AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Basketball Africa League (BAL) has announced that the league’s historic inaugural season will tip off on Sunday, May 16 at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda with 12 teams from across Africa competing in the new professional league.
Tanzania JKT were among teams that battled it out in qualifying group for the Kigali final, but missed it after they only managed to go to the second round before making exit.
Now the 2020 National Basketball League (NBL) champions Kurasini Heat earned their place for the 2022 second BAL season whose qualifying round will be held later this year.
Tanzanian teams are waiting for their fate at second season, the BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized on the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America. According to the organisers press released that the ‘Daily News’ had its copy, said the first BAL finals will be held on May 30.
“We are thrilled that the inaugural BAL season will take place at the world-class Kigali Arena,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
“Through the BAL, we will provide a platform for elite players from across the continent to showcase their talent and inspire fans of all ages, use basketball as an economic growth engine across Africa, and shine a light on Africa’s vibrant sporting culture.”
“We are extremely happy to finally launch the highly anticipated first season of the BAL,” said FIBA Africa and BAL Board President Anibal Manave.
The competition will tip off with an 18-game group phase with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four. Teams that will compete in the inaugural BAL season are Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers-GSP (Algeria ), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Forces Armées et Police Basketball-FAP (Cameroon), Zamalek (Egypt), GNBC (Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club-GNBC (Madagascar), AS Police (Mali), Association Sportive de Sale (Morocco), Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique), Rivers Hoopers BC (Nigeria), Patriots BC (Rwanda), AS Douanes (Senegal) and US Monastir (Tunisia).
Champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia earned their participation in the inaugural season.
The remaining six teams, which come from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent in late 2019.
