The 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs will tip off today, 24 May, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda featuring the top eight teams from the league’s Kalahari, Nile and Sahara conference group phases that were held in Pretoria, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; and Dakar, Senegal, respectively.
They are FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly Ly (Libya), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria), AS Douanes (Senegal) and US Monastir (Tunisia).
The complete game schedule for the Playoffs and Finals, which is available at BAL.NBA.com, features four seeding games followed by an eight-game, single-elimination playoffs, culminating with the 2024 BAL Finals on June 1 at 4pm CAT.
As the games tip off, below are notable facts and figures about the 2024 BAL season:
1,600,000 – BAL games have reached 1.6 million live viewers across the NBA and BAL’s social and digital media channels this season [the NBA App (https://apo-opa.co/43eJtgR), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube channel (https://apo-opa.co/3twvshm)].
238,000 – BAL games have generated 238,000 total watch hours across the NBA and BAL’s social and digital media channels this season.
125,000 – The Nile Conference game on May 26 between defending champion Al Ahly (Egypt) and first-time BAL participant Al Ahly Ly (Libya) was the most-watched game this season on the BAL’s YouTube channel with 125,000 unique viewers.
80,000 – The BAL set a single-season attendance record as more than 80,000 fans attended games across the three conference group phases.
5,000 – This season, the BAL has engaged more than 5,000 youth from local communities through BAL4HER, BAL Advance, U-23 women’s camps, Special Olympics programming, Jr. NBA clinics, Fan Zone, and in-arena gameday experiences.
544 – Al Ahly Ly scored 544 points over six games during the Nile Conference group phase, the most points scored by any team during a group phase this season.
500 – More than 500 media members from 20 countries across Africa, Europe and the U.S. were credentialed to cover the three group phases.
375 – The BAL engaged 375 coaches and 141 referees through clinics in Pretoria, Cairo and Dakar.
226 – Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) guard Kelvin Amayo and Bangui Sporting Club (Central African Republic) guard Rolly Fula Nganga each played a total of 226 minutes during the group phases, the most minutes played of any players this season.
214 – The 2024 BAL season is reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships with the African Union of Broadcasting, American Forces Network (AFN), Canal+, NBA TV, SuperSport, Tencent Video, TSN, TV5 Monde, Visionary TV and Voice of America (VOA), and livestreaming on the NBA App, NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube channel.
154 – The 12 BAL teams this season collectively featured 154 players from 25 countries across Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the U.S., including five players with NBA experience, 19 players with NBA G League experience, 48 former NCAA Division I players, 18 former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) campers, 12 NBA Academy Africa prospects, and 39 players who have represented their national teams at the FIBA Basketball World Cup and FIBA AfroBasket.
135 – Al Ahly Ly center Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. scored 135 points over six games during the group phase, making him the BAL’s leading scorer. The South Sudanese center is averaging 23 points per game this season.
110 – On April 27, Al Ahly Ly scored 110 points in its win against the City Oilers (Uganda), which marks the most points scored in a BAL game this season.
51 – US Monastir (Tunisia) guard Chris Crawford helped his team qualify for the Playoffs with a league-leading 51 assists over six games. The 2023 All-BAL First Team member and former NBA G League player is averaging 8.5 assists per game.
42 – On April 27, Al Ahly Ly center Jo-Lual Acuil Jr. set a new BAL single-game scoring record with 42 points when he led his team to a 110-78 win over the City Oilers.
22 – Bangui Sporting Club guard Rolly Fula Nganga led the league in three-pointers (22) during the group phases.
17 – City Oilers center Khaman Maluach led the league in blocked shots (17) during the group phases. The South Sudanese NBA Academy Africa prospect and Duke University commit averaged 13.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
12 – As part of the third edition of the BAL Elevate programme, one NBA Academy Africa prospect joined each of the 12 BAL teams for the 2023 season. NBA Academy Africa is an elite basketball training center in Saly, Senegal for the top high-school-age prospects from across Africa and the first-of-its-kind on the continent.
5 – Five new teams and three new countries were among the 12 club teams from 12 African countries that qualified for the 2024 BAL season.
3 – 2022 BAL champion US Monastir is the first team in league history to overcome a 0-3 start in the group phase and qualify for the Playoffs after a 3-3 finish.
2 – The BAL had its first-ever double-overtime game when the Rivers Hoopers defeated Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball (APR; Rwanda) 78-71 on May 11.
2 – US Monastir and 2022 runner-up Petro de Luanda (Angola) are the only two teams that have participated in all four BAL seasons.
1 – The inaugural Kalahari Conference group phase in March marked the first time BAL games have been held in South Africa and the first time the league expanded to four different countries.
Tickets for the playoffs and finals are on sale now at BAL.NBA.com and Ticqet.rw.
In conjunction with the Playoffs and Finals, the BAL and Bank of Kigali have announced a collaboration to drive fan attendance and elevate the in-arena experience throughout the week. Bank of Kigali joins the BAL’s roster of partners that also includes Foundational Partners Rwanda Development Board, NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson, as well as marketing partners Afreximbank, Castle Lite, Hennessy and RwandAir.
