{"id":20320,"date":"2021-05-10T13:59:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T18:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20320"},"modified":"2021-05-10T13:59:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T18:59:15","slug":"nbas-basketball-africa-league-to-tip-off-with-nigerias-rivers-hoopers-taking-on-hosts-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20320","title":{"rendered":"NBA&#8217;s  Basketball Africa League to tip off with Nigeria&#8217;s Rivers Hoopers taking on hosts Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"d3-l-grid--outer\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--inner\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-8\">\n<h1 id=\"firstHeading\" class=\"firstHeading\">Basketball Africa League<\/h1>\n<div id=\"bodyContent\" class=\"mw-body-content\">\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" class=\"mw-content-ltr\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n<table class=\"infobox\">\n<caption class=\"infobox-title\"><strong>Basketball Africa League<\/strong><\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-image\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Basketball_Africa_League.svg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/b\/b0\/Basketball_Africa_League.svg\/105px-Basketball_Africa_League.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/b\/b0\/Basketball_Africa_League.svg\/158px-Basketball_Africa_League.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/b\/b0\/Basketball_Africa_League.svg\/210px-Basketball_Africa_League.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Basketball Africa League.svg\" width=\"105\" height=\"226\" data-file-width=\"196\" data-file-height=\"422\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Organising body<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA)<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a title=\"FIBA\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIBA\">FIBA<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Founded<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>16\u00a0February 2019<span class=\"noprint\">; 2 years ago<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>First season<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"2021 BAL season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2021_BAL_season\">2021<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Country<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\">\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<table class=\"infobox\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\">\n<div class=\"mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible\">\n<div>\n<div><strong>List<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Confederation<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"FIBA Africa\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIBA_Africa\">FIBA Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Divisions<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Number of teams<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>12<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>President<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>Amadou Gallo Fall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>TV partners<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"ESPN Africa\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ESPN_Africa\">ESPN Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Website<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebal.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">thebal.com<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/48\/Basketball_current_event.svg\/33px-Basketball_current_event.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/48\/Basketball_current_event.svg\/50px-Basketball_current_event.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/48\/Basketball_current_event.svg\/66px-Basketball_current_event.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"\" width=\"33\" height=\"33\" data-file-width=\"600\" data-file-height=\"600\" \/> <i><a title=\"2021 BAL season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2021_BAL_season\">2021 BAL season<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>The Basketball Africa League&#8217;s opening game will see Nigeria&#8217;s Rivers Hoopers take on home side the Patriots, as the long-awaited NBA-affiliated tournament tips off in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 16.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The BAL, which will be broadcast in its entirety on ESPN in Africa (DStv 218), will see <a href=\"https:\/\/africa.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/31158325\/nba-basketball-africa-league-do-debut-16-rwanda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">12 teams<\/a> compete in three groups of four, then a three-round knock out phase, culminating in the Finals on May 30.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia earned their participation in the inaugural season. The remaining six teams, which come from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by the FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent in late 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is Africa&#8217;s premier men&#8217;s <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a> league scheduled to begin play in May 16, 2021, though it was originally going to be played on March 13, 2020.\u00a0 <sup id=\"cite_ref-1\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> The league consists of twelve teams, each qualified through their domestic competition, similar to the formats of the <a title=\"UEFA Champions League\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/UEFA_Champions_League\">UEFA Champions League<\/a> and <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Africa Basketball League\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Africa_Basketball_League\">Africa Basketball League<\/a>.\u00a0 The league is a joint effort between the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA) and <a title=\"FIBA\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/FIBA\">FIBA<\/a> with sponsorship from <a title=\"Nike, Inc.\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nike,_Inc.