South Sudanese basketball star Anunwa “Nuni” Omot is set to join APR Basketball Club ahead of the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs, Times Sport can reliably confirm. The 30-year-old forward, considered one of the top players on the continent, is expected to arrive in Kigali on Saturday, May 31, before traveling with the APR team to Pretoria, South Africa, where the playoffs will take place from June 6 to 14. ALSO READ: Noel’s clutch three-pointer sends APR to BAL playoffs Omot currently plays for the Beijing Ducks in China’s top-tier league, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). An experienced player, he has competed in the U.S., Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. He is also a key player for South Sudan’s national team, widely regarded as the best in Africa at the moment. He played a pivotal role in South Sudan’s near-upset of the U.S. national team in a 2024 friendly game, narrowly losing 100–101. He also helped lead the team to its first-ever Olympic qualification for Paris 2024. Omot played college basketball for the Baylor Bears after stints at Concordia University and Indian Hills Community College. His standout career includes an MVP season in the BAL with Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Born in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1994, Omot moved to Minnesota in 1996 with his mother and siblings, supported by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. His father was unable to join them due to medical restrictions. ALSO READ: South Sudanese basketball team in Rwanda for Olympics preparations Raised by his brother Aba while his mother worked multiple jobs, Omot initially played American football before switching to basketball. APR booked a place at the BAL playoffs after finishing second in the Nile Conference which took place in Kigali this month. At the playoffs, the army side will rub shoulders with top African teams that qualified including Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya), Al Ittihad (Egypt), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), US Monastir (Tunisia), Petro de Luanda (Angola), APR (Rwanda), Kriol Star (Cape Verde), and FUS Rabat (Morocco).
