ESPN Scores Exclusive U.S. Rights to “Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League”

ESPN has acquired the U.S. rights to Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League, a new documentary that just debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.

UPDATE – January 28, 2026:

• ESPN has revealed that Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League will premiere Wednesday, February 11 exclusively on the ESPN app.
• The docuseries will contain four episodes:
  • Episode 1: The Long Road to the BAL
    The Basketball Africa League (BAL) begins its historic first season as the stakes are set for game one.
  • Episode 2: Right Here, Right Now
    Group stages begin as players reflect on the BAL’s potential impact on Africa’s global perception.
  • Episode 3: More than a Game
    Africa’s complex history and promising future is explored as the 8-team playoff begins for the BAL.
  • Episode 4: The Stage is Set
    Africa’s complex history and promising future is explored as the 8-team playoff begins for the BAL.

Previously Reported – September 8, 2025:

• Deadline reports that ESPN has acquired U.S. rights to Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League, while Bell Media has gained the Canadian rights.
• Origin documents the creation and launch of the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America, a pan-African professional basketball league in partnership with FIBA featuring 12 top club teams from across Africa’s 54 countries competing in a caravan format.
• The film was written, co-directed and executive produced by Richard Brown (True Detective), with Tebogo Malope also directing.
• Among those featured in the documentary are President Barack Obama, a strategic partner of NBA Africa, and rapper J. Cole, who played for the Rwanda Patriots during the BAL’s inaugural season alongside four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
• The series is produced by Richard Brown’s Passenger and Fremantle, which are handling global sales on the series.

What They’re Saying:

• Amadou Gallo Fall, President of the Basketball Africa League: “The BAL is the culmination of decades of work by the NBA and FIBA to grow basketball in Africa and give aspiring African players a predictable pathway to learn the game and maximize their potential. Through these agreements with ESPN and Bell Media, fans across North America will get a behind-the-scenes look at the BAL’s historic inaugural season and the impact that the league is having on lives, communities, and economies across the continent."
• Richard Brown, co-director, writer, and executive producer: “To have ESPN and Bell Media — two of the most respected and far-reaching platforms in North America — bring Origin to audiences is truly exciting. Their belief in this series ensures this series will have the visibility and impact we hoped for; these are stories of ambition, competition, resilience and transformation."