The Pitch #3 - Colin Rasmussen, Nairobi City Thunder, President on the team's return to BAL & building to last.

Last weekend, Nairobi’s Kasarani 5000-seater Indoor Arena witnessed a sold-out weekend of basketball for the Road to BAL Elite 16 East Division Finals and the second qualification of the Basketball Africa League of the Nairobi City Thunder (NCT). Since the club’s acquisition by Twende Sports in 2023, it has steadily emerged as one of Africa’s most commercially progressive basketball clubs, positioning itself at the intersection of competitive success, strategic branding, and long-term infrastructure planning. While the club’s on-court rise has attracted attention, its off-court evolution offers a deeper case study in how African teams can be built into sustainable sports enterprises.

According to Founder and CEO Colin Rasmussen, the club’s recent appearance in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) was a pivotal inflexion point, not only competitively, but commercially. “The reach of BAL is global,” he said. “More people tuned in for our games than we’ve ever had, and you could feel the effect immediately.” Beyond broadcast impressions, the Thunder experienced something that many African clubs hope to one day unlock: fans travelling across borders to support a team. Hundreds of Kenyan supporters attended the Elite 16 in Kigali; some by bus, some by flight, creating an atmosphere that Rasmussen described as “one of the biggest confirmations that what we’re building has real cultural value.”

Fan Engagement as a Core Business Driver

That cultural investment has translated into measurable digital and commercial traction. Before BAL qualification, NCT had fewer than 30,000 followers across social media. Today, the club sits at over 210,000 followers, representing one of the fastest audience expansions in African club basketball. The growth has been amplified by strong domestic engagement in Nairobi, where consistent home victories and a gripping playoff run produced sold-out arenas and crowds spilling outside venue entrances.

“It’s the fan base that drives everything for us,” Rasmussen emphasised. “Momentum and engagement are essential; that’s the foundation.” The club has leaned into that philosophy by treating fan engagement not as an accessory but as a core business vertical. This approach has accelerated sponsorship growth, with partner revenue increasing four- to five-fold from last year to this year. Rasmussen credits the rise to improved visibility, better audience analytics, and the confidence brands have in a team with demonstrable community influence.

Merchandise has become an equally telling indicator of brand resonance. During the BAL Elite 16, NCT sold 138 units of merchandise, both onsite and online, with T-shirts and caps leading the way due to accessible pricing and day-to-day usability. Hoodies and premium items are growing gradually, signalling expanding depth within the supporter base. “Merch is both a revenue source and a brand tool,” Rasmussen said. “You want people wearing your brand everywhere.”

Building Infrastructure and the NCT Basketball Academy

The club’s commercial trajectory forms part of a broader scaling strategy built around infrastructure. NCT is actively pursuing the development of a dedicated multi-use indoor facility, the most ambitious project in its business roadmap. The venue will serve both as a training ground and a game-day arena, giving the club control over ticketing, customer experience, and corporate hospitality, revenues that currently sit outside club control due to third-party facility ownership. “We are intent on having our own facilities as soon as possible,” Rasmussen noted. “Without that infrastructure, we’re limited — financially and operationally.” The facility will also anchor the launch of the NCT Basketball Academy, expected to begin with boys ages 14–18 before expanding to younger groups and to girls’ programs as resources scale. The academy reflects a dual focus: professional talent development and long-term business sustainability, supported by coaching, education, and talent pathways.

Franchising, Expansion, and Africa’s Basketball Ecosystem

NCT’s timing aligns with a broader shift in African basketball as BAL moves toward a franchising model, a development that Rasmussen believes could reshape investment conditions across the continent. “If you know you’re in the league permanently, you can really invest in your brand,” he said. “From a business and fan engagement perspective, it’s extremely exciting for the continent.” The prospect of home-and-away fixtures across African cities also presents new opportunities for ticketing, travel, tourism, broadcast partnerships, and team-to-team commercial collaboration.

Across these developments, NCT has maintained a consistent philosophy: win with fans, scale through infrastructure, and commercialise momentum. The club’s strategic priorities over the next 12–24 months are clear: BAL performance, rapid advancement on facility development, and the successful launch of the academy. Each pillar reinforces the others: competitive success feeds community connection, community connection feeds commercial revenue, and commercial revenue feeds long-term investment in facilities and youth pathways.

NCT represents a growing proof point that African club basketball can operate not only as a competitive sport but as a viable business ecosystem. The Thunder are not alone in pursuing that ambition, but they are among the clubs demonstrating a roadmap to get there. As Rasmussen put it: “Basketball in Africa is creating opportunities, on the court and off it. Fans, creatives, tech talent, brands, young prospects, everyone is part of this movement. And we’re just getting started.”A Final Note