The 2023 BAL season concluded on Saturday, May 27 with Al Ahly crowned champions after beating AS Douanes 80-65 in the final at BK Arena. Besides the championship, a number of individuals walked away with top prizes to culminate a season that saw twelve clubs compete over 38 games across three African cities. Omot wins MVP Al Ahly’s Nuni Omot was named the 2023 BAL Most Valuable Player. The South Sudanese forward highlighted the All-BAL First Team alongside AS Douanes' Chris Crawford and Jean Jacques Boissy, Aliou Diarra (Stade Malien) and Dane Miller (SLAC). ALSO READ: My two cents: When Al Ahly’s Omot caught fire, AS Douanes fell in a hole Omot led Al Ahly with a game-high of 22 points to help the Egyptian champions beat AS Douanes 80-65 in the 2023 BAL final. He averaged 18.9 points in eight games. Perry Wins Sportsmanship Award William Perry, who set a record for most three-points made in a single game, during a 102-92 win over SLAC, received the Manute Bol Sportsmanship award. Diarra Wins Defensive Player of the Year Aliou Diarra, one of the top performers of the 2023 BAL season, won the Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to his defensive recognition, Diarra emerged as one of the top performers of the season, becoming the first player in the history of the competition to register eight straight double-doubles. Diarra averaged 18.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.3 block shots per game. All-BAL Defensive Team The All-BAL Defensive Team consisted of Childe Dundao (Petro de Luanda), Jean Jacques Boissy (AS Douanes), Samkelo Celo (Cape Town Tigers), Aliou Diarra (Stade Malien) and Ater Majok (Petro de Luanda). Coach of the Year Mamadou Gueye won the 2023 BAL Coach of the Year. The AS Douanes head coach led his team to a 3-2 record in the Sahara Conference group phase before defeating Mozambique’s Clube Ferroviário da Beira (CFV-Beira) and Petro de Luanda to advance to the finals. Gueye finished the 2023 season with a 5-3 record. City Oilers guard Falando Jones won the scoring title of the 2023 BAL season.
