NBA Africa boss Clare Akamanzi hails BAL's growth, both in numbers and value

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) announced a record cumulative attendance exceeding 140,000 fans during its 48-game 2025 season. NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi, who succeeded Victor Williams in December 2023 after leading the Rwanda Development Board, hailed this significant growth.

This attendance surpassed the over 120,000 spectators recorded in the 2024 season. Morocco replaced Egypt as one of the four host countries (alongside Senegal, Rwanda, and South Africa), hosting its first playoffs in Pretoria. While Cairo struggled to attract fans in previous seasons, Rabat delivered larger crowds, boosting the BAL's overall numbers.

Akamanzi highlighted consistent growth across multiple metrics. She noted record-breaking yearly attendance, with the 2025 finals quickly matching the 2024 total. Significant increases were also seen in ticket sales, merchandise sales, and online viewership, particularly on YouTube which experienced close to 70% growth in viewers. She emphasized pride in this consistent progress.

Despite reported struggles to achieve profitability, the NBA continues to support the league, encouraged by sustained revenue growth. Akamanzi pointed to double-digit annual growth in commercial revenue as crucial for the business. She also underscored the league's rising competitiveness and talent development, citing broken scoring records during the 2025 season and the pathway it provides for African players to reach the NBA, like Ulrich Chomche and Khaman Maluach. The BAL Elevate program accelerates top teenage talent development.

Akamanzi stressed that the BAL's value extends beyond sports, viewing it as an economic engine for Africa. Influenced by her time at the RDB, she highlighted partnerships with entities like South African Tourism, Visit Rwanda, and Air Senegal. A study by Africa Practice revealed the BAL contributed $250 million to Africa's GDP and created 37,000 jobs during its first four seasons, demonstrating significant economic impact.