NBA closes sole Africa training academy in blow to young players

NBA says its focus is on new global academy opening in Abu Dhabi as Africa, Mexico and Australia hit by closures.The NBA has closed its only elite training academy in Africa, less than a decade after it was launched in Senegal to prepare promising young African players for professional leagues in the United States and elsewhere.The decision to close NBA Academy Africa was a blow to students and young players across the continent, two former employees said.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Northern Nigeria’s female basketball players chase bigger dreamslist 2 of 4How a comedy of errors ‘ruined everything’ for athletes at the Asian Gameslist 3 of 4USA hold off spirited France to win Women’s Basketball World Cuplist 4 of 4Kyrie Irving will ‘take care’ of Al-Shaair’s NFL fine on Hind Rajab messageend of listMichel Chikwanine, who had been the academy’s performance and lifestyle adviser, said late on Thursday that the news discouraged African players just beginning to build confidence.“From the moment we told them, their confidence waned, their confidence dropped,” he said.Michael Abbott, former head of academic planning at the academy, said it showed a lack of commitment to the students.“They weren’t invested in them as kids as much as they were invested in the business model,” he said.In response to questions from the Reuters news agency, the NBA said the decision reflected a shift in global basketball development strategy. It has previously closed academies in Mexico and Australia. All training will be run out of a new global academy to open soon in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, it said.In its statement, the NBA added that it is continuing to invest in African talent through other programmes and closing the academy does not signal a diminished commitment to the continent.It cited examples such as the creation of a Africa-league" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="212525" data-entity-type="organization">Basketball Africa League, which has concluded six seasons, and Basketball Without Borders, which organises elite training camps for young people worldwide, including in Africa.