The following document is a summary report of the potential to collaborate with the NBA in Africa via an NBA Academy and NBA 2K League.
NBA Africa 2018
ACADEMIC CITY, HAATSO, ACCRA , GHANA
PURPOSE
Academic City is changing tertiary learning in Africa with activity-based learning and premium teaching talent, complemented by a one of a kind campus.
BACKGROUND
Academic City is a premium quality tertiary education institution in Africa with a state-of-the-art ultramodern campus in Accra, Ghana. Academic City offers holistic education to create well-rounded minds who can proactively and
conscientiously contribute to local and global development. Our dedicated focus on experiential and active student learning, supplemented with an emphasis on social-emotional learning and ethical decision-making prepares our students to compete with globally-trained talent. With a mission to educate future-ready leaders who can innovatively solve complex problems within an ethical, entrepreneurial and collaborative environment, Academic City is launching this leading-edge campus in fall 2018, with engineering, technology, business and arts programmes.
NBA Academies, a network of elite basketball training centers around the world, include educational development for top male and female prospects from outside the U.S. and mark the NBA’s signature elite player development initiative. The initiative exposes elite prospects to NBA-level coaching, facilities, and competition and provides a global framework for them to maximize their success.
Employing a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills, NBA Academies build on the league’s existing grassroots programming, including Basketball Without Borders (BWB) – the NBA and the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen more than 50 former campers make it to the NBA.
Since October 2016, NBA Academies have been launched in Canberra, Australia; Jinan, Urumqi and Zhuji, China; Mexico City, Mexico; Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), India; and Thies, Senegal. As part of the program, the student-athletes compete against top competition throughout the year and have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games. Each NBA Academy is staffed with NBA-trained coaches who foster the development of student-athletes on
and off the court, during and after their basketball careers. NBA Academy coaches implement a curriculum developed by leading player development coaches that teach the fundamentals of the game, so NBA Academy student-athletes improve individually and as teammates. Each NBA Academy is also staffed with an experienced strength and conditioning coach who helps the student-athletes improve their athleticism and stay healthy.
Depending on the location of the academy, student-athletes either attend a local public school or receive a scholarship to a local private school, and all student-athletes receive academic support as needed. In addition to academic development, the student-athletes receive life-skills training, including health and wellness education, financial management and career development. NBA Basketball Schools are a network of basketball development programs around the world open to both male and female players ages 6-18. The NBA Basketball School is unique in its approach based on “the NBA way” of developing players in a structured program and environment focused on skill development and promoting positive values such as integrity, teamwork, respect, and determination. The NBA and SEED Project (Sports for Education and Economic Development), a non-profit organization based in Thies, Senegal, that uses basketball as a platform to engage youth in academic, athletic and leadership programs, have partnered to launch The NBA Academy Africa. An elite basketball training center in Thies for the top male and female prospects from throughout Africa, The NBA Academy Africa is the first of its kind on the continent. Following scouting programs conducted with local federations across Africa and elite skills camps, prospects will be selected to attend The Academy. In addition to advanced basketball training, each member of The Academy will be enrolled in a local high school and receive academic support.
The NBA Academy Africa builds on the NBA’s existing basketball and youth development initiatives in Africa, including Jr. NBA programs for boys and girls ages 16 and under in Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal and South Africa. Basketball without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, has been held in Africa 14 times, with nine former BWB Africa campers drafted into the NBA.
The NBA 2K League is a professional competitive gaming league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Bringing together the world’s best basketball gamers, this marks the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.
SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ATTENDED NBA AFRICA 2018 :
AMADOU GALLO FALL – NBA VICE PRESIDENT & MANAGING DIRECTOR – AFRICA
SELLO HATANG – CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NELSON MANDELA FOUNDATION
SIMIDELE ADEAGBO – OLYMPIC SKELETON RACER
JEAN-LUC AGBOYIBO – PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, LEADING YOUTH, SPORT & DEVELOPMENT
CARMELLO ANTHONY – 10 TIME NBA ALL-STAR
PATRICK BANUMANN – SECRETARY GENERAL. THE INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION (FIBA)
LUOL DENG – TWO TIME NBA ALL STAR
DAVID GROS – CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER. D3N9
JOSEPH HUNDAH – GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT, ECONET MEDIA
SERGE IBAKA – NBA VETERAN
KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR – HALL OF FAMER
NDABA MANDELA – CHAIRMAN. AFRICA RISING FOUNDATION
JESSICA O. MATTHEWS – UNCHARTERED POWER (INVENTOR, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & VENTURE CAPITALIST)
DIKEMBE MUTOMBO – NBA GLOBAL AMBASSADOR
MICHELE ROBERTS – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
LINDA MAGAPATONA SANGARET – CHEIF MARKETING OFFICER, BRAND SOUTH AFRICA
ADAM SILVER – COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
RUDEON SNELL – SAP LEONARDO LEADER – AFRICA
FRED SWANIKER – FOUNDER &CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
NIKIWE BIKITSHA – JOURNALIST, RADIO & TELEVISION
LOREN R. DOUGLASS – MANAGING DIRECTOR. BNY MELLON
NIZIPHO MBANJWA – BROADCASTERM, CNBC AFRICA
DISCUSSION + KEY CONSIDERATIONS
“We are excited that the week of activities leading up to the third NBA Africa Game in four years will honor Nelson Mandela’s centenary and his belief that sport has the power to change the world,” said NBA vice president and managing director for Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall.
“Our youth development and community outreach programs, as well as the second NBA Africa Innovation Summit, will demonstrate our commitment to growing basketball across the continent while using the transformative power of our game to foster positive social change. We are grateful to all the players, our
partners and our fans for their continued support.”
Our focus will be on three findings of the report:
• NBA Academy @ Academic City, 2020 – 2022
• NBA 2K League Experience Activation @ Academic City, December 2018
• TED@NBA
Academic City is en route to being perfectly positioned to partner with the NBA in the shared vision of transforming Africa’s educational journey.
