Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder ready for BAL debut in Kigali

Kenya’s basketball champions Nairobi City Thunder are in Kigali, Rwanda, for their historic debut at the Basketball Africa League (BAL), marking a significant step forward for the sport in the country.

Thunder will compete in the Nile Conference, the final phase of the BAL’s fifth season group stage, which runs from May 17 to 25 at the BK Arena.

The Nairobi-based team is grouped with hosts APR (Rwanda), Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli, and South Africa’s Made by Basketball, coached by former NBA champion Sam Vincent. All four teams are debuting at the BAL, and with only the top two from the round-robin stage advancing to the Playoffs, the competition is expected to be fierce.

Thunder arrived in Kigali on Thursday, May 15, and held their first training session the following morning. Head coach Cliff Owuor, popularly known as Coach Ibs, is leading a 12-man squad captained by small forward Tylor Ongwae.

The team has strengthened its roster with new signings, including Senegalese centre Cheikh Mbacke, Central African Republic shooting guard Evans Ganapamo, and power forward Ekiru Ereng. They are joined by William Davis II, who was instrumental during the Road to BAL qualifiers in Kibaha, Tanzania.

The Nile Conference will feature a 12-game format where each team plays the others twice. This leg of the competition offers the final three Playoff spots, with the post-season set to take place in Pretoria, South Africa, from June 6 to 14 at the SunBet Arena. Five teams have already qualified for the Playoffs: Al-Ittihad of Egypt, Rivers Hoopers of Nigeria, US Monastir of Tunisia, Petro de Luanda of Angola, and Kriol Star from Cape Verde.

Nairobi City Thunder are the only East African team in this year’s tournament and carry the hopes of both Kenya and the wider region.