NAIROBI, KENYA – NBA Africa and Opportunity International, a global nonprofit organization that develops innovative programs that use financial services, training and support to address some of the greatest challenges facing those living in poverty around the world, today announced a collaboration to build outdoor basketball courts and conduct youth clinics in Nairobi, Kenya, and Kigali, Rwanda, next year.  The collaboration will support NBA Africa’s commitment to build 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, including 100 in Kenya.

As part of the collaboration, NBA Africa and Opportunity International will also hold a development program for coaches and teachers in both cities aimed at providing them with skills and best practices in coaching, refereeing, game operations, event management, program administration, and more.

The announcement was made today by NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum, Opportunity International CEO Atul Tandon and five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher at a press conference in Nairobi.

“Our collaboration with Opportunity International reflects our commitment to investing in local basketball ecosystems across Africa and providing youth with the resources and opportunities to develop their leadership and basketball skills,” said Tatum.  “We look forward to working together to create safe spaces where Kenyan and Rwandan youth can play the game and participate in programs that help develop the next generation of coaches and mentors.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to work with NBA Africa to bring world-class basketball courts and coaches to Africa,” said Tandon.  “This initiative is key to our longstanding commitment to bring more education and more opportunities to the youth of Africa, and we are grateful to NBA Africa, NBA Deputy Commissioner Tatum, and our longtime friend and partner Sam Garvin for coming together to help build a rising Africa.”

The Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level in an effort to help grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents.  Last year, Jr. NBA programming directly reached more than 170,000 youth across Africa.

About NBA Africa
NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, an NBA Store, the BAL, and more.

NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that concluded its fourth season in June 2024. Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

About Opportunity International
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 53 years.  Opportunity works across 30 countries to provide over 20 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school.