NBA partners with YouTube

The NBA’s partnership with YouTube goes back more than a decade when it became the first professional sports league to partner with YouTube and launch its own channel in 2005, and the first to join YouTube’s “Claim Your Content” program in 2007.  Last year, YouTube TV became the first presenting partner of NBA Finals and WNBA Finals.  To date, the NBA YouTube channel has generated more than 5.4 billion views.

The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010.  Opening-night rosters for the 2018-19 NBA season featured 13 African-born players, and there are more than 80 current and former NBA players from Africa or with direct family ties to the continent, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers: Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Last month, the NBA and FIBA announced their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa.  The BAL will build on the NBA’s existing grassroots and elite basketball development initiatives on the continent, including the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and The NBA Academy Africa.

Since The NBA Academy Africa opened in May 2017, 25 elite male prospects ages 14-20 have received scholarships and training after scouting programs conducted with local federations across the continent.  Three NBA Academy Africa graduates have gone on to commit to NCAA Division 1 schools.

The NBA has held three sold-out Africa Games, in Johannesburg in 2015 and 2017 and in Pretoria in 2018, in support of charities including UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa (SOSCVSA).  Through NBA Cares, the NBA has created 87 places for children and families to live, learn and play in seven African countries.

Pages: 1 2