WASHINGTON—Covington advised the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the recently announced formation of NBA Africa. The new entity will conduct the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL) – a partnership between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
The NBA expects that the new entity will contribute to the growth of the BAL, help expand the NBA’s presence in priority African markets, and deepen the league’s engagement with players and fans through initiatives such as the launch of additional NBA Academies and social responsibility efforts that improve the livelihoods of African youth and families, including advancing gender equality and economic inclusion.
The formation of NBA Africa furthers the NBA’s commitment to growing the African basketball ecosystem and driving economic development across the continent. The NBA has a decades-long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg in 2010. Since then, the league’s efforts in Africa have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through grassroots and elite development, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, and the launch of the BAL.
The Covington team advising the NBA included Jeremy Spector, Lauren Ross, Elnaz Manoucheri, Kevin Zaragoza, Lee Kelley, Adam Kern, and Shae Qian (Tax); Peter Zern, Joe Gangitano, and David Simon (Corporate); Brian Rosenzweig and Kamron Cox (Securities); Marie Lavalleye (Trademark); Ben Haley (Anti-Corruption); and Mike Francese (Employee Benefits).
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