Genius Sports has signed an agreement to be the official provider of real-time statistics for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The BAL, which began its first season on May 16, will receive real-time statistics through Genius Sports’ International Basketball Federation (Fiba) LiveStats data collection tool. This tool will capture play-by-play statistics, including shot locations, fouls, and turnovers, at every BAL game. The data collected will be used to power the BAL’s website, live broadcasts, media partnerships, and in-arena scoreboards.
Mark Locke, the CEO of Genius Sports, expressed his pride in being involved with the BAL, which aims to showcase and develop basketball talent from across Africa. Genius Sports has been working closely with Fiba for over 15 years to drive the development of basketball worldwide. This partnership with the BAL will further expand the sport’s reach and profile.
The BAL is a collaborative effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Fiba, featuring 12 teams from various African countries. Six teams automatically qualified for the inaugural BAL season as champions from national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. The remaining six teams earned their places through BAL qualifying tournaments held in Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, and Rwanda. The first BAL Finals will take place on May 30.
