BAL Future Pros Season 6
BAL Future Pros Program Overview
For Season 6, early-career professionals in Senegal, Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa will join the BAL for a year-long program offering experiential learning and the opportunity to build valuable networks within the sports industry.
As part of building a robust sports ecosystem across Africa, this program allows BAL Future Pros to gain first-hand insight into BAL operations, to work on one of the most impactful sports events in Africa and create lasting professional connections worldwide.
BAL Future Pros Program Objective
As the first NBA-affiliated league outside of the Americas, the BAL represents more than just basketball. We are spearheading the creation of an expansive sports ecosystem in Africa. The BAL Future Pros program offers participants the opportunity to gain behind-the-scenes knowledge of our operations, and expand their professional networks during this 12-month program.
Program participants will gain:
Eligibility Criteria
BAL Departments
BAL departments oversee on-court activities, manage media partnerships, marketing, community programming and various functions that ensure the BAL’s success. In the upcoming BAL Season 6, the following departments will allow the opportunity to apply for the BAL Future Pros.
| POSITIONS | COUNTRY |
| Digital Content Future Pro | Kenya |
| Graphic Designer Future Po | Kenya |
| Project Management Future Pro | Kenya |
| Ticketing Sales Future Pro | Senegal |
| League Operations Future Pro | Senegal |
| Guest Experience Future Pro | South Africa |
| Project Management Future Pro | South Africa |
| Business Development & Marketing Partnerships Future Pro | South Africa |
| Merchandising & Licensing Future Pro | South Africa |
| Media Distribution Future Pro | South Africa |
| Project Management Future Pro | Egypt |
Learn from our last BAL Future Pros Cohort...
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Ahmed Wael AbdelGelli, Project Manager Egypt
What strategies did you use to keep workflow efficient when multiple departments had urgent needs simultaneously? As a Project Manager, I had the privilege of gaining exposure across multiple departments from Basketball Operations to Marketing Partnerships while traveling to all markets throughout the season. This unique experience often required me to juggle urgent priorities from different teams. To stay efficient, I created a project tracker that enabled me to prioritize daily tasks and complete deliverables by due dates. I also kept communication with managers transparent, ensuring they were consistently informed, which helped set realistic timelines and align expectations. When unexpected needs arose, I adapted quickly without compromising quality. This balance of flexibility and organization not only kept things efficient but also became one of the most valuable learning experiences of my Future Pro journey.
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Andile Mcobothi, Project Manager South Africa
How did you coordinate with international teams and stakeholders to deliver a seamless Playoffs and Final experience? Coordinating with an international team across multiple time zones required careful pre-planning, clear communication, and consistent collaboration across all departments. One of the main challenges was aligning schedules to set up calls especially during the BAL season. Through this experience, I came to see my role as both a facilitator and an enabler as I was documenting facts, identifying and communicating risks while creating space for critical conversations. Delivering a seamless Playoffs and Finals experience relied on progress tracking, real-time reporting, and strong cross-continental coordination. Contributing to the execution of the BAL Playoffs and Finals as a Future Pro Project Manager has been instrumental in exposing me to hands-on experience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
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Diahara Traore, PR & Communications Future Pro
How did you ensure consistent messaging while managing media relations in countries with different cultural contexts? To ensure consistent messaging across diverse cultural contexts, I established a strategy anchored in the key messages we wanted to communicate. While the message itself remained consistent, I worked closely with our local media partners to adapt tone or delivery as needed while learning more about practices within each country’s cultural context. Additionally, I further strengthened these adaptability skills through the Future Pro program where cross-departmental collaboration and early engagement with stakeholders were integral even before the season began. This experience not only sharpened my ability to adjust communication styles without compromising consistency but also underscored the importance of cultural awareness in building relationships.
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Mohamed Diokhane Sy, Content & Digital Production Future Pro
How do you decide which moments are worth capturing and sharing to best showcase the BAL brand? Every moment carries its own weight; each one belongs to the larger story we are here to tell. A script can set the stage, but at the BAL the real story often reveals itself in the arena. I let the energy move me, listening to the rhythm of the game and the people around it. What makes it possible is the space my manager and team give me: trust, freedom, and , the environment that lets my creativity breathe. In that space, I can feel more, see more, and allow the moment to paint the picture. And when it finally shows itself, my role is simply to carry that feeling to the world.