Nairobi — As they opened their fourth office in Africa in Nairobi on Wednesday night, NBA Kenya senior director Michael Finley believes Kenyans have every reason to be excited about the development of the sport in the country.
Finley said the office opens a new frontier for NBA to establish enthralling local and international partnerships as they strive to grow the sport in the country and continent-wide.
"We already have some partners that are excited about getting involved in this game...from the local to the large companies. They are excited about working with the NBA...we have got different development agencies looking to work with the NBA. So, in the first quarter of 2024, we will begin work with the federation (Kenya Basketball Federation) to start developing the game," Finley said.
He praised Kenya for the strides made in developing the sports at the grassroots, noting that this will bode well for their efforts to take basketball to another level in Kenya.
"Kenya, in my humble opinion, has worked hard on the grassroots development of the game than many African countries. So now with the NBA coming (opening of the office), we are able to contribute to that...add a bit of structure, bring more attention to it...hopefully, bring in more of the corporate Kenya and help grow the game," Finley said.
He further waxed lyrical of the benefits of the new office as far as talent development is concerned.
"It (NBA office) will give more young people the chance to play the game and to build on the grassroots development that has taken place so far. Then we will begin to train young coach, identify talents and give them the opportunities to showcase their talents," Finley said.
The office is NBA's fourth in Nairobi on Wednesday night following other branches in Lagos (Nigeria), Cairo (Egypt) and Dakar (Senegal).
Speaking at the same time, NBA Africa CEO Victor Williams said the decision to establish a permanent presence in Nairobi is a no-brainer in lieu of the city's potential as an epicentre of the brand's commercial growth.
"It was important for us to open an office in Nairobi because Kenya is part of the priority offices for the NBA. We selected a number of countries that we felt had a lot of potential for commercial growth and partnerships," Williams said.
Likewise, he expressed his excitement at establishing new partnerships and forging new talents in coaching and playing using the newly-established office as an avenue.
