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Kra reflects on marathon season with the Kings
JCA Kings are living up to the latter part of their name after yet another dominant season. The Kings retained two of their domestic crowns this season and added another (the Super Cup), reaffirming their basketball dominance in Côte d’Ivoire for another year.
Craig ready to spread his wings with Black Dragons
AFTER two seasons in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and a stint in Germany, Johannesburg centre David Craig has landed with the Vanta Black Dragons. The Big Tip Off takes a closer look at his journey and the expectations surrounding the 7-foot-3 South African ahead of the Asian Tournament.
Can Africa’s team’s rise in Czechia
In a couple of days, the African nations of Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire will head to Brno, Czechia, for the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup (July 11–19). While Egypt are familiar with the tournament and will look to make inroads, Côte d’Ivoire are making a first appearance and will arrive in Eastern Europe as an unknown quantity.
Masiyano: A rising star in Malawi’s basketball scene
VINCENT Masiyano has been a burgeoning talent in his country’s basketball scene, and when you follow his progress, he looks to be on a path to fulfilling the promise of his abilities.
Can Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon show out on world stage
THE FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup are fast approaching, with two African nations preparing to take on the world’s best young talent. Taking place in Istanbul, Türkiye (June 27–July 5), the tournament will allow Africa’s rising stars to test themselves against some of basketball’s most established nations.
ZBF Finals: A weekend of destiny waits
The wait is almost over. This weekend, the heartbeat of Zambian basketball will echo through the Castle Lite Arena in Lusaka as the country’s finest teams collide in the Zambia Basketball Federation (ZBF) National Championship Finals.
RSSB’s BAL title win masks Rwanda’s basketball reality
THE BAL celebration confetti that poured as the Rwandan club RSSB Tigers hoisted the trophy on Sunday has cleared. Fans will be back to their daily routines after the crazy Sunday night celebration. And the ending of this BAL 2026 season is the resumption of the next.
RSSB overcome adversity to be crowned BAL champs
The 2026 Basketball Africa League season ended the only way it could, with a moment no one fully saw coming when the season tipped off at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa: The RSSB Tigers of Rwanda are BAL champions.
Meet our All BAL team
THE 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season is now in its final stage, with the semifinals concluded and attention shifting to Sunday’s final and third-place game.
Our top defensive players for BAL Season Six
WHEN Aliou Diarra patrolled the paint last season, the question of defensive supremacy in the Basketball Africa League felt almost predetermined. His absence in 2026 has opened up the race for a new name to claim the Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year trophy.
The BAL semifinals stage is set
THE upcoming BAL semifinals have familiar clubs and a new one debuting with a bang. Al Ahly of Egypt and Petro de Luanda are former champions, while Libya’s Al Ahly have been down this road, while Rwanda’s RSSB have had a memorable debut.
Club Africain’s structure vs Al Ahly’s new adjustments
A FOURTH versus fifth matchup in the combined standings sets up one of the most balanced quarterfinals of the competition, with Club Africain facing Al Ahly Benghazi in a series defined by contrasting styles and high individual talent on both sides.
Petro have the aces, but can Dar City spring a surprise?
THE BAL’s most established force meets its newest playoff presence as Petro de Luanda takes on Dar City in a quarterfinal series defined by experience, depth, and offensive firepower at opposite ends of the spectrum.
BAL Playoffs: Al Ahly Egypt vs ASC Ville de Dakar
THE Basketball Africa League (BAL) Season 6 playoffs tip off on Friday with a former champion, Al Ahly of Egypt, looking to return to the throne. Ahly’s opponents, Senegal’s ASC Ville de Dakar, in their second BAL season, made it past the regular season for the first time and are looking to make strides in the playoffs.
From one hoop in Potchefstroom to the BAL stage
AS the Basketball Africa League (BAL) switches gears from conference play to the Playoffs in Kigali, it is no surprise that one of the eight teams that have punched their ticket to the heart of Africa is Al Ahly Egypt.
Chinyelu talks amazing college career and NBA dream
RUEBEN Chinyelu speaks proudly of being Nigerian and of flying his country’s flag on the NCAA stage. It’s a path several of his compatriots have walked, but Chinyelu is distinguished by winning an NCAA championship and earning individual accolades with his college team, the Florida Gators.
A look back at the Sahara Conference
THE BAL Sahara Conference in Morocco saw the final four teams, Club Africain, Al Ahly, AS Ville de Dakar and Conference hosts secure their playoff spots for Kigali, Rwanda, from 22-31 May. The Big Tip Off writer Sandisiwe Msibi shares her insights on the concluded Conference.
Meeting with father opens doors for Cisse
AMERICAN-born Jonathan Cisse had grown up without his father for most of his life, so when he met him for the first time two years ago in Côte d’Ivoire, as stated in a social media post, it proved life-changing on two fronts.