As CEO of NBA Africa, Victor Williams oversees all the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in Africa and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and the NBA across the continent through grassroots development, media and content distribution, corporate partnerships, merchandising and licensing including the launch of NBA Stores, the growth of the Basketball AfricaLeague (BAL), and more. In May 2021, Williams oversaw the formation of NBA Africa as a standalone entity with external investment, that conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the BAL. Under his leadership, the league has opened new offices in Lagos, Nigeria and Cairo, Egypt and completed the third BAL season in May 2023. Prior to joining the NBA in August 2020, Williams was an investment banker in the US and Africa. Most recently, he served for five years as the Executive Head of Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), Africa Regions for Standard Bank Group, where he oversaw the strategy, execution and financial performance for StandardBank’s business with corporate, sovereign and institutional investor clients in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. In this pan-continental role, Williams was responsible for growing a wide range of business lines across Africa, including global markets, investment banking and transactional products and services, and helped lead Standard Bank’s expansion into Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Williams was named among the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2021 by New African Magazine.
