For several years, the NBA has set up academies in various places around the world to find new talents who will enrich the league in the future. This program will now take a new turn, confirmed Troy Justice, the international gentleman of the NBA, at ESPN.
There were up to seven NBA academies around the world: three in China, one each in Senegal, India, as well as Mexico and Australia. All this will change in July 2025, since those installed in Australia and Mexico in 2017 and 2018 will then be closed.
To justify the choice to close the Australian academy (Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels have been there), in addition to financial questions, the NBA explains in particular that it was difficult to convince the families of young talents to send their children to the other side of the world. And that, given the distance, logistics and transport for events elsewhere on the planet were complex.
An academy soon to open in Abu Dhabi?
While the league is closing these two academies, it has plans to open another one elsewhere. The focus will be on countries which do not have a great basketball tradition and which have few good infrastructures.
“It’s a strategic decision. We will change locations and reallocate our resources to be present where we can help provide opportunities to more players in under-represented countries,” confirms Troy Justice. “Our goal is to grow the game of basketball globally, raise the level of play around the world and help those who need it most. We want 80 countries to be represented in the NBA, not 43 as is the case today. There is so much talent in the world, we just have to contribute to their development. »
For its new academy, the NBA could therefore turn to Asia: China, India, Singapore, the Philippines or even South Korea and Japan. But also towards the Middle East and more precisely towards Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Several preseason and even Team USA preparation matches have been organized there in recent years. We can also add that the NBA mid-season tournament was recently renamed the “Emirates NBA Cup”. Therefore, setting up the “Global Academy” in Abu Dhabi would make sense.
“We look at everything. There is nothing concrete or specific at the moment, but we know that much more can be done. Asia and the Middle East are regions that connect everything and it's the center of many places we need to be.”concludes Troy Justice.
