Sadiq Khan is committing almost £2 million to upgrade basketball courts, train coaches and expand low-cost access to the sport across London
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is investing almost £2 million to improve basketball facilities across the capital and widen opportunities for young people to take part in the sport, linking grassroots development to the global spotlight of the NBA’s return to London.
The funding announcement comes ahead of the NBA London Game 2026 presented by Tissot, which will see the Orlando Magic face the Memphis Grizzlies at the O2 Arena on Sunday, 18 January. It will be the first regular-season NBA game in the capital since January 2019, when the Washington Wizards beat the New York Knicks, and City Hall is positioning the event as a catalyst for long-term participation rather than a one-off spectacle.
At the heart of the new package is a Facilities Development Fund established by City Hall, providing an initial £500,000 to refurbish and upgrade outdoor basketball courts across London. The fund will focus on improving access and safety by creating more attractive community spaces, with priority given to weather-proofing solutions and the refurbishment of 10 courts. City Hall is also leading efforts to leverage additional funding to double this element of the investment to £1 million.
Alongside court upgrades, the Mayor is committing £1 million to expand his flagship London Coaches Programme, delivered in partnership with the NBA. Launched in 2023 as a three-year scheme, the programme aims to develop the next generation of basketball coaches by upskilling, employing and deploying London-based coaches aged between 16 and 30. To date, it has created more than 500 new community coaches. The expanded funding is expected to support a further 180 trainees, provide direct employment or internship opportunities for 90 coaches, and reach more than 50,000 young people over the next three years.
Further support will come through a new NBA Court Time programme running from February to April, funded by the Mayor and offering affordable indoor basketball sessions to help Londoners stay active through the winter. The £1-per-session initiative will initially operate across six GLL leisure centres and will be delivered in collaboration with the London Coaches Programme. Sessions will target young people, juniors and adults, and will include women-only slots.
To ensure the scheme reaches those most in need, London’s Violence Reduction Unit and its Young People’s Action Group have worked with the NBA legacy team to shape the programme’s delivery. The focus has been on accessibility for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, with early work including VRU-funded Pupil Referral Units attending Jr. NBA clinics. The approach links access to courts with mentoring opportunities and structured activities designed to support wellbeing, confidence and positive engagement.
The investment aligns with recommendations set out in a new report, State of Play, commissioned by the Mayor’s Basketball Taskforce, which identified barriers and opportunities for growing the sport in the capital. The Taskforce itself was launched in September 2024 following discussions with senior NBA leadership about expanding basketball’s footprint in London, and its legacy commitments are intended to translate high-profile events into sustainable community impact.
Since taking office in 2016, Khan has channelled significant funding into grassroots sport, including through the £8.8 million Sport Unites programme and the Go! London initiative, a five-year partnership launched in 2023. Go! London has already invested more than £10 million in over 200 grassroots organisations, with total investment expected to exceed £22 million, and aims to provide tens of thousands of underserved young Londoners with access to sport and physical activity.
Announcing the new basketball funding, Khan said: “Basketball continues to go from strength-to-strength in the capital and I want to use the NBA coming to our capital to create a meaningful legacy from the sport for Londoners.” He added that the investment would improve community courts, provide free and affordable indoor sessions during winter, and help the sport grow further through his Basketball Taskforce, describing London as “the undisputed sporting capital of the world”.
The NBA London Game will be accompanied by a week of fan and community activity across the capital, including NBA House at Magazine London, youth clinics, coaching development programmes and NBA Cares activities. Together, organisers say, these initiatives will reach more than 5,000 young Londoners aged 12 to 16, reinforcing City Hall’s message that the return of the NBA is not just about one night at the O2, but about embedding basketball more deeply into the city’s sporting life.
