January 13, 2026
Bloomberg - NBA Starts Talks With Silverbacks on Franchise in African League
By Loni Prinsloo
Africa-focused alternative investment firm Silverbacks Holdings is in talks with the National Basketball Association to buy a franchise in its growing league on the continent, Executive Chairman Ibrahim Sagna said.
“The goal of the NBA is to ultimately find 12 buyers for its franchises and we want to be one of those,” said Sagna, who is also a co-founder of the firm. He didn’t disclose more details.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in September that the association plans to sell 12 new teams for its African league as well as the opportunity to build home arenas for them.
Under Silver’s leadership, the NBA has aggressively sought to expand its international footprint. It is pitching investors on a new European league in partnership with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, targeting team valuations of up to $1 billion, Bloomberg reported this week.
The NBA’s Basketball Africa League, founded in 2019, has played five seasons. It currently comprises 12 African teams that compete against each other in an annual tournament-style format after winning their domestic leagues, similar to the structure of the Champions League in European football. That model will change with the franchises, which are set to become permanent teams in the BAL.
Silverbacks already holds a significant minority stake in South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers, one of the top teams in the current league formation.
The private investment firm is also bringing on board actor Boris Kodjoe and South African TV producer Pepsi Pokane to invest in its sports portfolio, which spans basketball, combat sports and sports technology, according to Sagna.
Through the franchise process, the NBA wants to attract local and international investors who will bring value to the African basketball ecosystem, a spokesperson for the association said, declining to comment on the specific discussions.
An African league with more established teams would seek to create additional infrastructure and a revenue model on the continent, adding to the grassroots effort to deliver more outside players to US franchises.
The continent is home to the fastest growing and most youthful population in the world, helping to elevate the prominence of athletes and entertainers from the continent.
Programs such as the Basketball Without Borders camp discovered and developed NBA stars from Africa including Pascal Siakam and Khaman Maluach, with the latter also playing in the BAL.
Sagna and his partners started Silverbacks — which invests in technology, sports, entertainment, fashion and the creative economy — in 2019. The firm manages about $100 million in assets, with its largest holding being in African ride-hailing startup Moove.
Sagna said he is encouraging the firm’s investors, which are mostly family offices, to take part across its sectors of investment.
Hollywood producer and Silverbacks adviser Sanford Climan has moved from investing on the sports and entertainment side to also investing in Moove, while Deepankar Rustagi, a founder of e-commerce platform OmniRetail, is investing in sports, said Sagna.
Silverbacks has completed 10 investment exits to date, delivering an average of eight times cash multiple in returns, said Sagna.
“We haven’t done any exits in sports or fashion yet, but will be working to also create liquidity in these sectors within the next 36 months,” said Sagna. “In particular, we want to take our sports investments to the next level.”
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