The NBA will close their Global Academy in Australia and Latin American Academy in Mexico at the conclusion of their seasons in July 2025. The NBA Africa Academy in Senegal will remain intact, and a new Global hub will open in the future.
The NBA has had five draft picks from these Academies over the past three years including Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Bennedict Mathurin.
The league office and team owners are placing an increased emphasis on identifying and developing talent from nontraditional basketball countries without an existing infrastructure.
They will prioritize markets that are deemed most essential for globalizing the NBA, and in turn, producing revenue long-term, such as China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Korea and Japan.
"This is a strategic move," NBA head of international basketball operations Troy Justice said. "Changing locations and reallocating resources to be in places where we can help provide opportunities to more players in underrepresented countries. Our goal is to grow the game globally, increase the level of play around the world, and help those who need it most. We want players from 80 countries to be represented on NBA rosters, not 43, like we have now. There's so much talent out there. We just need to help support their growth."
A new NBA Global Academy hub will launch in the future in a more centrally located country relative to those priority markets, with Asia or the Middle East believed to be the most likely landing spots, and Abu Dhabi an especially strong option.