The Basketball Africa League (BAL), associated with the NBA, is back in 2025! Here`s a summary of what you need to know, covering news, dates, scores, and player insights throughout the league.
Host Cities and Dates
South Africa will be the exciting host for the BAL playoffs and finals in June 2025. This time, the finals move from Kigali, Rwanda, which usually hosts them. Morocco is a new host country this year, while Egypt is not included in the list of host nations.
Conference and Playoff Schedule:
- Kalahari Conference: Rabat, Morocco – April 5-13
- Sahara Conference: Dakar, Senegal – April 26 – May 4
- Nile Conference: Kigali, Rwanda – May 17-25
- Playoffs and Finals: Pretoria, South Africa – June 6-14
Participating Teams
Here are the teams competing in each conference:
Conference Teams:
- Kalahari Conference: Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), FUS Rabat (Morocco – hosts), Stade Malien (Mali), Al Ittihad (Egypt).
- Sahara Conference: Petro de Luanda (Angola – defending champion), US Monastir (Tunisia – 2022 champion), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal – hosts), Kriol Star (Cape Verde).
- Nile Conference: APR (Rwanda – hosts), Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya), MBB (South Africa), Al Ahly Tripoli (Libya). MBB and Al Ahly Tripoli are debutants.
Match Highlights and News
Match Reports:
- Al Ittihad continues their winning streak with a close victory over Stade Malien.
- BAL host team FUS Rabat loses their opening game against Al Ittihad of Egypt.
- Rivers Hoopers from Nigeria win against Stade Malien in their first game of BAL season 5.
Latest News:
- Rivers Hoopers of Nigeria to start the Kalahari Conference in Morocco.
- MBB hires Sam Vincent, former assistant coach from the Mavs, as Head Coach.
- Pieter Prinsloo from South Africa hopes to play in BAL after his time with REG.
- South Africa will host the BAL finals in 2025.
Player and Coach Interviews
Insights:
- Rivers Hoopers coach Odaudu emphasizes that anything less than reaching the Finals will be considered a failure.
- Rivers Hoopers from Nigeria are determined to improve on their third-place finish in the 2024 Basketball Africa League season and aim for the championship. After their third-place finish last year, they are focused on reaching and potentially winning the Final in the 2025 tournament. They secured their spot in the 2025 BAL by winning their sixth national championship, defeating Hoops and Read in the NBBF Final 8 title game.
