Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has become an investor in Nairobi City Thunder, adding one of Kenya’s most internationally recognised figures to the ownership group of the country’s leading basketball clubs.
Nyong’o announced the investment on Instagram, saying she was proud to back the team ahead of the Kenyan Basketball League finals. She also highlighted Nairobi City Thunder’s achievement as the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents and raised in Kenya, Nyong’o has maintained strong ties to the country throughout her international acting career. Her investment brings additional visibility to a club that has increasingly positioned itself as part of Kenya’s ambitions to build a stronger professional basketball ecosystem.
Nairobi City Thunder made history by becoming the first Kenyan club to reach the BAL. The club was established in 1998 and was acquired by Twende Sports in 2023. It has since won consecutive Kenyan league titles and expanded its ambitions beyond the domestic competition.
Nyong’o’s investment comes amid renewed attention to Kenya’s relationship with the NBA and BAL.
During the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, President William Ruto met NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum to discuss Kenya’s partnership with the NBA, the development of NBA Africa and BAL franchises, and plans to expand basketball from grassroots programmes to the professional level.
The discussions also covered proposed sports infrastructure, including the Railway City multi-purpose arena, refurbishment of the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and continued investment in basketball courts across Kenya.
Ruto has also been publicly supporting Kenyan basketball players on the international stage. He attended an Atlanta Dream game in New York this week alongside Tatum and NBA Africa representatives to watch Kenyan player Madina Okot, who plays for the WNBA team.
The developments come as Kenya seeks to strengthen its basketball pipeline from grassroots participation to professional competition.
For Nairobi City Thunder, Nyong’o’s investment adds another high-profile figure to a project already backed by private ownership and focused on expanding the club’s sporting and commercial footprint.
The investment does not itself establish any change to the BAL’s future franchise structure, but it comes at a time of increased attention on the league, Kenya’s basketball infrastructure and the potential for greater private-sector involvement in the sport.
With Nyong’o now part of the club’s investment group, Nairobi City Thunder enters its next phase with increased international visibility as it continues building its presence in Kenyan and African basketball.
