NBA closing academies in Mexico, Australia; league considering Middle East, Asia as sites for new hub

The NBA is closing development academies in Mexico and Australia as it shifts its development focus on other parts of the world. The academies are set to close this upcoming July.

It will keep its academy in Senegal open as the league has made Africa a larger part of its global focus.

The league is exploring opening a new academy in another part of the world where it can improve the basketball infrastructure. It is considering the Middle East and Asia. The United Arab Emirates would make sense as a likely favorite to be that new hub, though the NBA has not settled on a choice yet.

“We are evolving the NBA Academy program’s footprint as we continue discussions to launch a new global hub for top prospects from around the world,” Troy Justice, the NBA’s head of international basketball operations, said. “Given the existing basketball infrastructures in Australia and Latin America, we are shifting our elite basketball development efforts in those regions to multi-day events and programs, including Basketball Without Borders, that will continue to positively impact elite-level players. We are incredibly proud of the NBA Academy’s impact and the successes of its student-athletes, and we look forward to continuing to provide impactful development opportunities to top prospects from Australia, Latin America and around the world.”

ESPN was the first to report the news.

The NBA opened its global academy in Australia in 2017 and its Latin American academy in Mexico City in 2018 as it looked to expand its footprint and create larger pathways to the league from those areas. Those regions, however, had strong structure and opportunities for players and the NBA is looking for places it could expand in. There are roughly a dozen players at each academy. Players who do not graduate from the academy after this year will get help from the league to be placed elsewhere.

If the NBA opens up an academy in the UAE it would further its emerging relationship with the Gulf region. The NBA has held preseason games in Abu Dhabi since 2022. Emirates Airlines sponsors the NBA Cup. The league launched junior NBA programs there. Team USA has played exhibition games in Abu Dhabi. A company promoting tourism to Abu Dhabi is the Knicks’ jersey patch sponsor.

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(Photo: Troy Taormina / Imagn Images)