The National Basketball Association (NBA) has signed a broadcast deal with Nation Media Group for a sole free-to-air live broadcast of more than 25 games of the 2020-2021 Season.
The games will include regular-season games, the NBA playoffs, and Conference Finals, and a magazine show called “NBA Action.”
A multi-year partnership will see NMG air the first match on Monday 8 when Team LeBron takes on Team Durant in the 70th NBA All-Star Game at 2:30 am.
NBA Africa Chief Executive Officer Victor Williams said the partnership is part of a strategy by the NBA franchise to make the game more accessible to fans in Kenya and the African Continent.
NMG CEO Stephen Gitagama on his part said the partnership Franchise was as a step in the right direction in “inspiring the next generation” of youths who would take sports seriously partake in it as a profession.
It will see a total of 12 top-tier teams drawn from all over the African Continent battle it for the championship title for what is seen as the replica of the NBA Playoffs.
The move is seen as part of NBA expansion strategy to focus on Africa which has already produced the first African NBA executive Maasai Ujiri who is currently the president of operations at the Toronto Raptors.
Ujiri is credited with leading the franchise to their NBA Title in the season 2018-2019 with Africa having already produced a number of NBA talents who are currently playing for the season 2020-2021.
In 2018, NBA launched the Basketball African League, the first of its kind, to officially operate outside North America.
The game was rescheduled for a 2021 timetable due to the novel coronavirus that disrupted activities across the globe.
Kigali Arena has already been identified as the venue of the final round of the competition.
