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UDC Alum – NBA Africa President
A Senegalese native, Amadou Gallo Fall is NBA President of Africa. He oversees the NBA’s grassroots basketball development initiatives and its partnerships with marketing, media and consumer product companies in Africa. Fall has been working in this capacity since January 2010 and is currently based at the NBA Africa office in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Discovered at a basketball camp in Africa by a member of the Peace Corps, Fall went on to play for the University of the District of Columbia, where he played center on the basketball team. The proud Firebird graduated magna cum laude from UDC.
In 1997, Fall put together a Senegal team that won the African Championship. Prior to joining the Mavericks, he worked in Senegal with the Ministry of Youth and Sport.
Before joining the NBA as its vice president of development in Africa, Fall worked with the Dallas Mavericks as their director of player personnel and vice president of international affairs. He also worked in Africa with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders, a developmental program that goes beyond the sport to encourage education and social responsibility.
Prior to his 12 years with the Mavericks, he worked with the Senegalese Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Senegalese Basketball Federation. The national team he assembled went on to win the 1997 African Championship and participated in the 1998 World Championships in Greece.
He is using his leadership at the NBA to continue to spearhead the effort to increase the popularity of basketball in Africa.
Fall is the founder of SEED (Sports for Education amd Economic Development), a global non-profit organization established in 1998 with the mission of using sport as a vehicle to inspire, empower and support the holistic development of promising African youth, preparing them to become global citizens. To date, SEED has 100 alumni living across 16 countries in North America, Europe and Africa, who without the support of SEED, might have never had the opportunities to acquire the quality of education that they received from SEED, or have the opportunity to further their academic and professional careers abroad. In total, SEED has served more than 2,000 students through its various programs.
Underpinning Fall’s drive for using sport as a vehicle to access better opportunities is the inspiration which he draws from intellectuals who have gone before him. It is this wisdom that has helped to shape his academic and professional life and inspired him to aspire for greatness not simply for greatness’ sake, but in part to serve as an example to Africa’s youth to help them aim for higher and bolder dreams.
“My story is a testament to the power of sports,” Fall said, “and to sport as a tool for development.”
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