The African academy is the NBA’s latest push to spot and develop athletic talent in the sport of basketball outside of the United States.
The New York-based organization has already opened elite training sites in China and Australia with another due to open in India in 2017.
Girls and boys, 16 to 18 years old, will be able to enroll in the academy. The organization says NBA-trained coaches will focus on player development, education, leadership and life skills.
The company’s managing director for Africa predicted the new academy in Senegal will not only increase the number of players coming into the league from Africa, but they will be better prepared to play at a high level, whether in the U.S. or internationally.
This isn’t the first time the NBA has taken an interest in the continent; last August, South Africa hosted an NBA-exhibition game in Johannesburg.
