NBA Academy Africa

Last updated
NBA Academy Africa
NBA Academy Africa logo.png
League Road to BAL
Founded2017
HistoryNBA Academy Africa
2017–present
Location Saly, Senegal
Head coach Alfred Aboya

The NBA Academy Africa is a basketball team and academy operated by the National Basketball Association (NBA), located in Saly, Senegal. [1] Opened in 2017, [2] the academy offers both education and basketball training. [1] Several alumni of the program have played in professional leagues. The academy is a shared program between the NBA and SEED Academy. The academy has two indoor training courts, as well as dormitories and educational facilities. [3]

Contents

Since 2022, the academy has a program called BAL Elevate with the Basketball Africa League (BAL), that allows each BAL team to select an academy player to feature on its roster during the season. [4] A year earlier, in 2021, Mohab Yasser became the first academy player to play in the BAL and also the first player to win the league championship.

For the following 2023 season, the NBA Academy enrolled its own team in the Road to BAL qualifiers where they played against professional teams. [5] Despite being ineligible to qualify for the BAL, they finished with a successful 2–1 record, after beating Burundian champions Urunani and Kenyan champions KPA. [6] [7] In the 2025 NBA draft, alumni Khaman Maluach was drafted 10th overall by the Houston Rockets, becoming the highest drafted player from the academy. [8]

Players

2022 roster

In November 2022, the NBA Academy Africa fielded the following roster playing in the 2023 BAL qualification. [9]

NBA Academy Africa roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.Name
G Flag of Senegal.svg Mboup, Khadim
G Flag of the Central African Republic.svg Darlan, Thierry Serge
F/C Flag of Chad.svg Tahir, Mahamat
C Flag of South Sudan.svg Maluach, Khaman
PF Flag of Nigeria.svg Chinyelu, Rueben
C Flag of Nigeria.svg Okorafor, Emmanuel
F Flag of Cameroon.svg Chomche, Ulrich
G/F Flag of France.svg Camara, Dramane
G Flag of Angola.svg Neto, Aginaldo
PF Flag of Egypt.svg Hendawy, Seifeldin
F Flag of Gabon.svg Akoue, Daniel
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
Updated: 29 October 2022

Drafted into the NBA

Ulrich Chomche was the first academy player to be drafted into the NBA during the 2024 NBA draft Ulrich Chomche.jpg
Ulrich Chomche was the first academy player to be drafted into the NBA during the 2024 NBA draft
Former NBA Academy Africa players selected in the NBA draft
YearRoundPickPlayerNationalityDraft team
2024 257th Ulrich Chomche Flag of Cameroon.svg Cameroon Memphis Grizzlies (from Oklahoma City to Atlanta to Houston, traded to Toronto via Minnesota)
2025 110th Khaman Maluach Flag of South Sudan.svg South Sudan Houston Rockets (traded to the Phoenix Suns)

Notable alumni

Competitive games in the Road to BAL

The NBA Academy Africa has faced off against several national champions in the Road to BAL, the official qualifying tournament for the Basketball Africa League, in 2022 and 2023. They enter in the Elite 16 round, and as a wild card, are not eligible to advance to the semi-finals or to qualify for the main league season.

2022

22 November 2022 Cape Town Tigers Flag of South Africa.svg 85–60NBA Academy Africa Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg
Boxscore
23 November 2022NBA Academy Africa79–69 Flag of Burundi.svg Urunani Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg
Boxscore
24 November 2022 KPA Flag of Kenya.svg 69–84NBA Academy Africa Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg
Boxscore

2023

21 November 2023NBA Academy Africa84–57 Flag of Tanzania.svg Pazi Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg
Boxscore
22 November 2023 Dynamo Flag of Burundi.svg 71–76NBA Academy Africa Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg
Boxscore
23 November 2023 Cape Town Tigers Flag of South Africa.svg 69–61NBA Academy Africa Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg
Boxscore

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 "NBA Academy Africa". NBA: Academy. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
    2. ↑ "Inside the NBA Academy and what it means for the future of basketball". ESPN.com. 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
    3. 1 2 Spears, Marc J. (2022-10-26). "Meet Babacar Sane, who 'represents something a little bit different' with the NBA's G League Ignite". Andscape. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
    4. ↑ "BAL teams to field one NBA Academy player each in 2022". ESPN.com. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
    5. ↑ "Draw results in for Elite 16 Round of Season 3 of Basketball Africa League". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
    6. ↑ "NBA Academy Africa shock Urunani in tense battle". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
    7. ↑ "Players that grabbed the spotlight ahead of the Road to BAL East Division's Semi-Finals". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
    8. ↑ "South Sudan's Maluach becomes highest drafted ex-NBA Academy Africa and BAL player". The EastAfrican. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
    9. ↑ "NBA Academy Africa at the Africa Champions Clubs ROAD TO B.A.L. 2023 2022".
    10. ↑ "Ibou Badji". The NBA G League.
    11. ↑ "Kurt-Curry Wegscheider, Basketball Player, News, Stats - Eurobasket". Eurobasket LLC.
    12. ↑ "Beyond the Hardwood: Khaman Maluach 'grateful' for his hoops future | NBA.com". NBA.


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