\">Nike<\/a>, <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Jordan Brand\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jordan_Brand\">Jordan Brand<\/a> and <a title=\"Pepsi\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pepsi\">Pepsi<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Its <a title=\"2021 BAL season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2021_BAL_season\">inaugural season<\/a> started with the qualifying rounds in October 2019 and the regular season in May 2021. The competition replaces FIBA&#8217;s <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Africa Basketball League\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Africa_Basketball_League\">Africa Basketball League<\/a> as the continent&#8217;s top-tier league.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>BAL president, <a class=\"new\" title=\"Amadou Gallo Fall (page does not exist)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?title=Amadou_Gallo_Fall&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\">Amadou Gallo Fall<\/a>, announced at the <a title=\"2020 NBA All-Star Game\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_All-Star_Game\">2020 NBA All-Star Game<\/a> Africa Luncheon in Chicago, that the season will tip off on March 13.\u00a0 <sup id=\"cite_ref-BAL_12_Teams_4-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup> At the event, Nike and Jordan unveiled the official jerseys for the twelve teams (six of the teams will be outfitted by Nike and the other six by Jordan). The BAL also launched the league&#8217;s official website and social media accounts.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The inaugural season was postponed on March 3, 2020 due to the <a title=\"COVID-19 pandemic\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/COVID-19_pandemic\">COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. On March 29, 2021, it was announced that the inaugural season would start on May 16, 2021, and would end on May 30.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"oc-c-article__title\"><strong>BAL 2021 GAME SCHEDULE<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h4>@theBAL<\/h4>\n<article class=\"d3-l-section-row oc-c-article\" data-tracking-event-name=\"\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--outer\">\n<div class=\"oc-c-article__body d3-l-grid--inner\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-8\">\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>All 2021 Basketball Africa League games will take place at Kigali Arena in Rwanda.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 16: Rivers Hoopers @ Patriots B.B.C. (2:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 17: A.S. Douanes @ G.S. P\u00e9troliers (12:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 17: Zamalek @ Ferroviaro de Maputo (3:30 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 17: U.S. Monastir @ G.N.B.C. (7:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 18: Atl\u00e9tico Petr\u00f3leos de Luanda @ A.S. Police (3:30 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 18: AS Sal\u00e9 @ F.A.P. (7:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 19: G.N.B.C. @ Patriots B.B.C. (12:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 19: Ferroviaro de Maputo @ A.S. Douanes (3:30 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 19: Zamalek @ G.S. P\u00e9troliers (7:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 20: F.A.P. Atl\u00e9tico @ Petr\u00f3leos de Luanda (12:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 20: U.S. Monastir @ Rivers Hoopers (3:30 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 20: AS Sal\u00e9 @ A.S. Police (7:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 22: G.S. P\u00e9troliers @ Ferroviaro de Maputo (12:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 22: A.S. Douanes @ Zamalek (3:30 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 22: Patriots B.B.C. @ U.S. Monastir (7:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 23: G.N.B.C. @ Rivers Hoopers (12:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 23: A.S. Police @ F.A.P. (3:30 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>May 23: Atl\u00e9tico Petr\u00f3leos de Luanda @ AS Sal\u00e9 (7:00 PM GMT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--outer d3-l-section-row nba-o-footer-section\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--inner\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-12\">\n<footer class=\"oc-o-footer nba-o-footer\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n<div class=\"nba-o-footer__corporate\">\n<div class=\"d3-o-nav__logo\"><strong><a title=\"NBA for Africa\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebal.com\/\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"d3-o-site-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebal.com\/assets\/icons\/bal_logo_footer.png\" alt=\"NBA for Africa\" \/> <\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"nba-o-footer__socials--wrap\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-o-footer-wrap\">\n<div class=\"d3-o-nav__wrap\">\n<header class=\"article-header\">\n<h1><strong>NBA&#8217;s Basketball Africa League to debut May 16 in Rwanda<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p><strong>The NBA&#8217;s new Basketball Africa League plans to make its long-awaited debut on May 16 in Kigali, Rwanda.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The new league will include 12 teams from across Africa playing its inaugural season in 26 games at Kigali Arena in Rwanda rather than the initial plan of playing in different countries in Africa. The BAL was initially expected to debut on March 13, 2020, beginning in Dakar, Senegal, but it was postponed 10 days before that because of the coronavirus pandemic. The BAL, which is a partnership between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation, includes club teams from Africa and is the NBA&#8217;s first collaboration to operate a league outside of North America.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;We are thrilled that the inaugural Basketball Africa League season will take place at the world-class Kigali Arena,&#8221; said BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall. &#8220;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&#8217;s vibrant sporting culture.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The BAL says it has created &#8220;robust health and safety protocols&#8221; for the 12 teams and their personnel traveling to Rwanda due primarily to the COVID-19 virus. The BAL says its health and safety protocols are from the guidance of public health officials and medical experts from the World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The BAL adds that 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. The first BAL Finals will be held on May 30.