South African basketball followers and enthusiasts will continue to enjoy the sport after NBA Africa and ESPN Africa announced a multi-year agreement that will see DStv broadcast a record of more than 180 NBA regular season and playoff games each season.
Included in the package to be aired is the entire Conference semi-finals and finals, beginning with the 2022-23 NBA season.
As part of the agreement, ESPN Africa will broadcast all 45 games live in primetime in Africa this season, as part of NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23, which features games starting as early as 7pm CAT and the league’s biggest stars.
Additionally, ESPN2 will air the NBA Christmas Day games, NBA All-Star, the Play-In Tournament, the weekly magazine show NBA Action, the NBA Draft and the multi-game live look-in programme NBA 360.
ESPN2 will broadcast 30 classic games each season and will continue to deliver marquee US-produced studio programming covering NBA news and updates, including SportsCenter and NBA Today.
Viewers and armchair followers of the sport across Africa will also have access to new localized NBA programming.
In addition, the ESPN website will feature original content covering NBA Africa events on the continent, including youth and elite basketball development programming, NBA player and legend appearances, and more. The complete NBA 2022-23 game schedule, including 45 primetime weekend games in Africa.
“As the home of American sports in Africa, ESPN is committed to showcasing the very best in premier sporting content through a uniquely diversified and exciting portfolio of sporting leagues to audiences across Africa,” said Kyle De Klerk, the director of sports commercial and business at The Walt Disney Company Africa.
“This extended broadcast agreement with NBA Africa expands on this promise, and the exhilarating new programming on offer will give fans across the continent even more opportunity to share in the passion and excellence of this renowned league,” he said.
NBA Africa senior director of global media partnerships Kornelia Semmelink, said: “ESPN Africa airing a record number of NBA games and providing more locally-relevant content to our fans underscores the momentum for the NBA in Africa and will help us continue to grow the game across the continent.
“Through this expanded collaboration, we will make the excitement of the NBA more accessible to fans in Africa on the devices and platforms they use most, including in primetime.”
NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23, the league’s initiative to schedule weekend games in primetime in Africa, will air on ESPN2 and includes:
- Sunday, 27 November: Four-time NBA champion and 2022 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry, four-time NBA All-Star Draymond Green, five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors visit three-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, three-time NBA All-Star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert (France), 2020-21 NBA All-Rookie First Team member Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves at 10.30pm.
- Sunday, 25 December: Four-time NBA champion and finals MVP LeBron James, 2020 NBA champion and eight-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers visit 2021-22 All-NBA First Team member Luka Doncić and the Dallas Mavericks at 9.30pm on Christmas Day, followed by an NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23 rematch in Dallas on 26 February at 10.30pm.
- Saturday, 14 January: Six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, 2020 NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo, 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat host two-time Kia NBA MVP and 2021 NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo, three-time NBA All-Star Khris Middleton, four-time NBA All-Defensive Team member Jrue Holiday and the Milwaukee Bucks at 8pm.
- Saturday, 28 January: Reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets visit five-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid, 2017-18 NBA MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star James Harden and the 76ers at 10pm as part of NBA Rivals Week. Embiid and Jokić were the top two 2021-22 Kia NBA MVP finalists, with Jokić winning the award for the second consecutive season.
- Sunday, 12 February: Three-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum, 2021 NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics host 2022 NBA All-Star Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at 9pm.
- Sunday, 5 March: Curry, Green, Thompson and the Warriors visit Davis, James and the Lakers at 10.30pm.
- Sunday, 9 April: Three-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker, 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns host George, Leonard and the Clippers at 9.30pm.
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