Dakar(Senegal), Mar 4 (IANS): The Basketball Africa League (BAL) on Wednesday postponed the league's inaugural season -- which had been scheduled to start from March 13 -- due to coronavirus.

"Following the recommendation of the Senegalese government regarding the escalating health concerns related to the coronavirus, the BAL's inaugural season will be postponed," said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall in an official statement.

"I am disappointed we are not able to tip off this historic league as scheduled but look forward to the highly-anticipated launch of the BAL at a later date."

The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa.

The league will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation and react accordingly.

Over 90,000 cases of coronovirus have been reported globally and more than 3,000 people have lost their lives due to the deadly disease across the world.