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The 12 teams include Algeria&#8217;s GSP (Groupement Sportif des P\u00e9troliers), Angola&#8217;s Petro de Luanda (Clube Atl\u00e9tico Petroleos de Luanda), Cameroon&#8217;s FAP (Forces Arm\u00e9es et Police Basketball), Egypt&#8217;s Zamalek, Madagascar&#8217;s GNBC (Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club), Mali&#8217;s AS Police (Association Sportive de la Police Nationale), Morocco&#8217;s AS Sal\u00e9 (Association Sportive de Sal\u00e9), Mozambique&#8217;s Ferrovi\u00e0rio de Maputo, Nigeria&#8217;s Rivers Hoopers BC, Rwanda&#8217;s Patriots BC, Senegal&#8217;s AS Douanes (Association Sportive des Douanes) and Tunisia&#8217;s US Monastir (Union Sportive Monastirienne).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia earned their participation in the inaugural season. The remaining six teams, from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA&#8217;s African regional office across the continent in late 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;We are extremely happy to finally launch the highly anticipated first season of the BAL,&#8221; said FIBA Africa and BAL board president Anibal Manave. &#8220;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.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<article class=\"d3-l-section-row oc-c-article\" data-tracking-event-name=\"\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--outer\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--inner\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-8\">\n<h1 class=\"oc-c-article__title\">ABOUT THE BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--outer\">\n<div class=\"oc-c-article__body d3-l-grid--inner\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-8\">\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p>The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA has organized in Africa and marks the NBA\u2019s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<ul>\n<li>12 teams will play this season.<\/li>\n<li>Six countries are guaranteed a spot for their national club champions.<\/li>\n<li>The other six teams earn their spots through qualification tournaments hosted by FIBA.<\/li>\n<li>Rwanda has been selected as the hosting country for the BAL&#8217;s first Season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<p><strong>The following teams have qualified for the inaugural season of the BAL.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-8\">\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--photo\">\n<div class=\"d3-o-media-object\">\n<figure class=\"d3-o-media-object__figure\"><picture class=\"d3-o-media-object__picture\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_12_desktop\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_12_desktop_2x\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_12_desktop_3x\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg\" media=\"(min-width:1024px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_landscape_tablet\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_landscape_tablet_2x\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_landscape_tablet_3x\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg\" media=\"(min-width:768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_8_desktop_mobile\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_8_desktop_mobile_2x\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_8_desktop_mobile_3x\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/images.thebal.com\/image\/private\/t_editorial_landscape_8_desktop_mobile\/f_auto\/thebal-prd\/gkwahzqxyb1jgxaow757.jpg\" alt=\"TEAM MAP-GRAPHICS-1920x1080-01\" \/><\/picture><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-8\">\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<h4>The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA has organized in Africa and marks the NBA\u2019s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<h4><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20324\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/bal-nba.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<h4>The following teams have qualified for the inaugural season of the BAL.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<ul>\n<li>Algeria \u2013 GS P\u00e9troliers<\/li>\n<li>Angola \u2013 Petro de Luanda<\/li>\n<li>Cameroon \u2013 FAP<\/li>\n<li>Egypt- Zamalek<\/li>\n<li>Madagascar &#8211; GNBC<\/li>\n<li>Mali \u2013 AS Police<\/li>\n<li>Morocco \u2013 AS Sal\u00e9<\/li>\n<li>Mozambique \u2013 Ferroviaro de Maputo<\/li>\n<li>Nigeria \u2013 Rivers Hoopers<\/li>\n<li>Rwanda \u2013 Patriots<\/li>\n<li>Senegal \u2013 As Douanes<\/li>\n<li>Tunisia \u2013 US Monastir<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\">\n<h4><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"oc-c-body-part oc-c-body-part--text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--outer d3-l-section-row nba-o-braze-section\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-grid--inner\">\n<div class=\"d3-l-col__col-12\">\n<div class=\"nba-o-braze\">\n<div id=\"_pi_surveyWidgetContainer\" class=\"\">\n<div id=\"_pi_surveyWidget\" data-survey-locale-group-id=\"null\" data-question-id=\"8339\" data-question-type=\"custom_content_question\" data-question-nps=\"f\" data-answers-layout=\"fixed\" data-answers-alignment=\"\" data-radio-button=\"on\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"_pi_widgetContentContainer\">\n<div class=\"_pi_question _pi_question_custom_content_question\" data-question-locale-group-id=\"null\">\n<div class=\"simple-form\">\n<div class=\"field-element\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_pi_question _pi_question_custom_content_question\" data-question-locale-group-id=\"null\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Basketball Africa League Basketball Africa League Organising body National Basketball Association (NBA) FIBA Founded 16\u00a0February 2019; 2 years ago First season 2021 Country List Confederation FIBA Africa Divisions 2 Number of teams 12 President Amadou Gallo Fall TV partners ESPN Africa Website thebal.com 2021 BAL season The Basketball Africa League&#8217;s opening game will see Nigeria&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,330,11,8,1314,1456,1156,13,2404,2406,14,106,104,187,1,1282,12,7,9,10],"tags":[4074],"class_list":["post-20320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-health","category-high-school-sports","category-mbs-hss","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-ncaa","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-olympics","category-scitech","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-thebal","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}