Everything you need to know about the BAL 2022
Coach Clement Kock talks about what stood out about Lebo Mofoken’s game when he first noticed him. (1:04)
The second edition of the BAL sees 12 teams from around the continent compete in a very different format from 2021, across three months instead of a two-week COVID-induced bubble.
The tournament is divided into three stints. The Sahara Conference took place in Dakar, Senegal from March 5-15, with Rwanda Energy Group coming out tops. The Sahara Conference saw REG, Tunisia’s US Monastir, Morocco’s AS Sale, and Guinea’s SLAC qualify for the playoffs.
The Nile Conference is being played in Cairo, Egypt, from April 9-19, and the playoffs and finals in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 21-28.
Defending champions Zamalek return, and will play at home in Cairo, while new sides like Cape Town Tigers and Cobra Sport from South Sudan make their debuts.
READ: ESPN’s guide to all 12 BAL teams for 2022
Another change is the addition of NBA Academy Africa players to each team, with one teen from the Academy in Saly, Senegal, joining the teams for the duration. While they will not be eligible for any prize money, the experience gained will be invaluable for potential NCAA and big league talents.
READ: The full BAL game schedule
How to watch:
The BAL airs across Africa on ESPN’s channels on DStv, as well as selected Free To Air partners. ESPN+ and ESPN News will air the tournament in the US.
Key content:
Meet Lebo Mofokeng, Cape Town Tigers’ triple threat
If you are looking for someone to build you a basketball court, a coach to teach you how to play on it, and an opponent to give you a run for your money, then Cape Town Tigers small forward Lebo Mofokeng is a solid candidate for all three roles. Having never touched a basketball until college, the 6ft4in South African has risen up the ranks to reach the Basketball Africa League, while also earning college qualifications in civil engineering and sports science.
Dikembe Mutombo is the NBA’s greatest ambassador for Africa (Andscape)
In 1987, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo left the Democratic Republic of Congo with a USAID scholarship at Georgetown University in Washington hoping to become a doctor. Mutombo would go on to not only graduate from Georgetown, but become one of the school’s all-time great basketball players. In 2022, the Basketball Hall of Famer is one of the greatest defenders in NBA history, but more important, Mutombo has remained the NBA’s greatest ambassador for Africa and perhaps the world.
Mark Tatum Q&A: NBA thinks after has tremendous potential (Andscape)
At the BAL’s opening weekend, the NBA’s deputy commissioner talks about the future of basketball in Africa, women as NBA coaches and more.
NBA hopeful coach Robert Pack relishing chance with BAL (Andscape)
Perhaps one day Robert Pack will get his opportunity to be a head coach in the NBA or at an American college. But as he gazed from his hotel balcony in the city of Kigali, Rwanda, the former NBA player and assistant coach said all he was focused on was the opportunity the Basketball Africa League gave him to finally be a head coach.
Jared Harrington ditches CT Tigers for Cobra Sport
American Jared Harrington has made the switch from Cape Town Tigers to South Sudan’s Cobra Sport, announcing the move just days before the start of the Basketball Africa League [BAL].
AS Sale coach Liz Mills has the respect of all her players
Newly-hired AS Salé coach Liz Mills will make history when she leads the Moroccan champions at the Basketball Africa League, becoming the first woman to coach a BAL side, and the first to coach a Moroccan men’s team.
Which rapper could fill J. Cole’s kicks at the BAL?
This year, Cole will not be making the trip to Dakar, Cairo, or Kigali, [and neither will the Patriots], but there are a few other rappers out there who would probably not mind having a go.
Terrell Stoglin has always been at peace with himself
Terrell Stoglin, who will again be playing for AS Sale in the Basketball Africa League, is philosophical when looking back on his basketball career so far, saying he has never been anything other than at peace with himself. Stoglin, who was the first player to score 40 points in the BAL, will return to the tournament with the Moroccan side, though is perhaps most well-known for his critical comments on rapper J. Cole’s presence at the BAL last year.
AS Sale’s Terrell Stoglin reveals the reaction he got for criticising J. Cole’s participation in BAL.
How Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers got kicked out of the BAL
The second edition of the Basketball Africa League will be missing a significant component when it tips off in March, after Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers were replaced at the 11th hour by Morocco’s AS Sale. Both sides competed at the first edition, and Hoopers had qualified for this year’s tournament before FIBA, the sport’s governing body, deemed them ineligible and replaced them with Sale, who had reached the quarterfinals in 2021.
Cape Town Tigers coach Al Harrington on Black coaches
Former NBA veteran and Cape Town Tigers assistant coach Al Harrington has criticized the NFL for failing to emulate basketball’s attitude towards hiring Black coaches.
Ike Diogu says LeBron James is the best player he’s faced
Nigeria captain Ike Diogu played against the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal during his near-decade in the NBA, but says LeBron James stands out as the most complete opponent he ever faced.