List of BAL finals

Last updated

BAL Finals
BAL Finals logo 2024.png
Organising body Basketball Africa League
Founded2021
First season 2021
Number of teams2
International cup(s) FIBA Intercontinental Cup
Current champions Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda (1st title)
(2024)
Most championships4 teams
(1 title each)
Website thebal.com
Basketball current event.svg 2022 BAL Finals

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is a seasonal basketball league established in 2019 and first held in 2021. The league is a joint venture by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and FIBA, and is open to national champions of FIBA Africa member countries. The finals of each season are played in a single-game format, which is held at an arena that is chosen by the BAL organisation. The winner automatically qualifies for that year's FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Contents

The data below does not include the FIBA Africa Club Champions Cup, the predecessor of the BAL that was held between 1972 and 2019.

Zamalek won the inaugural final in 2021. Petro de Luanda are the current champions, having won the 2024 final. Four different teams have won the BAL championship so far. Egyptian teams have won the competition the most times with two wins.

Champions

The first parentheses in the champions and runners-up columns indicate the teams' playoff seed. The second parentheses indicate the number of times that teams have appeared in an BAL Finals as well as each respective team's BAL Finals record to date.

SeasonYearChampionsCoachResultRunners-upCoachArenaAttendanceReference
1 2021 Flag of Egypt.svg Zamalek (2)(1, 1–0) Augustí Julbe 76–63 Flag of Tunisia.svg US Monastir (1) (1, 0–1) Mounir Ben Slimane Kigali Arena, Kigali, Rwanda1,789 [a] [1]
2 2022 Flag of Tunisia.svg US Monastir (2)(2, 1–1) Miodrag Perišić 83–72 Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda (2) (1, 0–1) José Neto BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda (2)10,000 [2] [3] [4]
3 2023 Flag of Egypt.svg Al Ahly (2) (1, 1–0) Augustí Julbe 80–65 Flag of Senegal.svg AS Douanes (2) (1, 0–1) Pabi Gueye BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda (3)7,532 [5]
4 2024 Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda (6) (2, 1–1) Sergio Valdeolmillos 107–94 Flag of Libya.svg Al Ahly Ly (7) (1, 0–1) Ivan Jeremić BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda (4)6,404 [6]
Upcoming finals
5 2025 SunBet Arena, Pretoria, South Africa

Performances

Performance by club

Performances in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) by club
ClubTitlesRunners-upYears wonYears runners-up
Flag of Tunisia.svg US Monastir 11 2022 2021
Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda 11 2024 2022
Flag of Egypt.svg Al Ahly 10 2023
Flag of Egypt.svg Zamalek 10 2021
Flag of Senegal.svg AS Douanes 01 2023
Flag of Libya.svg Al Ahly Ly 01 2024

Performance by country

Teams from three nations have been to a BAL final, and teams from two countries have won the competition thus far.

Performances in finals by nation
NationTitlesRunners-upTotal
Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt 202
Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia 112
Flag of Angola.svg Angola 112
Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal 011
Flag of Libya.svg Libya 011

Performance by head coach

Augusti Julbe is the only coach to have won two BAL titles Augusti Julbe.jpg
Augustí Julbe is the only coach to have won two BAL titles
ClubTitlesRunners-upYears wonYears runners-up
Flag of Spain.svg Augustí Julbe 20 2021, 2023
Flag of Serbia.svg Miodrag Perišić 10 2022
Flag of Spain.svg Sergio Valdeolmillos 10 2024
Flag of Tunisia.svg Mounir Ben Slimane 01 2021
Flag of Brazil.svg José Neto 01 2022
Flag of Senegal.svg Pabi Guèye 01 2023
Flag of Serbia.svg Ivan Jeremić 01 2024


Finals hosted by arena

The finals are played in a pre-determined venue, from 2021 to 2023 this was the BK Arena (formerly the Kigali Arena) in Kigali as the BAL agreed with the Rwandan Ministry of Sports. Later, the BAL and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) agreed to host the finals of 2024, 2026 and 2028 as well. [7]

ArenaLocationFinalsYears
BK Arena [b] Flag of Rwanda.svg Kigali, Rwanda6 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026, 2028
SunBet Arena Flag of South Africa.svg Pretoria, South Africa1 2025

Top scorer

Clubs denoted in italics lost the finals in the given year.

YearTop scorerClubPointsRef.
2021 Flag of Nigeria.svg Michael Fakuade Flag of Egypt.svg Zamalek 15
2022 Flag of Angola.svg Gerson Gonçalves Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda 28
2023 Flag of South Sudan.svg Nuni Omot Flag of Egypt.svg Al Ahly 22
2024 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Faust Flag of Angola.svg Petro de Luanda 24 [8]
Flag of South Sudan.svg Majok Deng Flag of Libya.svg Al Ahly Ly

Players with multiple BAL titles

No. of championshipsPlayerPositionSeasonsChampionship teamsRef.
PlayedWinning Percentage
2 Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Solo Diabate G4 Zamalek (2021)
US Monastir (2022)
[9]
Flag of Nigeria.svg Michael Fakuade F2 Zamalek (2021)
Al Ahly (2023)
[9]

Notes

  1. The attendance in the 2021 finals was limited due to government regulations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as social distancing was enforced.
  2. The BK Arena was known as Kigali Arena until 2021.

