The NBA has closed its only training academy in Africa, ending a programme based in Senegal for nearly a decade that offered some of the continent's most promising teenage players a direct development pathway to US colleges and professional basketball.
NBA Academy Africa, located about 80km southeast of Dakar in Saly, shut its doors at the end of September after opening in 2017. The facility brought elite teenage players together from across the continent, with selected prospects living and training in Senegal while competing internationally.
Graduates progressed to major programmes, including Khaman Maluach of South Sudan, who trained at the academy before playing at Duke University and becoming an NBA first-round draft pick. Others secured NCAA scholarships and opportunities in professional leagues.
The NBA told Al Jazeera that closing the physical academy does not end its player development work on the continent. The league is shifting towards a model that reaches young players in more countries through regional camps and scouting rather than concentrating elite development at one residential site.
The move comes as Africa produces an increasingly visible pipeline of basketball talent, with African-heritage players prominent in the NBA and the Basketball Africa League expanding professional opportunities across the continent. The NBA has not indicated that another residential academy will replace the Senegal site.
