NBA Basketball Africa League set to begin their premier season

NBA is seriously focussing on the potential of the African continent. The Basketball Africa League (BAL) project is ready for lift-off.

The league will feature a dozen club teams from across Africa. Originally scheduled to take place in different countries throughout the continent, the tournament will now as a whole take place at Kigali Arena in Rwanda with all 26 games being played there, concluding with the title game on May 30th.

The BAL was initially expected to debut on March 13th, 2020 in Dakar, Senegal, but was ultimately postponed due to the worldwide pandemic caused by the coronavirus.

The 12 teams are:

Algeria - GSP (Groupement Sportif des Petroliers)

Angola - Petro de Luanda (Clube Atletico Petroleos de Luanda)

Cameroon - FAP (Forces Armees et Police Basketball)

Egypt - Zamalek

Madagascar - GNBC (Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club)

Mali - AS Police (Association Sportive de la Police Nationale)

Morocco - AS Sale (Association Sportive de Sale)

Mozambique - Ferrovirio de Maputo

Nigeria - Rivers Hoopers BC

Rwanda - Patriots BC

Senegal - AS Douanes (Association Sportive des Douanes)

Tunisia - US Monastir (Union Sportive Monastirienne).

The six teams that won the title in national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia received automatic berths in the BAL.

The six other teams - one apiece from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda - had to play their way into the league through qualifying tournaments organized by FIBA's African regional office in 2019.

The 26-game season will consist of the 12 teams split into three, four-team divisions. Teams will play each team in its respective group once, with the top eight teams from group play advancing to the playoffs, which will be single elimination.

The league is a partnership between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and is the NBA's first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America.

"Our goal is to build a top-flight competition that will reflect the continent's talent, passion and love for the game of basketball," BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall said in the league's video announcement.

"We are thrilled that the inaugural Basketball Africa League season will take place at the world-class Kigali Arena."

"With our partner, FIBA, we created the Basketball Africa League to provide a platform for elite players from across the continent to showcase their talent at home and inspire more young boys and girls to play the game."

"To and inspire fans of all ages, to use basketball as an economic growth engine across Africa, and shine a light on Africa's vibrant sporting culture."

The BAL will seek the advice of the World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to implement strict health and safety protocols for the 12 teams and personnel traveling to Rwanda.

The Athletic's David Aldridge explained the hope and plan behind the project and the reason NBA wants to invest in African basketball.

"COVID-19 made last year's plan to barnstorm around the continent moot, but the long-range hope for the league remains: to create an Africa-based league that can become on par with at least some of the better leagues in Europe and provide greater exposure for the game on the African continent, where soccer is still by far the most popular sport.

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The desire to harness and structure a pipeline for emerging talent from Africa has been in place since the league opened an office in Johannesburg a decade ago. Since then, the portal's only gone one way — sending African prospects to U.S. colleges, with no overall development apparatus at the NBA level. The BAL will provide at least the beginnings of that structure — not just for the players and coaches, but for teams, hopefully creating a pipeline on the business/operations side as well."