Chiney Ogwumike took on a role as a Basketball Africa League (BAL) ambassador to help grow the women’s game in Africa, and after Jana El Alfy‘s championship win with UConn Huskies, she believes the NBA’s work on the continent is turning a corner.
Born and raised in a Nigerian household in Houston, Texas, former WNBA star power forward Ogwumike has been working with NBA Africa for 11 years, attending camps and clinics. She has sensed a palpable change for the better in the attitudes of girls on the continent to basketball.
There is no NBA Academy Africa for girls or women’s BAL yet. However, Egyptian center El Alfy was the 2022 Girls MVP for Basketball Without Borders Africa in Cairo – co-organised by the NBA Africa and FIBA Africa in collaboration with the Egyptian Basketball Federation. She also attended the NBA Global Academy in Australia.
Ogwumike told ESPN: “You have two national champions [from the NBA Africa programs]. Everyone is talking about Florida Gators [and former NBA Academy Africa and BAL player] Rueben Chinyelu, but now, people…
