NBA Academy Africa


The NBA Academy Africa is a basketball team and academy operated by the National Basketball Association, located in Saly, Senegal. Opened in 2017, the academy offers both education and basketball training. 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.
Since 2022, the academy has a program called BAL Elevate with the Basketball Africa League, that allows each BAL team to select an academy player to feature on its roster during the season. 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. 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. In the 2025 NBA draft, alumni Khaman Maluach was drafted 10th overall by the Houston Rockets, becoming the highest drafted player from the academy.

Players

2022 roster

In November 2022, the NBA Academy Africa fielded the following roster playing in the 2023 BAL qualification.

Drafted into the NBA

YearRoundPickPlayerNationalityDraft team
2024257thUlrich ChomcheCameroon

Notable alumni

Ibou Badji – center who played for the Portland Trail Blazers, currently plays in SpainJean Jacques Boissy – guard who plays in LibyaKurt-Curry Wegscheider – guard who plays in the Central African RepublicMohab Yasser – guard who plays in EgyptBabacar Sané – forward who plays in TunisiaUgonna Onyenso – center for the Virginia CavaliersThierry Serge Darlan – guard in the NBA G-LeagueMohamed Keita – center for the Temple OwlsRueben Chinyelu – center for the Florida GatorsVictor Ezeh – guard who played in NigeriaUlrich Chomche – center for the Toronto RaptorsKhaman Maluach – center for the Phoenix Suns

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.