| NBA Academy Africa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | Road to BAL |
| Founded | 2017 |
| History | NBA 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]
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 | |
|---|---|
| Players | Coaches |
Updated: 29 October 2022 | |
Drafted into the NBA
| Year | Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | Draft team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 57th | Ulrich Chomche |  Cameroon |
Memphis Grizzlies (from Oklahoma City to Atlanta to Houston, traded to Toronto via Minnesota) |
| 2025 | 1 | 10th | Khaman Maluach |  South Sudan |
Houston Rockets (traded to the Phoenix Suns) |
Notable alumni
Ibou Badji (2018) – center who played for the Portland Trail Blazers, currently plays in Spain[10]- Jean Jacques Boissy (2019) – guard who plays in Libya
Kurt-Curry Wegscheider (2019) – guard who plays in the Central African Republic[11]
Mohab Yasser (2020) – guard who plays in Egypt- Babacar Sané (2022) – forward who plays in Tunisia[3]
Ugonna Onyenso (2022) – center for the Virginia Cavaliers- Thierry Serge Darlan (2022) – guard in the NBA G-League
Mohamed Keita (2022 - transferred) – center for the Temple Owls- Rueben Chinyelu (2023) – center for the Florida Gators
- Victor Ezeh (2023) – guard who played in Nigeria
- Ulrich Chomche (2024) – center for the Toronto Raptors
- Khaman Maluach (2024) – center for the Phoenix Suns[12]
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
v NBA Academy Africa
| 22 November 2022 | Cape Town Tigers |
85–60 | NBA Academy Africa | Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxscore | |||||
Urunani
| 23 November 2022 | NBA Academy Africa | 79–69 | Urunani |
Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxscore | |||||
v NBA Academy Africa
| 24 November 2022 | KPA |
69–84 | NBA Academy Africa | Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxscore | |||||
2023
Pazi
| 21 November 2023 | NBA Academy Africa | 84–57 | Pazi |
Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxscore | |||||
v NBA Academy Africa
| 22 November 2023 | Dynamo |
71–76 | NBA Academy Africa | Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxscore | |||||
v NBA Academy Africa
| 23 November 2023 | Cape Town Tigers |
69–61 | NBA Academy Africa | Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxscore | |||||
Notes
References
- "NBA Academy Africa". NBA: Academy. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- "Inside the NBA Academy and what it means for the future of basketball". ESPN.com. 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- 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.
- "BAL teams to field one NBA Academy player each in 2022". ESPN.com. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- "Draw results in for Elite 16 Round of Season 3 of Basketball Africa League". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- "NBA Academy Africa shock Urunani in tense battle". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- "Players that grabbed the spotlight ahead of the Road to BAL East Division's Semi-Finals". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- "South Sudan's Maluach becomes highest drafted ex-NBA Academy Africa and BAL player". The EastAfrican. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- "NBA Academy Africa at the Africa Champions Clubs ROAD TO B.A.L. 2023 2022".
- "Ibou Badji". The NBA G League.
- "Kurt-Curry Wegscheider, Basketball Player, News, Stats - Eurobasket". Eurobasket LLC.
- "Beyond the Hardwood: Khaman Maluach 'grateful' for his hoops future | NBA.com". NBA.