NBA Academy Africa Shines: Abu Dhabi to Host Elite Youth Tournaments

The NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) have announced a long-term renewal to their partnership, bringing more NBA games and activities to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As part of this commitment, Abu Dhabi will host two annual basketball tournaments featuring top youth and elite players from around the world. The first of these tournaments was the 2025 NBA Academy Showcase in Abu Dhabi, which took place in September and included NBA Academy Africa (Senegal), IMG Academy (U.S.), INSEP (France), and the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.

The NBA Academy program is designed to provide a holistic approach to player development, emphasizing health and wellness, character development, and life skills. It offers young athletes the chance to learn from coaches with professional, collegiate, and international experience. The program has already seen significant success, with more than 150 NBA Academy student-athletes representing their national teams at various levels, over 100 committing to NCAA Division I schools in the U.S., and more than 40 playing or having signed to play professionally, including 15 who have reached the NBA.

This partnership and the establishment of the NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi demonstrate a commitment to growing basketball's global footprint, with a specific focus on developing talent in Africa and the Middle East. By providing elite training and competition opportunities, the NBA hopes to create pathways for more international players to reach the highest levels of the sport. The NBA Global Academy will be the global hub for the league’s NBA Academy program and will include elite development programming for up to 20 local boys, basketball development activities for local girls and residential programming for up to 24 male prospects from the rest of the world.