NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said the league plans to announce the first Basketball Africa League franchises in 2027, but a timetable for when those clubs would begin competing in the BAL has not been determined.
Under the current setup, teams continue to qualify through FIBA’s Road to BAL qualifiers and that route will remain available to non-franchise clubs. Tatum said franchise teams would receive recurring automatic berths and that new franchises are expected to be introduced on a rolling basis while preserving annual qualification spots for others.
Tatum told reporters the league received dozens of bids across target markets, including significant interest from established basketball countries such as Nigeria and Senegal and from emerging markets like Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa. A Cape Town bid centered on the GrandWest Arena was rejected; Cape Town Tigers founding owner Lari Kangas told ESPN the proposal was fully funded. AfroBallers reported that Spike Lee signed a letter of intent to join a South African bidding group, and Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder have unveiled Lupita Nyong’o as an investor, though no permanent franchise has yet been announced.
The NBA has run the BAL in partnership with FIBA in Africa since the competition began in 2021. The league has not yet reached profitability but has produced notable players including Phoenix Suns prospect Khaman Maluach and Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu.
ESPN understands BAL revenue more than doubled from 2021 to 2024 before subsequently stabilizing. The NBA hopes the franchise model will unlock additional revenue and move the league toward profitability, with new franchise owners expected to invest in grassroots development across the continent.
