a national spirit. "We've had positive conversations. I know I've been up here before saying, 'I think I have a fix,' and I haven't been so far, but I think we're onto something, and I think there's a real opportunity to create enhanced interest and enhanced competition from the players," he said. Silver thanks TNT after network's final NBA broadcast Lastly, just before ending the press conference, Silver took a moment to "share my appreciation and gratitude to Turner sports," as TNT's partnership with the NBA came to an end last weekend. "They were our partners for 41 years, I was with the league for 33 of those 41 years. Their coverage has been fantastic, and it's not just the on-air talent," Silver said. "I wanna share my appreciation and thanks with the literally hundreds — probably over the 41 years, thousands — of people who've worked on NBA production and wish them well, and just make sure we acknowledge them since this past weekend they went off the air." TNT's final NBA broadcast came last Saturday, as the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks. The network's beloved postgame show, "Inside the NBA," signed off after the game with a literal mic drop. But the show won't be going away entirely, although its format might change. ESPN acquired the rights to "Inside the NBA" in November in a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, and will keep the broadcasting the show next season.
