The 2022-23 National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season features 45 games that will air on primetime in Africa as part of “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23,” marking the 10th consecutive regular season that the league has scheduled weekend games that air in primetime on the continent.
The 45 games, which start as early as 12 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CAT, will feature the league’s biggest stars, including two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player and 2021 NBA champion, Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria).
Other key players include: four-time NBA champion and 2022 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); 2021-22 Kia All-NBA First Team member, Luka Doncić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia); five-time NBA All-Star, Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon); four-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), and reigning back-to-back Kia NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia).
“The growing impact of African players in the NBA is evident every time you turn on a game. As our footprint on the continent continues to grow, the NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23 initiative is one of many ways we’re providing localized content to our passionate fans in Africa at a time that is convenient for them on the devices and platforms they use most”.
NBA Africa Senior Director, Global Media Partnerships, Kornelia Semmelink
In addition to “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23,” games that will air in primetime in Africa this season will include ‘The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022’ (Oct. 6 and 8 during the preseason), one game on the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. (Nov. 25), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 16), The NBA Paris Game 2023 (Jan. 19) and the final day of the regular season (April 9).
Record 56 games aired on primetime last season
In total, NBA games and programming reach fans in all 54 African countries through the league’s broadcast partners and NBA League Pass, which features a season-long subscription package.
During the 2021-22 season (regular season and Playoffs), a record 56 games aired on primetime in Africa. Opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 NBA season featured 14 players from Africa and more than 30 players with at least one parent from Africa.
The NBA yesterday released the complete game schedule for the 2022-23 regular season, which tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, and concludes on Sunday, April 9, 2023.
NBA Africa is a standalone entity formed in May 2021 that conducts the NBA’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010 before opening additional offices in Dakar, Senegal, and Lagos, Nigeria. 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, 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 recently completed its second season.
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