The NBA that has struggled to get its content on South and Southern African TV screens since ESPN dumped South Africa and Africa and went dark om MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform doesn't have a big following in South Africa or sub-Saharan Africa but is trying to get more exposure for the game on the continent since it opened a regional office in Johannesburg a few years ago.
The NBA in Africa apparently started some type of Africa league with 12 club teams in February. An NBA Academy Africa opened in May 2017.
The NBA's NBA Africa YouTube channel will stream 2 live NBA games per week in sub-Saharan Africa of what's left of the 2018/2019 basketball championship season starting on 24 March, that will include playoffs, conference finals and the finals.
The first live games shown will be on 24 March with the Charlotte Hornets against the Boston Celtics at 12:00, followed by the L.A. Clippers against the New York Knicks at 18:00.
NBA documentaries that will be shown for instance profiling players like Nigeria's Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The NBA is working with Google's YouTube to provide original basketball content.
"The NBA Africa YouTube channel is yet another important milestone for the NBA in Africa and will allow more fans to access our games, live and on-demand, across the continent," says Amadou Gallo Fall, NBA managing director for Africa.
"As we enter the home stretch of the NBA season and teams fight for playoff positioning, we look forward to bringing the excitement of the NBA to more fans in sub-Saharan Africa while celebrating the NBA's rich history and bright future in Africa."
Dayo Olopade, the manager of YouTube partnerships in Africa at Google, says "From inception, YouTube has been a hub for fans to catch up on moments and coverage from their favourite sports. We are delighted to be partnering with the NBA to bring the action and inspiration of basketball to our audience in Africa."
"We hope NBA fans on the continent enjoy watching the live games and commentaries on YouTube."
