BasketballCourts as a new sponsorship currency
A clean-water company became NBA Africa's infrastructure partner in the DR Congo by funding basketball courts.
Sponsorship is not only about logos on shirts. In October 2026, NBA Africa named Quest Water Global its Official Infrastructure Development Partner in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The deal
The partnership will build or renovate 55 full-size and 3-on-3 basketball courts across the DR Congo by 2030. The first court was unveiled on 29 September 2026 at Cercle Onatra in Kinshasa, in honour of basketball legend Dikembe Mutombo.
A much bigger programme
NBA Africa has pledged 1,000 new or renovated courts across the continent over the next decade. Programmes of this size usually need several partners, country by country.
What it means for brands
Brands with no link to sport can earn an official title by funding facilities that communities use every day. And a local sporting hero's story, like Mutombo's, gives the programme an emotional hook that a logo alone cannot.
Source: NBA Africa press release, 5 October 2026. Figures as reported by the source.
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