The Mayor of London has announced nearly £2 million of investment in basketball facilities and programmes across the capital, aimed at boosting participation and creating opportunities for young people.
The funding was revealed ahead of the NBA London Game on January 18 at The O2 Arena, where the Orlando Magic will take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the league’s first London fixture since 2019.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “Basketball continues to go from strength-to-strength in the capital and I want to use the NBA coming to our capital to create a meaningful legacy from the sport for Londoners.
“That is why I’m proud to be working alongside NBA and our partners to deliver this new investment to improve and expand access to London’s community courts – while providing free and affordable indoor sessions during winter months to keep Londoners active.
“Through my new Taskforce, I’m determined to help basketball grow even further, enabling more young people to access and enjoy the sport.
“London is the undisputed sporting capital of the world I look forward to continuing to work with the NBA to build a better and heathier London for everyone.”
The funding includes the creation of a Facilities Development Fund, with an initial £500,000 dedicated to refurbishing and upgrading basketball court across London.
Plans include installing canopies at priority locations and renovating 10 courts by the end of the year.
City Hall aims to match this funding to raise the investment to £1 million.
Another £1 million will go toward expanding the London Coaches Programme, a joint initiative with the NBA launched in 2023 to train, employ, and deploy London-based basketball coaches aged 16–30.
So far, the scheme has produced more than 500 new community coaches.
The extension aims to train 180 additional coaches and offer jobs or internships to 90 of them, with the goal of reaching over 50,000 young people in the next year.
The new NBA Court Time programme, running from February to April, will offer affordable indoor basketball sessions—just £1 per session—at six Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) centres.
Sessions will be available for youth, juniors, adults, and women-only groups.
George Aivazoglou, NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director, said: “We are proud to work alongside the Mayor to create opportunities for young people and communities across the capital to play basketball and learn the values of the game.
“Ahead of this weekend’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic at The 02, these initiatives reflect our shared commitment to inspiring the next generation of fans and players and come at a time when the momentum around basketball and the NBA in London and across the UK is at an all-time high.”
Basketball is the second-most popular team sport among young people in England, with 1.15 million playing weekly.
London alone is home to more than 500,000 active players across community, club, and school settings.
Since 2016, the Mayor has supported grassroots basketball through the £8.8 million Sport Unites programme and the more recent Go! London initiative—backed by the London Marathon Foundation, Sport England, London Marathon Events, and London Sport—that has invested over £10 million in more than 200 community organisations since 2023.
By the end of this year, Go! London expects to have reached more than 40,000 underserved young Londoners.
A Jr. NBA 3v3 tournament for schools launched last year through a partnership between the NBA and London Marathon Events, involving 174 secondary schools, with a team from every London borough.
Six months on, surveyed schools reported launching new weekly basketball clubs as a result of the programme.
NBA-branded events have filled London throughout the week and will culminate in the NBA House fan experience at Magazine London, opening from January 16 to 18.
The immersive event will feature basketball activities, appearances by NBA legends, merchandise, and a chance to see the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
