Ruto Signs Deal With NBA to Open Office in Nairobi
Kenya has signed an agreement with the National Basketball Association (NBA) of the United States that will enable the NBA to establish an office in Nairobi and aid in the development of basketball in Kenya.
Ababu Namwamba and NBA Africa chief executive Victor Williams signed the agreement, making Kenya the second nation in the region to have a comparable arrangement after Rwanda.
The agreement was witnessed by President William Ruto on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“The signing of an agreement with the National Basketball Association (NBA) will facilitate the development of basketball infrastructure in Kenya, with the capacity to host top-level competitions,” Ruto noted.
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The NBA will collaborate with community organizations and educational institutions to promote athletics as part of the Ministry’s Talanta Hela Initiative.
NBA will also train coaches, develop basketball courts, and conduct competitions.
The Association administers the thirty-team professional basketball league in the United States and Canada.
It is the most prestigious basketball competition in the world, and its coaches and players are among the highest-paid athletes.
As part of its agreement with Rwanda, the Association donated an indoor basketball court earlier this year to help develop the sport in the East African nation.
Rwanda was also the first country on the continent to host a Basketball Africa League tournament in 2021, placing it on the sports map of the world.
On the margins of the UNGA, Ruto signed several agreements that, according to his supporters, will increase foreign investment in the country.
This is the country’s first significant sports contract since Ruto took office.
Ruto Signs Deal With NBA to Open Office in Nairobi