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How Private Investment is sparking a new era of Basketball in Kenya.
In December 2024, Nairobi City Thunder made history as the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Tomorrow, May 17, 2025, they’ll play their first ever BAL game.
DEEP DIVE OF THE WEEK
Nairobi City Thunders
In December, Nairobi City Thunder achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL), marking a significant advancement for Kenyan basketball on the continental stage.
TRANSITION TO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
Established in 1998 as a corporate team under Kenya's National Social Security Fund, Nairobi City Thunder secured a local championship in 2000. The team later received sponsorship from the International Christian Center between 2003 and 2010, after which it operated through self-funding, reaching the conference finals in 2019. Recognizing the franchise's potential and existing fan base, American investor Colin Rasmussen, who has resided in Kenya for 11 years, led a group of investors to acquire the team under Twende Sports Limited in August 2023.
Colin Rasmussen - One of the owners of Twende Sports.
PROFESSIONALISATION AND FAN ENGAGEMENT
Under private ownership, Nairobi City Thunder became the first Kenyan basketball team to employ professional players on full-time contracts, elevating the club's professionalism. The new management prioritized team operations and fan engagement, investing in media personnel to manage social media platforms and collaborate with players to enhance their visibility. On this, a club representative commented saying:
“One of the challenges has been getting players and other personnel to be more outgoing when it comes to telling their own stories. In the beginning there was a sense of “Let me not talk about myself so much, let me not draw too much attention”. But with time they’ve come to see the importance of sharing their own stories and the team’s story in showing the country what we have to offer and building a fanbase”
This strategic focus has yielded impressive results; on Instagram, the team boasts over 24,000 followers, with individual posts receiving between 1,000 and 6,000 likes. Among the teams that participated in the previous Basketball Africa League (BAL) season, only AS Douanes has a larger standalone basketball Instagram following. However, Nairobi City Thunder surpasses in engagement metrics, effectively connecting with fans by highlighting individual players and sharing compelling narratives that resonate with their audience.
The above strategy resulted in a substantial increase in the team's Instagram following, growing from 1,900 to over 24,000 since acquisition in 2023, with monthly reach exceeding 350,000 accounts. During the BAL Elite 16 Qualifiers in November and December 2024, the team gained over 6,000 new followers.
This online engagement translated into higher game attendance. By signing top talent and enhancing the fan experience through partnerships with food and beverage vendors and hiring DJs, the team now regularly fills the 1,000-seat Nyayo Stadium, with ticket prices ranging from 200 to 1,500 Kenyan Shillings. However, the team faces challenges with revenue sharing, as the federation controls venue leasing and splits ticket revenues for league games, limiting the team's direct earnings.
REVENUE GENERATION: MERCHANDISING AND SPONSORSHIP
Nairobi City Thunder has expanded revenue streams through merchandising and sponsorships. By responding to fan feedback, the team offers merchandise priced between 2,500 and 5,000 Kenyan Shillings. Sponsorship deals with local brands such as Winko Solar, Afrospor, M-KOPA, and Turaco have further supported the team's revenue generation pipeline.
More merch can be found at the the team’s website: www.nairobicitythunder.com
IMPACT ON KENYAN BASKETBALL
The above professionalization and structure that was birthed due to private investment, has already started paying dividends to the growth of basketball in Kenya, as for the first time, the country will be represented on the continent’s premier basketball tournament in the BAL. This qualification will go a long way to display the incredible basketball talent that are coming out of Kenya, as the team’s roster majorly consist of Kenyan talents and the team has already started funneling players to the Kenyan National Team that has not participated in any continental tournament since 2021 and has never participated in any global FIBA tournaments. On this, a club representative noted:
“We believe that aside from being a funnel for talent to the national team, that the spirit of excellence and team work that we focus on cultivating will also carry into the national team through our players that are represented there”
On the path to Kenya becoming one of the powerhouse for basketball on the continent, the following comments was made:
“Firstly, we need more investment into the sport overall. This includes more teams, the league, and particularly facilities so that people have quality spaces to play in - this will also help to improve the fan experience.
We also need more concerted effort from the Federation to adopt models that make it easier for clubs to sustain themselves financially, e.g., through pursuing media and sponsorship deals, and revisiting the ticketing revenue share arrangement. Stronger clubs will help make the league more competitive, and will also result in a stronger national team, so it’s important to support the clubs to grow within a stronger league environment.”
COLLABORATION WITH THE NBA
The growth of NCT also happens to coincide with the presence of the NBA in Kenya through the establishment of its Kenyan Office in 2023. The team is also keen to forge mutually beneficial relationships with the NBA that will go a long way into forming the core of the development of basketball in Kenya. On this, a club rep stated:
“There is a lot that we could do together, from basketball clinics for young people to hosting elite camps in the region. The NBA brand is incredibly powerful, and together we can collaborate to build basketball fandom in the region from the grassroots level.
It helps that there is now a Kenyan team in the BAL, which provides more incentive for Kenyans to tune in and follow continental basketball. So we see this as a natural opportunity to capitalize on this to work with NBA Africa to grow the fanbase in Kenya.”
Basketball looks great in Kenya as the qualification shows what is possible with the right support, as the team has been very intentional with how they manage their athletes and staff so that they can create a culture of excellence and a team environment that people want to be a part of. NCT is the first fully professional basketball team in Kenya, where all players are on contracts and this has enabled the players to focus on the game and on getting even better.
This all takes financial investment and it is the hope that this success to date inspires others out there to also take the leap to invest in Kenyan basketball - there is an incredible amount of talent in Kenya that could be immensely successful if supported well.
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