The emerging talent of Kenyan youth in basketball has captured the attention of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which now identifies Nairobi as a strategic hub for sports development on the African continent. In response to the steady rise of young players with technical and athletic abilities of international caliber, NBA Africa, in partnership with the non-profit organization Opportunity International, has launched an ambitious project to build 1,000 basketball courts across Africa over the next decade. Of these, 100 will be constructed in Kenya, a country that is rapidly establishing itself as a key center for the growth of basketball in East Africa.
The first court under this initiative was inaugurated on Tuesday, May 27, at Loiswell Academy, in a ceremony led by Michael Finley, NBA Kenya’s Country Operations Lead. The event was also attended by former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet—an emblem of Africa’s rise in professional basketball—Ken Wathome, a board member of Opportunity International; Randy Kurtz, Executive Vice President of International Programs at Opportunity International; and Lois Mbugua, founder of Loiswell Academy. All speakers emphasized that the infrastructure is just one element of the broader commitment: the core goal is to identify, develop, and elevate African talent to meet global standards of excellence.
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Immediately following the ceremony, a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA clinic was held for more than 100 boys and girls under the age of 16. These clinics, a fundamental part of the program, aim to foster the physical, emotional, and social development of young athletes through a structured approach. Beyond skill development, the clinics promote key values such as discipline, teamwork, respect, and leadership—qualities essential to building well-rounded individuals and socially responsible citizens.
Formally announced in October 2024, the project outlines a collaborative framework between NBA Africa and Opportunity International. In Kenya, this roadmap includes training local coaches, integrating basketball into school curricula, and strengthening institutional capacities to ensure the sustainability of these efforts. This holistic vision is aligned with broader human development goals that leverage sport as a catalyst for structural transformation in high-youth-density areas facing significant socioeconomic challenges.
With regional offices in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Dakar, Lagos, and Cairo, NBA Africa continues to reinforce its institutional and operational presence across the continent. The investment in sports infrastructure—paired with a comprehensive talent development strategy and knowledge transfer—represents a serious commitment to African leadership in global sport. In this context, Nairobi is emerging not only as a new hub for athletic excellence but also as a model for how sport can be rigorously integrated into national and pan-African development agendas.
