Basketball Africa League Offers Blueprint for NBA's Planned European League, BasketNews Reports

**Match score:** N/A (analysis feature; no live fixture)

NEW YORK — The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has become the NBA's test case for building a continent-spanning, franchise-based league — a model the league is now weighing for a planned European competition, BasketNews reported on July 9.

Launched in 2021 by the NBA and FIBA, the BAL remains unprofitable but is central to the NBA's push into new markets, according to BasketNews. The league plans to sell up to 12 permanent franchises to local operators in 2027, at about $50 million each, while retaining two sporting-merit places, the outlet said, citing Spain's 2Playbook.

## BAL's Finances and African Impact

The BAL, structured under a company valued at $1 billion, had burned roughly $75 million in development capital by the end of 2024 and lost about $19 million that year on $15 million in revenue — an 88% year-on-year rise, per 2Playbook. BasketNews noted criticism over slow growth, uneven attendance and delayed player payments.

Despite the losses, the league has contributed more than $250 million to Africa's GDP and created about 37,000 jobs since its launch, BasketNews reported. The NBA is now studying that template as it plots a European league in which investors and clubs would shoulder early costs.

**Sources** - https://basketnews.com/news-239795-inside-basketball-africa-league-blueprint-for-nba-europe.html - https://sourcereporters.com/sport/ - https://www.2playbook.com/competiciones/antes-de-europa-wnba-y-bal-en-africa-que-ha-funcionado-y-que-no-en-las-otras-ligas-de-la-nba_21242_102.html

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