NYSportsJournalism.com - NBA, Brands En Route To Africa
A group of marketing partners have come on board as the NBA prepares for its first game in Africa, including Nike, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa and South African Airways (SAA).
The exhibition game, featuring a group of NBA stars in a Team Africa vs.Team World format rather pitting two NBA teams against each other, is scheduled for Aug. 1 in Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Partners for the game, being played to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages Association of South Africa and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, also include Econet Global Limited; SuperSport an official NBA broadcast partner since 2013, which will broadcast the game live across Sub-Saharan Africa; and 947, the official radio partner of NBA Africa Game 2015.
Among marketing support, Econet Global Limited, the official mobile and telecommunications partner of NBA Africa Game 2015, will launch a co-branded NBA Africa Game marketing campaign across Africa.
“This is an historic moment for the NBA and the sport of basketball in Africa, and we are excited to work with such a broad range of partners to make this game possible,” Amadou Gallo Fall, NBA vp and managing director-Africa, said in a statement. “The game will impact young people throughout the continent, both on the court and in the community, as we bring some of the world’s most recognizable athletes to Johannesburg to celebrate our long tradition in Africa.”
Team Africa will be comprised of players from Africa and second-generation African players, including team captain Luol Deng (Miami Heat), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves).
Team World will feature team captain Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards) and Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets).
The NBA said it would unveil the full Team Africa and Team World rosters later this month.
The said it has had more than 35 players from Africa on NBA rosters since Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted in 1984. The league opened an African headquarters in Johannesburg in 2010 and recently launched Jr. NBA leagues in Mozambique and Uganda as part of its "comprehensive grassroots programs across the continent."
