The Basketball Africa League continues to weave its web. Now an unmissable event for continental basketball, the event is attracting increasing interest.
A boon for talents from the continent like the young Central African Thierry Darlan, formerly of the NBA Academy in Dakar. ”It’s really good for African basketball. As you can see, there are people talking about this everywhere. Even the Americans I played for say that basketball in Africa is evolving a lot more since there are prospects who are arriving, there is Kaman, there is El Weish and many many others. So, it’s good visibility for African youth,” says the Bangui SC player.
And beyond shaping the dreams of these young basketball players, the BAL gives another dimension to African basketball. The players are almost unanimous, this competition is revolutionizing this sport. And what better than international results to illustrate this observation.
”For example, the African champion, winner of the Basketball Africa League, had a good participation in the 2023 Intercontinental Cup. For the first time in history, he recorded a victory in this competition. Our national teams who participated in the World Cup also showed a high level of basketball for the first time. And this is part of our expectations from the Basketball Africa League,” explains Hesham Elhariri, president of Zone V of FIBA Africa.
But the revolution started by the BAL goes beyond the championship. While supporting the federations, the League is moving the lines in terms of infrastructure, in addition to its economic contribution. Last year alone, it brought in more than 3 billion CFA francs to Senegal through transport, hotels, entertainment and many other sectors.
”Today, African talent can be identified on the continent, develop on the continent and play professionally without having to leave the continent. And also, if we see, for example, the partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, which is renewed for 5 years, this means that there is a real impact on the economy and on this country’s objective of promoting the destination Rwanda. We want to do the same thing in Senegal, in South Africa,” explains Amadou Gallo Fall, president of the African Basketball League.
The Basketball Africa League is more than just sport. It’s social, it’s training, but above all it’s opportunities offered to young Africans to be able to express their talent but also to be able to open up to the world
2024-04-22 09:23:24
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