The NBA has closed its only elite basketball training academy in Africa, ending an initiative launched in Senegal in 2018. NBA Academy Africa was created to nurture promising young African players ready to move to the NBA. Two former employees said the closure left students and young aspiring players in Africa disillusioned with the league.
Michel Chikwanine, a performance and lifestyle adviser in the academy, said students’ morale was impacted after being told of the decision. “From the moment we told them, their confidence waned, their confidence dropped,” he said. Michael Abbott, the academy’s former head of academic planning, said the NBA was not as invested in the students as kids as it was in the business model.
“They weren’t invested in them as kids as much as they were invested in the business model,” he said. The NBA told Reuters the closure signified a shift in its global basketball development strategy. The agency said development training will be centralized at a new global academy that will open up in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The NBA has closed academies in Mexico and Australia in the past. The organisation said the closure does not mean less investment towards the development of basketball in Africa. It referenced its Basketball Africa League and Basketball Without Borders programs that offer elite training camps for young players around the world.
Abbott said NBA Academy Africa had trained an average of about 110 students since its opening in Senegal. Some of them eventually moved on to elite schools and universities in the United States, and others have made it to the NBA. Cameroon-born Ulrich Kamka Chomche became the first academy graduate to be drafted into the NBA in 2024. He later signed with the Toronto Raptors.
South Sudanese player Khaman Maluach, also an academy graduate, currently plays for the Phoenix Suns. Chikwanine said that shutting down the academy could limit opportunities for African prospects, especially those who need more help. The NBA disagreed, saying African prospects would still have access to its development programs.
Troy Justice, NBA senior vice president, said the NBA was committed to developing the next generation of African players. He added that centralizing the training could give young prospects more exposure to professional coaches and scouts throughout the world.
