Victor Williams

Growing up in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Victor attended the Prince of Wales Secondary School before relocating to the US to continue his education. With a passion for sports, he has friendships with prominent sports personalities in Sierra Leone and globally. Victor, who grew up in the Wilkinson Road area of Freetown, was a football fan growing up and admired renowned footballers like Atto Mensah and Brima Attouga Kamara, who have been featured in the Sierra Leone National Heroes Month - Sports Stars Edition series.

While in the US, Victor also became a fan of basketball and the NBA. In 2020, after an illustrious career in investment banking in the US and Africa, Victor combined his passions for sports and business and took up the role of CEO of NBA Africa to spearhead the NBA's growth in Africa. Despite the significant challenge, Victor's prior leadership experiences had prepared him for this role in nurturing the league's growth in Africa.

During his tenure, Williams grew the NBA’s business and presence across the continent by launching NBA Africa as a standalone entity with the support of strategic investors and partners, helped establish the Basketball Africa League (BAL) as a world-class professional league that is now in its fourth season, and expanded the league’s footprint across Africa by opening offices in Egypt, Nigeria and Senegal as well as the league’s first-ever NBA Store on the continent in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Under Williams’s leadership, NBA Africa expanded its media distribution business through partnerships with ESPN Africa and Canal+ that provide the most comprehensive NBA coverage ever on the continent, scaled the league’s Direct to Consumer streaming business, and grew its grassroots and elite youth basketball development programming that reaches millions of youths annually through programs like the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders Africa and NBA Academy Africa.

In December 2023, Victor stepped down from a role that had made him one of the most esteemed and influential sports leaders in Africa. He announced his departure from NBA Africa to pursue other interests and is currently on a well-earned sabbatical. He remains passionate about contributing to the growth of sports in Africa in his future endeavors.