The first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Basketball Association Africa, Victor Williams, is stepping down from his role by the end of December 2023, according to a statement released by NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Tatum.
Williams, who joined the NBA in 2020 and led the league’s expansion in Africa, will step down at the end of the year to pursue other business interests.
“We are thankful for Victor’s many contributions to the NBA over the past three years,” Tatum said in a statement released on Friday, November 24.
Before his resignation, Williams, a former Goldman banker, grew the business of the basketball association and presence across the continent by launching NBA Africa as a standalone entity with the support of strategic investors and partners, helping establish the Basketball Africa League (BAL) as a world-class professional league that is about to embark on its fourth season, and expanding the league’s footprint across Africa by opening offices in Egypt, Nigeria and Senegal as well as the league’s first-ever NBA Stores on the continent in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in South Africa.
“Under Victor’s inspiring and dedicated leadership, the league’s business and basketball development efforts across the continent experienced significant growth, highlighted by the launch of historic initiatives like the Basketball Africa League and our NBA Africa entity. Through Victor’s efforts, we have established a solid foundation for scaling our African business going forward.”
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Under Williams’s leadership, the organization expanded its media distribution business through broadcast partnerships with ESPN Africa and Canal+ that provided the most comprehensive NBA coverage ever on the continent, scaled the league’s Consumer streaming business, and grew its grassroots and elite youth basketball development programming that reaches millions of youth annually through programs like the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders Africa and NBA Academy Africa.
“It has been a privilege to work with incredible colleagues in Johannesburg, Dakar, Lagos, Cairo and around the world to take the NBA and basketball to new heights in Africa,” said Williams.
“I want to thank Adam Silver, Mark, the NBA Africa Board and our investors for supporting this exciting journey. I wish my colleagues all the best going forward and will continue to be a fan and advocate of NBA Africa and its bright future in transforming the lives of youth across the continent.”
