Basketball Without Borders returns to South Africa

The 20th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa will be held in South Africa at the American International School of Johannesburg from Saturday, 3 August to Tuesday, 6 August 2024.

The programme is a long-term collaboration between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA.)

This will be the 16th time that the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach programme will be held in South Africa.

BWB Africa camps have also been held in Dakar, Senegal (2010 and 2019), Luanda, Angola (2016) and Cairo, Egypt (2022).

BWB Africa 2024 will bring together 30 boys and 30 girls from more than 20 African countries to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the continent.

The campers and coaches, who will be announced prior to the camp, will also take part in life skills, leadership development and NBA Cares programming.

“Bringing Basketball Without Borders back to South Africa for its milestone 20th edition reflects the incredible momentum we’re seeing for basketball in the country,” said NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi.

“We look forward to welcoming some of the most talented boys and girls from across the continent for four days of high-level basketball training, competition, and leadership development that will have a lasting impact on their on-court and personal journeys.”

“Basketball Without Borders continues to be a real lever for basketball on the continent,” said FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé.

“As part of our ongoing collaboration with the NBA in Africa, which also includes the Basketball Africa League (BAL), BWB continues to elevate our sport and provide invaluable opportunities and experiences for African youth and coaches, both on and off the court. I would like to extend my thanks to NBA Africa and wish all the participants a rewarding and successful camp.”

BWB Africa 2024 will be supported by Nike, a global partner of BWB since 2002, which will outfit participants with Nike apparel and footwear, and Gatorade, which will keep players and coaches hydrated throughout the camp.

Forty-one former BWB campers were among the record 125 international players on opening-night rosters for the 2023-24 NBA season, including 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), who became the first former BWB camper to be named NBA MVP.

The others include the 2019 NBA champion Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012). In total, 13 former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA since the first BWB Africa camp in 2003, including Ulrich Chomche (Cameroon), who was selected 57th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2024 NBA Draft last month. Sixty-three former BWB Africa campers have also been featured on BAL team rosters over the league’s first four seasons.

BWB has reached more than 4 400 participants from 142 countries and territories since 2001, with 127 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA. The NBA and FIBA have staged 75 BWB camps in 50 cities across 33 countries on six continents.