It has been quite some time since the NBA expanded from the bounds of the US. But can it be large enough to compete with soccer? As per an article by SportsEpreneur in January this year, soccer has a near 3.5 Billion fan base worldwide. Meanwhile, the NBA viewership for the last season, as reported by PlayToday.co was 1.59 million. Clearly a huge gap for a league as compared to a whole sport. The only way to bridge this gap is to target a larger population for viewership through league expansion. And Matt Barnes has his faith in this possibility with the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

The discussion on All The Smoke started with Noah Joakim elaborating on the importance of NBA expansion in Africa. And how it has impacted the young basketball talent on the continent. “No one has planted a flag as far as professional sports in Africa right… Soccer is probably the most watched but this is an opportunity. I mean 1.3 [billion-an estimate of population in Africa], it’s 4 times bigger than the United States (nearly 330 million),” Barnes added to Noah’s chain of thought.

The former LA Lakers star further emphasized that if the whole BAL plan works out and catches up, it may surpass Dikembe Mutombo’s expectations from the league. Unfortunately, Mutombo is no longer with us in this world. But it was his vision to witness the NBA’s growth in Africa. In fact, the Congolese-American player was part of NBA Africa. A body to charge NBA’s business in Africa, including BAL. This also included other entities like Joakim Noah, Junior Bridgeman, Luol Deng, and Grant Hill.

“This is a historic day for basketball in Africa. And I’m honored to join this special group of leaders who are committed to the continent. And to using the game to improve people’s lives,” Mutombo had said, as per CBS. Matt Barnes’ strong hope and faith for BAL may as well be a message of peace for the departed soul.

However, even if the NBA captures the entire African population’s interest, it’d still fall short in front of soccer’s fan base. So are there any other expansion plans in the pipeline? Well, not as per the recent updates by Arabian Business. 

NBA management dismisses the rumors surrounding potential league expansion in Saudi

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest NBA rumors, you might have heard some chatter about the league expanding into Saudi Arabia. But don’t get too excited—those rumors have been officially put to rest.

In a recent interview with Arabian Business during the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum cleared the air. “We don’t have any current plans to play games in Saudi Arabia,” he said. That’s right—while NBA games are being broadcast in Saudi Arabia as part of a media deal, the league isn’t planning to take the action in the Kingdom anytime soon.

The rumors had fans speculating that Saudi Arabia might be in talks to either host games or even invest in the league. But for now, the NBA’s focus in the region is on Abu Dhabi, where they’ve been holding exhibition games for four straight years. With a complete expansion focus being on Africa, Matt Barnes’ desire may come true in the coming years.

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Stay tuned for more updates. Join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.