Rwanda will host the inaugural edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) from May 16 to 30 at the Kigali Arena. The two-week tournament — the first professional league run by the NBA outside North America —will see 12 clubs from 12 different African countries rub shoulders in Kigali. The competition’s inaugural season was due last year, but it was postponed twice because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Rwanda’s Patriots qualified for the continental competition after registering a stunning unbeaten record in the two-round qualifiers in 2019. BAL is a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). “We are thrilled that the inaugural Basketball Africa League 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 BAL,” said FIBA Africa and BAL Board president Anibal Manave. “FIBA and the NBA have been working closely together to develop protocols to address the health and safety of all players, coaches and officials. The experience of hosting the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in Rwanda late last year will contribute to a safe and successful inaugural BAL season.” BAL has also announced an adjusted competition format for the inaugural season, which will feature a total of 26 games at the Kigali Arena. The competition will tip off with an 18-game group phase with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four. During the group phase, each team will face the three other teams in its group once. The top eight teams from the group phase will qualify for the playoffs, which will be single elimination in all three rounds. Below are the 12 club teams from 12 African countries that will compete in the inaugural BAL season: Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique), GNBC (Madagascar), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), Petro de Luanda (Angola), AS Douanes (Senegal), AS Police (Mali), FAP (Cameroon), Union Sportive Monastir (Tunisia), AS Sale (Morocco), GSP (Algeria), Patriots (Rwanda) and Zamalek (Egypt).
