Africa
Basketball Africa League 2021: By the Numbers
History will be made when the first BAL season tips off today and culminates with the crowning of the first BAL champion on Sunday, May 30
The inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) (theBAL.com) season will tip off today at 4:00 p.m. CAT / 10 a.m. ET when Rwanda’s Patriots Basketball Club (BBC) takes on Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda.
Below are facts and figures about the BAL:
• 1 – History will be made when the first BAL season tips off today and culminates with the crowning of the first BAL champion on Sunday, May 30. The BAL, a partnership between the NBA and FIBA, marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America.
• 1 – Ben Uzoh, who joined Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers, is poised to become the first former NBA player to play in the BAL, having played for the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors from 2010-12. He was also a member of the Nigeria Senior Men’s National Team at the 2016 Olympics, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and FIBA AfroBasket in 2013 and 2015.
• 3 – As Official Energy Partner of the BAL, New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) and the BAL will contribute three trees for every three-pointer made during the BAL season as part of “Threes for Trees,” a collaboration with international NGO Trees for the Future.
• 8 – A roster of eight broadcast partners will air BAL games around the world: Canal+, ESPN, beIN SPORTS, NBA TV, Tencent Video, TSN, American Forces Network (AFN) and Voice of America (VOA). All BAL games will also livestream on the NBA App, the official NBA website NBA.com and the official BAL website theBAL.com.
• 9 – The BAL is working with a roster of nine world-class marketing partners: Agence France Development (AFD), Flutterwave, Hennessy, Jordan Brand, New Fortress Energy (NFE), NIKE, Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Social Nation Africa (SNA) and Wilson.
• 9 – Nine players bring NBA G League experience to the BAL’s first season: Brandon Jay Costner and Prince Ibeh (Rwanda’s Patriots BBC); Myck Kabongo and Demarcus Holland (Mozambique’s Ferroviàrio de Maputo), Ibrahima Thomas (Mali’s AS Police); Uzoh, Taren Sullivan and Robert Christopher Daniels (Rivers Hoopers); and Ater Majok (Tunisia’s US Monastir).
• 12 – The inaugural BAL season will feature 12 club teams from 12 African countries: Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia.
• 20 – A total of 20 former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa campers are on BAL team rosters, including one NBA Academy Africa prospect (Mohab Yasser Abdelaty Abdallatif of Egypt’s Zamalek).
• 21 – There are 21 BAL players with U.S. NCAA Division I experience, with 11 teams featuring at least one former Division I player.
• 22 – The inaugural BAL season will be officiated by 22 of FIBA Africa’s top referees, a group of 19 men and three women from 16 countries selected after live and video observation by the NBA’s Referee Operations Department, in partnership with FIBA and FIBA Africa.
• The season will feature a total of 26 games. The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four teams. The top eight teams from the group phase will qualify for the playoffs, which will be single elimination in all three rounds.
• 154 – BAL roster feature 154 players from 24 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S.
• 215 – The inaugural BAL season will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages.
• 7,621 – The two BAL courts have travelled 7,621 miles from Dollar Bay, Michigan, to Kigali, Rwanda.
• 23,724 – The total number of miles travelled by 11 teams to get to Kigali.
• 36,975 – Each court consists of 255 panels and weighs approximately 16.7 tonnes (36,975 lbs.).
Africa
Hub88 partners with LiveGames to enhance content offering
Hub88 has partnered with live casino supplier LiveGames, further strengthening its product offering by adding a unique range of content to its platform.
LiveGames provides fully customisable online live dealer games and branded tables including the first vertical roulette table in the sector, along with crash games and the widely played Tombola.
The supplier delivers experiences with a player-focused design, easy to use mobile interface, and high-resolution broadcasts.
The partnership will support LiveGames’ goal to further expand in international markets, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America where Hub88 has a strong presence.
The deal showcases Hub88’s commitment to grow its ecosystem of partners, offering a diverse portfolio of products and content.
Ollie Castleman, Head of Hub88, said: “We’re thrilled to unveil this strategic partnership with LiveGames which sees us add a great provider to our platform, one that utilises modern technology to offer bespoke and personalised gaming experiences to players.
“We are looking forward to collaborating and strengthening our content library with their diverse games.”
The LiveGames Team said: “Our journey started in a small studio and as a team, we are excited about now expanding to every corner of the world together with Hub88 and their extensive operator network.
“We are committed to promoting innovation in the industry and this partnership will support us on that mission.”
Africa
NE Group powers 888bets launch in Angola
NE Group, a leading B2B iGaming software supplier, has teamed up with online gambling operator 888 to launch 888bets for the Angolan market.
888Africa was originally set up to operate 888 brands in online betting and gaming markets across hand-picked regulated countries within Africa. Angolan sports bettors will now have seamless access to online sports betting through 888bets.co.ao
NE Group specialises in offering innovative, lightweight front-end solutions for best-in-class iGaming experiences. An extensive localised knowledge is the inspiration behind a platform that is renowned for flexibility and adaptation for unique African preferences. Together with 888, the platform delivers smooth gameplay across diverse data speed environments – essential for broad accessibility in Africa.
For the first time in the country, Angolan bettors will have the opportunity to experience the acclaimed Aviator crash-game on the platform. Additionally, the new site incorporates built-in features and tools for Responsible Gaming teams to monitor and support safe gaming practices
NE Group CEO Imran Bukhari said: “It’s brilliant to see the 888bets sportsbook launch in Angola to bring sports betting fans an experience they deserve. Our specialised sports betting platform and lightweight frontend solution for Africa allows 888bets to quickly scale.”
888bets added: “As a country with huge potential, we expect big things from our launch in Angola. Working with NE Group has enabled us to deliver an experience that sports bettors will love and that is enriched with engaging products.”
Africa
KingMakers’ Nigerian operating business, BetKing, selects Genius Sports to power growth with in-play trading services
New partnership sees KingMakers’ BetKing business benefit from Genius Sports’ leading portfolio of in-play content in Nigeria, including football, tennis and basketball
Genius Sports Limited has today announced a new agreement to supply KingMakers, one of the fastest-growing group of betting operators in Africa, with a range of in-play trading services.
The deal sees BetKing power its live betting product with ultra-fast venue content for the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, English Football League, FIBA basketball and every other major European and South American football league.
Genius Sports will also provide BetKing with its market-leading trading services which include modelled odds feeds for major football competitions.
With in-play sports betting growing rapidly across Africa, fast and accurate odds are vital to maximising revenues by increasing the availability of betting markets.
Tim Smeets, Trading Director at Kingmakers said “We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with Genius Sports. Their trusted trading solutions, including low-latency in-play content on crucial football leagues like the Premier League, will enable us to offer market-leading betting experiences for BetKing users in Nigeria.”
Will Westcott, Head of Business Development at Genius Sports said “Every year, we continue to invest in delivering the highest-quality trading services for the African market. With the value of in-play betting growing across Africa, we’re excited to help BetKing execute its online sports betting vision in Nigeria, by providing it with the fastest, most reliable live content on the market for major sports.”
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