Luanda, Angola | September 14, 2026
LeBron James brought global star power to Luanda as Angola hosted the E1 World Championship at the weekend, with organisers hoping the electric powerboat racing series can attract more tourists, investment and business to the country.
The 41 year old NBA star was among the high profile figures who attended the first E1 race in southern Africa. The championship made its African debut in Lagos, Nigeria, last year.
E1 chief executive Jamie Copas said James’ presence was valuable because of the huge audiences commanded by celebrity team owners.
“It’s not a short trip, but he [LeBron] is here because he believes in what we’re doing,” Copas told BBC Sport Africa in Luanda.
“You can’t underestimate the value of it. They [the celebrity owners] come with huge followings.”
James is an owner in the E1 championship alongside other international sports and entertainment figures including Rafael Nadal, Tom Brady, Didier Drogba, Virat Kohli and actor Will Smith.
The series is designed to combine competitive electric boat racing with a focus on sustainability and green technology. The boats race on tight courses at speeds approaching 100kmph.
James said his first visit to Angola had been “super welcoming” and included a trip to the National Museum of Slavery.
“Obviously there is a lot of history here,” the new signing for the Philadelphia 76ers told local media.
“A lot of history that not only is here in the country but also [crosses] over to America.”
The arrival of one of basketball’s most recognisable figures generated significant interest among Angolans. Basketball has a particularly strong following in the country, whose men’s national team won a record extending 12th African championship on home soil last year.
Spectators at the Clube Naval de Luanda gathered for a glimpse of James, while local media also took interest in an event that had previously been outside the country’s mainstream sporting conversation.
Omar Prata, a journalist with Novo Jornal covering the race, said E1 only caught his attention after Smith’s Westbrook Racing team announced in March that it had reached an agreement to race in Luanda for the next three years. The team is sponsored by Visit Angola.
“I see the potential it could bring to project the city at a time when the government is trying to work on tourism,” Prata said.
“And of course it means a lot to have LeBron James here. Angolans have seen him on television, they try to emulate him on the street courts, they have his posters.”
Angola targets longer term benefits
E1’s celebrity owners are helping expose a relatively niche sport to international audiences. The championship’s calendar includes established destinations such as Miami, Monaco and Lake Como, making Luanda a less traditional addition to the international circuit.
For local resident Edson Cabeta, the race was an entirely new experience.
“It is the first time I have seen anything like this,” he said.
“Today it is foreigners doing this; tomorrow, perhaps we could have an Angolan team.”
The Angolan government hopes the event can contribute to its wider tourism strategy by increasing international awareness of the country.
Tourism Minister Marcio de Jesus Lopes Daniel described greater international awareness as the “first step” in a longer term effort to attract visitors, investors and businesses.
“Our ambition is not simply to make Angola famous,” Daniel told the BBC.
“It is to make Angola more desirable to visit, invest in and do business in.”
Angola has previously invested in major international sporting events to raise its profile. Last November, the country hosted Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a football friendly marking 50 years of independence.
Daniel said it was too early to determine the economic impact of the E1 race.
“It is premature to assess the economic impact of this weekend’s race,” he said.
“An event of this scale generates demand across several sectors and it creates opportunities,” he added.
“We want to turn the international attention generated by E1 into future trips, stays, private investment and jobs. That is the real return we are looking for.”
E1 faces sustainability questions
Beyond the racing spectacle, E1 has positioned sustainability and marine conservation as central elements of its championship.
Activities linked to the Angolan event included mangrove restoration, although the series’ environmental ambitions have also attracted scrutiny because several of its host countries are major oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, the United States, Nigeria and Angola.
“The world’s on a journey,” Copas said.
“We’re welcomed in places that do have a lot of fossil-fuel infrastructure.
“Each one of those markets is conscious of it and wants to be doing more from a green point of view. If we can help, why wouldn’t we?”
Copas said E1 tries to limit air freight to exceptional circumstances when moving teams between races. The championship also seeks to demonstrate that electric charging technology can provide a viable alternative to diesel powered boats.
However, the expansion of the championship has also increased its own carbon footprint.
According to E1’s annual sustainability report, the series’ emissions increased from 1,672 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in its first season to 4,049 tonnes in its second season as it expanded to 10 teams and seven races in 2025.
“We need to travel to meet new people, to tell our stories, which we would hope would be of greater benefit than the carbon footprint that we have,” Copas explained.
“We work really hard to offset our carbon and to make sure every stage of our logistics journey is done in the most sustainable way.
“It would be crazy for us to say we’re not going to travel and we’re not going to race, because then we can’t do the job that we’re here to do.”
E1 acknowledges that further work is needed to reduce emissions while maintaining an international championship that requires teams and equipment to travel between host cities.
E1 seeks lasting African presence
The championship’s future in Africa also faces some uncertainty. E1 was scheduled to return to Lagos in October, but the Nigerian race was cancelled earlier this month.
The cancellation means it could take longer to assess the championship’s long term impact on the continent, although its celebrity owners have already generated considerable attention in Luanda.
Smith visited his pilots before stopping to take selfies and shake hands with fans, telling the crowd it was “great to be here”.
Westbrook Racing, however, was unable to secure victory in Luanda after a mechanical problem ended its challenge. Team Brady won the inaugural Luanda race.
For E1, the immediate sporting result was only one part of a broader effort to establish electric powerboat racing in new markets.
Copas said the championship wants to build a relationship with Angola that extends beyond the few days surrounding the race.
“I think it’s for us to help tell Angola stories, and for Angola to help tell ours.
“We will be back next year, we will be back the year after. It’s not just about what we’re doing in the few days we’re here.
“We’d love to see the journey they’re on develop even more, and us playing a part in that.”
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