\"It's a sin that basketball is a multi-billion dollar business across the globe... everywhere except where the largest talent base exists.\"
Michael Finley is senior director and country operations lead for the NBA in Kenya. He's part of the team behind the Basketball Africa League (BAL) a professional league based on the continent. The league's fifth season featured 156 players from a record 28 countries. Claude talks to him about how something so uniquely American has made such a strong impact in Africa.
Plus: Walk around New York today with BAL merch and people will come up to you.
π IN THIS EPISODE:
1.53 NBA's presence in Africa
4.07 From Georgia, America to Nairobi, Kenya
6.14 The greatest moments for an African basketball fan
9.50 The legacy of John Thompson
11.50 How African players are making their presence felt in the NBA
14.15 How basketball plays well on social media
17.20 How the US government got involved
21.34 BAL Season 5: was it a success?
23.25 Is BAL financially viable?
26.00 The example of NBA expansion in China
28.13 BAL in the USA
30.30 NBA's role as soft power
32.18 How, why, what: call to action for investors
π¬ QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
\"If the infrastructure for basketball was anywhere near what it's like in America, Africans would dominate the NBA.\"
\"Africa is the largest talent pool on this planet for basketball.\"
\"In Africa, it's a long game and it's a numbers game.\"
\"This is the time to find places to invest and be a part of the wave.\"
\"Basketball will be a multi-million dollar industry on this continent in the coming years.\"
π ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICA
The podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperity
Every Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to Africans
Every Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential
β WANT MORE?
How Africa is basketballβs next big business move - the 15m episode with Amadou Fall, NBA Africa President https://trueafrica.co/article/limitless/why-nba-africa-means-business/
How to invest in Africa, with VC founder Maya Horgan Famodu https://trueafrica.co/article/limitless/foreign-aid-has-fuelled-corruption-dependence-weak-governance/
π LOVE THIS EPISODE?
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π Follow Limitless Africa
Instagram: @_trueafrica
Website: https://trueafrica.co/
Substack: https://claudegrunitzky.substack.com/
Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.
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