The BAL (Basketball African league) has been in the making for years now. It was originally supposed to debut in early 2020, but Coronavirus had different plans. The BAL is now officially returning to schedule and is slated to start playing on May 16th. 

The creation of this league is very important for the spread of basketball globally. In some parts of Africa, basketball is very popular and some not. In the league, there will be 12 teams (with plans to add more in the future) and will spread throughout Africa. This also provides plenty of opportunities to young Africans as many had the skill, had the talent, but not the league. With this, it provides a start for many of the young skilled players. 

Some African players, who were lucky enough to be recognized as a global star, such as Joel Embiid, Hakeem Olajuwon, and the infamous Dikembe Mutombo and his finger wag. In earlier years, in general, any player outside of the United States was not recognized by the NBA. 

This league will also serve as a feeder league for the NBA for younger players to develop against high tier competition. Over the years, even before the idea of the league, more and more African players have been getting noticed. Even this year, the Miami Heat took Nigerian-born Precious Achiuwa with the 20th pick in the draft. It is possible that the league will be a massive success and equally as competitive as the NBA but for now, it is seen as a developing league for developing players. 

It is safe to say that this new league has plenty of potential to compete with top-notch competition.