Related Research Articles

Mouloukou Souleyman Diabate, commonly known as Solo Diabate, is an Ivorian basketball player for Petro de Luanda of the Unitel Basket and the Basketball Africa League (BAL). After playing a decade in France and some years in North Macedonia, China and Slovakia, Diabate began his career at the African continent in 2021. He is a two-time BAL champion, with Zamalek in 2021 and US Monastir in 2022.

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The Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) (formerly the National Basketball League Rwanda) is the top professional basketball league in Rwanda. Its season usually runs from November to September. The winners of the NBL season qualify for the qualifiers for the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

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The 2021 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 1, was the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Established as a joint effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and FIBA, the BAL is the highest tier continental league of Africa, replacing the FIBA Africa Basketball League. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BAL held its inaugural season one year later as planned, with the season beginning in 2021. Initially the league planned to play in six venues in six countries; however, due to the pandemic the season was held in a bio-secure bubble in Kigali, Rwanda. The season began on 16 May 2021 and ended on 30 May 2021.

The 2022 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 2, was the second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 2 March 2022 and ended with the Finals on 28 May 2022. The group phase was played in the Dakar Arena in Dakar and the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo. The playoffs and finals were played in the BK Arena in Kigali for a second year in a row.

The 2021 BAL Playoffs were the inaugural playoffs of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and were the concluding tournament of the 2021 BAL season. The playoffs began on 26 May 2021 and ended on 30 May 2021 with the Finals. The entire playoffs were played at Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 BAL finals</span> Basketball game

The 2021 BAL Finals was the championship game of the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The final was played in the Kigali Arena in Kigali on 30 May 2021. The game was played between Egyptian club Zamalek and Tunisian club US Monastir.

The 2022 BAL Playoffs was the second edition of the playoffs of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and was the concluding tournament of the 2022 BAL season. The playoffs began on 21 May 2022 and ended on 28 May 2022 with the Finals. For a second consecutive season, all playoffs games were played at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 BAL season</span> 3rd season of the Basketball Africa League

The 2023 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 3, was the third season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 11 March 2023 and ended on 27 May 2023. The playoffs were played in the BK Arena in Kigali, which hosted the final stage for a third season in a row. The regular season was played in Dakar, Senegal and Cairo, Egypt, both venues hosted a conference for a second year in a row.

The 2021–22 season of Petro de Luanda men's basketball team was the 42nd in the existence of the club and the 2nd in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 BAL finals</span> The final of the 2022 edition of the Basketball Africa League

The 2022 BAL Finals was the championship game of the 2022 BAL season, the second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The final was played in the BK Arena in Kigali on 28 May 2022, between Angolan club Petro de Luanda and Tunisian club US Monastir.

The 2023 BAL Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the 2023 BAL season to determine the champions of the third Basketball Africa League (BAL) season. For a third consecutive season, the playoffs will be hosted in the BK Arena in Kigali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 BAL season</span> 4th season of the Basketball Africa League

The 2024 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 4, was the 4th season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 9 March 2024 and ended with the final on 1 June 2024, which was played in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda for a fourth consecutive season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 BAL final</span> The final of the 2023 season of the Basketball Africa League

The 2023 BAL Final was the championship game of the 2023 BAL season, the third season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and concluded the playoffs. The final was played on 27 May 2023 in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, for a third year in a row. The final was contested by Egyptian club Al Ahly and Senegalese club AS Douanes.

The 2025 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 5, will be the 5th season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season will begin on 5 April and end on 14 June 2024 with the final. The playoffs and finals will be held in Pretoria, South Africa, for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 BAL final</span> The final of the 2024 season of the Basketball Africa League

The 2024 BAL final is the championship game of the 2024 BAL season, the third season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and the conclusion of the playoffs. The final will be played on 1 June 2024 in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, which hosts the final for a fourth consecutive year. The final was contested by Angolan club Petro de Luanda and Libyan club Al Ahly Ly.

References

  1. "Egypt's Zamalek wins inaugural Basketball Africa League". www.nba.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  2. "US Monastir are the 2022 Basketball Africa League Champions". The BAL. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  3. "Kings in the North: Tunisia's US Monastir crowned BAL champions". ESPN.com. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. "BAL Announces Teams, Conferences & Game Schedule Ahead of 2023 Season Tipping off March 11th". BAL . 13 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. "Al Ahly are the 2023 BAL champions". The BAL. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  6. "Petro de Luanda are the 2024 BAL Champions". The BAL. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  7. "Basketball Africa League and Rwanda Development Board extend to play games | Times Aerospace". www.timesaerospace.aero. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  8. "LiveStats". geniussports.com. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. 1 2 "FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE BAL SEASON 3". The BAL. Retrieved 6 June 2024.