The collaboration was announced 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, Kenya, on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
As part of the partnership, the two institutions have committed to building the courts and hosting basketball clinics in 2025. Each court will host a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA coaches clinic aimed at elevating and upskilling 100 teachers and coaches in each city.
According to NBA Africa, an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the collaboration aligns with its commitment to building 1,000 courts across Africa over the next decade.
NBA Africa and Opportunity International explained that the development for coaches and teachers in both cities is aimed at providing them with skills and best practices in coaching, refereeing, game operations, event management, program administration, and more.
'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,' Tatum said.
'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.'
Opportunity International is a global nonprofit organization that develops innovative programs using financial services, training, and support to address some of the greatest challenges faced by those living in poverty around the world.
The company's CEO, Atul Tandon, noted that the new partnership will help bring world-class basketball courts and coaches to Africa.
'This initiative is key to our longstanding commitment to bring more education and 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,' Tandon stated.
The Jr. NBA, the league's global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, teaches fundamental skills and the core values of the game at the grassroots level 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.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/nba-africa-to-build-basketball-courts-in-kigali-and-nairobi
