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In order to promote more talent and expand play in Africa, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced plans to launch the African Basketball League (BAL) earlier this year.
The race, which is due to begin in March 2020, will consist of twelve teams from countries across the continent. As D-day approaches, BAL on Tuesday announced the 7 host cities for the inaugural edition of the competition, NBA said in a statement.
Cities include Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Rabat (Morocco), or Monastery or Tunisia (Tunisia) as well Kigali (Rwanda), which will serve as the venue for the BAL Final Four and BAL Final.
The 10,000-seat Kigali Arena, which was recently opened and is one of the largest indoor stadiums in Africa, will also host the FIBA Africa Youth Under-16 Championship for girls in August as well as the Championship basketball in Africa in 2021
BAL also confirmed Nike and Jordan Brand as sponsors of the inaugural league kit.
The announcement was made by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall at a reception at the Musée des Civilizations Noires in Dakar. The event was also attended by FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zaglicklis, FIBA Africa CEO Alfonso Bille, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, as well as current and former NBA and WNBA players.
"Today's announcements mark another important moment as we turn to the historic first season for basketball Africa," Fall said. "We now have seven great host cities in which to play our first partnership with a world-class outfitter. We thank our first partners NIKE and Jordan Brand for supporting us on this journey and for ensuring that our teams have the best uniforms and products on board. "
According to the NBA: "The six cities will host a regular season that will include 12 teams divided into two conferences, with each conference playing in three cities. In the regular season, the 12 teams will play five games each for a total of 30 games, with the top three teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs.
The six playoff teams – the Super 6 – will play in a circular format to determine the four teams that will advance to the BAL Final Four and the BAL Final in Kigali, Rwanda at the end of Spring 2020. BAL and BAL The final will be one-elimination matches.
The announcement of host cities comes after BAL was announced in February this year.
"The creation of the African Basketball League is another exciting moment for the NBA in Africa," Fall said during the February launch. "Creating a professional basketball league in Africa will provide a platform for elite players to showcase their talent and inspire more young boys and girls to play the game."
Barack Obama, who is an avid basketball fan, also welcomed the announcement in February. Reports indicate that the former US president is likely to play a role in the new league.
"I've always loved basketball because it's about building a team that is more than the sum of its parts. I am glad that enlargement is in Africa because for a growing continent it can be much more than what is happening on the court, "he said Shared on Twitter,
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