Africa
National Basketball Association and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to Host First Basketball Without Borders Camp in East Africa
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced that the 21st Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa camp will be held at Petit Stade in Kigali, Rwanda, from Saturday, August 23 – Tuesday, August 26, marking the first time that the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in East Africa after previous editions in Angola, Egypt, Senegal and South Africa.
BWB Africa 2025 will bring together 60 of the top male and female players ages 18 and under from across Africa to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent. The campers and coaches, who will be announced prior to the camp, will also take part in life-skills, leadership development and social responsibility programming.
“Basketball Without Borders Africa continues to provide a platform for top young players from across the continent to continue their development and reach the highest levels of the game,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi. “We look forward to bringing this year’s camp to East Africa at a time when there is incredible momentum around the game in the region.”
We look forward to bringing this year’s camp to East Africa at a time when there is incredible momentum around the game in the region
“Basketball Without Borders plays a pivotal role in the region’s basketball development, providing top young talent with access to elite coaching and valuable growth opportunities,” said FIBA Head of Players Unit, Kimberley Gaucher. “Hosting this edition in Rwanda is particularly significant, as the country has established a strong footprint in African basketball over recent years, having hosted a FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying tournament last year, celebrated four Basketball Africa League Playoffs and Finals from 2021-2024, and also as host for both the boys’ and girls’ FIBA U-16 AfroBasket tournaments and a Regional Youth Camp this year, further underscoring its growing prominence on the continent.”
BWB Africa 2025 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear.
BWB has reached more than 4,600 participants from 144 countries and territories since 2001, with 142 former campers drafted into the NBA and WNBA or signed as free agents. Fourteen former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA and WNBA since the first BWB Africa camp in 2003, including 2023 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), 2019 NBA champion Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012) and 2025 No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach (Phoenix Suns; South Sudan; ties to Uganda; BWB Africa 2023). Seventy-two former BWB Africa campers have been featured on Basketball Africa League rosters over the league’s first five seasons.
Meanwhile, NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organisation with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and Nairobi, Kenya. The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, NBA Stores, the BAL, and more.
NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015. The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that concluded its fifth season in June 2025. Fans can follow @ NBAAfrica on Facebook and YouTube, @ nbaafricaofficial on Instagram, @ NBA_Africa on X, and @ theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
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