In this capacity, President Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) (www.NBA.com) today announced that former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa (https://on.nba.com/3eZjcuX) as a strategic partner.
President
Obama will help advance the league’s social responsibility efforts across the
continent, including programs and partnerships that support greater gender
equality and economic inclusion. In this
capacity, President Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture,
which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation youth and leadership
programs across Africa.
NBA Africa
conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa
League (BAL) (www.theBAL.com), which held its inaugural season
(https://on.nba.com/3rBynjl) in May featuring 12 of the top club teams from 12
African countries. NBA Africa is focused
on expanding the NBA’s presence in priority African markets, deepening the
league’s engagement with players and fans across the continent, and continuing
to grow Africa’s basketball ecosystem through programs like the Jr. NBA,
Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and NBA Academy Africa. In addition, NBA Africa has launched several
social responsibility initiatives (https://on.nba.com/2UMLuCp) aimed at raising
awareness of gender-based violence, supporting girls’ education, and improving
the livelihoods of African youth and families.
“The NBA
has always been a great ambassador for the United States—using the game to
create deeper connections around the world, and in Africa, basketball has the
power to promote opportunity, wellness, equality, and empowerment across the
continent,” said President Barack Obama.
“By investing in communities, promoting gender equality, and cultivating
the love of the game of basketball, I believe that NBA Africa can make a
difference for so many of Africa’s young people. I’ve been impressed by the league’s
commitment to Africa, including the leadership shown by so many African players
who want to give back to their own countries and communities. That’s why I’m proud to join the team at NBA
Africa and look forward to a partnership that benefits the youth of so many
countries.”
“We are
honored that President Obama has become a strategic partner in NBA Africa and
will support our wide-ranging efforts to grow the game of basketball on the
continent,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
“In addition to his well-documented love for basketball, President Obama
has a firm belief in Africa’s potential and the enormous growth opportunities
that exist through sports. NBA Africa
will benefit tremendously from his engagement.”
“We have
ambitious growth plans for NBA Africa and having President Obama join our
efforts is a recognition that through sport, Africa can take its rightful place
on the world stage,” said NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams. “We look forward to working with President
Obama and our strategic investors to use basketball as an economic growth
engine across the continent and as a platform to improve the health and
wellness of one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations.”
Strategic
investors in NBA Africa include a consortium led by Babatunde “Tunde” Folawiyo,
Chairman and CEO of Yinka Folawiyo Group, and Helios Fairfax Partners
Corporation (HFP), led by Co-CEO Tope Lawani.
Additional investors in NBA Africa include NBA Legends Junior Bridgeman,
Luol Deng (South Sudan), Grant Hill, Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin),
Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Joakim Noah (ties to
Cameroon).
The NBA has
a decades-long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in
Johannesburg in 2010. Since then, the
league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to
basketball and the NBA through social responsibility, grassroots and elite
development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, the
launch of the BAL, and more.
The inaugural BAL season was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages. On Sunday, May 30, Zamalek (Egypt) defeated US Monastir (Tunisia) 76-63 to win the first BAL Championship. Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
See this video (https://on.nba.com/3yd99Kv)
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