ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the National Basketball Association’s partnership with Rwanda to host the inaugural Basketball Africa League in 2021, in spite of the perception of Rwanda being an authoritarian regime accused of eliminating political opponents, violating human rights, and controlling access to information. The discussion contributes to our understanding of the emerging geopolitics of sport and the organizational choices businesses make in global expansion. The chapter outlines three factors that help explain the NBA’s partnership with Rwanda: (1) Diplomacy and soft power, (2) Governance over politics, and (3) Personal relationships. The discussion addresses how these factors contribute to the National Basketball Association’s business decisions, as well as how these factors might inform other sports organizations’ expansion across the world.
