Basketball: The NBA closes its African academy in Senegal after eight years and approximately 110 players trained
The NBA has closed the NBA Academy Africa, its only elite training center on the continent, which had been based in Senegal since 2018, as reported by Al Jazeera on October 2, 2026, and Pan African Visions. In its eight years of existence, the facility trained approximately 110 students, many of whom went on to join major American universities and professional basketball.
Two names summarize the project's success. Cameroonian Ulrich Kamka Chomche became the first graduate of the African academy to be selected in the draft in 2024, by the Toronto Raptors. South Sudanese player Khaman Maluach now plays for the Phoenix Suns.
Heading for Abu Dhabi
The North American league presents this decision as a "strategic shift" in the global development of basketball rather than a disengagement from Africa, according to Pan African Visions. Elite training will now be consolidated at a new facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to bring young talent closer to international professional coaches and scouts. The NBA has also closed its academies in Mexico and Australia.
Troy Justice, the NBA's senior vice president, highlights continued African investment through the Basketball Africa League, which has completed six seasons, and the Basketball Without Borders camps, reports Al Jazeera.
"Their confidence dropped"
Former staff members do not share this optimism. Michel Chikwanine, a performance consultant, believes the closure could reduce opportunities for young African players and describes the effect of the announcement on the students: "their confidence dropped," as quoted by Al Jazeera. Michael Abbott, a former head of academic planning, suggests for his part that commercial interests have taken precedence over player development.
The issue goes beyond basketball. Over the last decade, Africa has seen a proliferation of scouting centers funded from abroad, modeled after football academies. Their fragility has just been highlighted: what was established by external decision can be moved by external decision. The continent provides the talent—more than 110 here in eight years—but controls neither the infrastructure nor the schedule that promotes them. The Basketball Africa League, created in 2021 and run in partnership with FIBA, remains the most credible lever for ensuring that elite training becomes an African affair once again, on African soil.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
