South Africa can do sport. So why hasn’t that success translated to basketball?

I look at decades without an AfroBasket medal, the NBA and BAL’s investment in South Africa, the problems facing the domestic game, and the governance failures that have left the country rebuilding its basketball system.

South Africans, I know you’ve got something to say about this one, so join the conversation.

Women’s basketball is booming globally, but how much of that growth is reaching Africa?

I look at the money, visibility and investment flowing into the women’s game, what professional basketball actually looks like for women across different African countries, and whether the WBLA can grow alongside the global boom.

What do you think: is African women’s basketball keeping pace, or are we being left behind? Let me know in the comments.

Nairobi City Thunder give us another reason to keep an eye on Kenya, I check in on some of the standout performances from African internationals playing abroad, and RSSB Tigers wrap up their Intercontinental Cup campaign in Beijing.

This week on the Afro Playbook Daily:

RSSB Tigers: A 19-point comeback sends the BAL champions into the Intercontinental Cup semi-finals.

Rivers Hoopers: Nigerian champions again and heading back to the BAL.

Kenya x NBA: President William Ruto meets NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum as basketball development and BAL franchises enter the conversation.

This is Basket: European basketball is now streaming free to fans across Africa and Asia.

Four stories. One quick catch-up before the weekend.

What does it actually cost to chase a place in the BAL?

I created a completely fictional Madagascan champion, the Island Boys, and sent them through the Road to BAL to find out just how expensive that journey could become.

Africa's BAL champions have started their Intercontinental Cup campaign with a 107–89 loss to Rytas Vilnius, but the final score doesn't tell the whole story.

I break down where the game changed, what impressed me about RSSB Tigers and what needs to improve before they face the Shanghai Sharks today.

Can the Tigers respond?

The BAL says Road to BAL will survive the move towards permanent franchises. But what will qualification actually look like when some teams are guaranteed a place every year?

OG looks at what we know, what we don’t, and why the answer could reshape African club basketball.

You heard it here first...Mali will win Women’s AfroBasket 2027, and here is why.

I’m OG, and welcome to The Afro Playbook Daily. If you love African basketball or want to discover it, this is your new weekday home. Five minutes of African basketball, five days a week.