Basketball Africa League (BAL) President Amadou Gallo Fall was recognized with the Naismith Legacy Award during the 2023 Global Sports Summit in Barcelona, Spain earlier this week.
The Naismith Legacy Award is presented to basketball players, coaches and other individuals or organizations honoring the recipient’s role in furthering the values of honor, respect and integrity on and off the court.
Since leading the BAL’s historic launch in May 2021, Fall has overseen the BAL’s business and basketball operations, leading its efforts to build a comprehensive basketball ecosystem in Africa.
Prior to being named BAL President in May 2019, Fall was Vice President & Managing Director of NBA Africa, where he worked with local federations, corporations, NGOs and other key stakeholders to grow the game of basketball across the continent.
He helped open the NBA’s office in Johannesburg in 2010 and over the next decade oversaw the league’s grassroots development efforts and partnerships with marketing, media and consumer products companies in Africa.
The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that completed its third season in May 2023.
On May 27, Egypt’s Al Ahly defeated Senegal’s AS Douanes 80-65 to win the 2023 BAL Finals, which took place at BK Arena and reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages.
Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.
