Barack Obama is Bringing Pro Basketball to Africa

The former U.S. president will help launch the continent’s first league along with the NBA. The International Basketball Federation is also involved. The new organization will be known as the Basketball Africa League or BAL.

“I’ve always loved basketball because it’s about building a team that’s equal to more than the sum of it’s parts.  Glad to see this expansion into Africa.” -Barack Obama, via statement

The BAL will consist of 12 squads and officially start next January. Qualification tournaments will now be held to see which African nations make up the league. According to BAL rules, there may only be one team per country.