Cairo, Egypt, Dakar, Senegal, Lagos, Nigeria, Luanda, Angola, Rabat, Morocco and either Monastir or Tunis,Tunisia will help launch professional basketball in Africa.
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is part of the U.S-based National Basketball Association’s effort to expand its brand worldwide.
BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall revealed the league’s inaugural cities during a reception at the Musée des Civilizations Noires in Dakar. The league’s championship game will be played in Kigali, Rwanda.
“Today’s announcements mark another important milestone as we head into what will be a historic first season for the Basketball Africa League, we now have seven great host cities where we will play and our first partnership with a world-class outfitter.” said Fall.
Many of the final details are still being ironed out but the BAL’s first full season will last for about three months. There will be 12 teams divided into two conferences. The top three teams from each conference advance to a six-team round-robin playoff that will eventually determine the Final Four which will take place in late March 2020.
The BAL Final Four and BAL Final will be single-elimination games.
