CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – NBA Africa and Shesha, a premium retailer of exclusive and limited-edition footwear, apparel and accessories, today announced that two new NBA Stores will open in Durban and Cape Town, South Africa.  The NBA Store in Durban will be located at Gateway Mall and open on Friday, Nov. 24, while the NBA Store in Cape Town will be located at V&A Waterfront and open on Friday, Dec. 1.

The new stores build on NBA Africa’s existing merchandise offerings, including the first NBA Store on the continent located in Sandton City, Johannesburg and the league’s first e-commerce site dedicated to fans in Africa, which provides fans in select countries with the widest selection of official NBA merchandise ever available on the continent.  To celebrate the new store openings, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler will engage with fans at launch events in Cape Town on Tuesday, Dec. 12 and in Durban on Thursday, Dec. 14.

Both stores, which will be operated by Shesha, will feature an extensive range of officially licensed NBA merchandise for youth and adults, including current and former player jerseys, apparel, headwear, footwear, sporting goods, toys and collectibles from major brands such as Nike, Mitchell & Ness, New Era and Wilson.  The stores will also feature a customization area where fans can personalize NBA jerseys.

“We are excited to expand our merchandise offerings in Africa as part of our multiyear collaboration with Shesha,” said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams.  “There is tremendous demand for official NBA merchandise from fans in South Africa and across the continent, and these beautiful new stores will allow fans in Cape Town and Durban to more easily represent their favorite teams and players.”

“Following the launch of Africa’s first NBA Store in Johannesburg last year, we are excited to also deliver the NBA Store experience to fans in Durban and Cape Town,” said Shesha CEO Nirmal Devchand.  “The launch of the new NBA Stores will provide more fans in these cities with better access to their favorite teams and players’ merchandise, and we look forward to welcoming them to these new locations.”

Drexler, a 15-year NBA veteran who retired from the league in 1998, is an NBA champion, 10-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, and member of the NBA’s 50^th and 75^th Anniversary Teams.  He was inducted twice into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 2004 for his individual career and again in 2010 as a member of the United States Men’s National Team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

There are more than 400 NBA-branded, licensee-operated, retail stores and attractions worldwide that serve as the league’s official destinations for fans around the world.  NBA fans in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe can continue to shop online at NBAStore.Africa.

Earlier this month, the Basketball Africa League, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, announced that the league’s fourth season will tip off in March 2024 in South Africa.  Fans can register their interest in tickets to games at BAL.NBA.com.

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; and Lagos, Nigeria.  The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010.  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.  Last year, NBA Africa reached more than eight million youth across the continent through basketball development, life-skills programming and social media engagement.

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 will tip off its fourth season in March 2024.  Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

About Shesha
The first Shesha store launched in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2005, and today features over 15 stores.  The Shesha business is committed and passionate about street culture.  The stores are dedicated to serve the community and fans with the freshest limited edition premium lifestyle and basketball merchandise.  The Shesha stores offer a range of global and local brands, with a particular focus on footwear and headwear, and global collaborations across both lifestyle and basketball.  Fans can follow @shesha_fashion on Instagram, @Shesha Lifestyle on Facebook, and @SheshaLifestyle on Twitter, or visit their website – www.sheshalifestyle.com