Nairobi City Thunder still eyeing playoff spot in BAL despite winless start

Nairobi City Thunder's Uchenna Iroegbu (C) Courtesy

By Rama Mohammed
Thursday, May 22, 2025

After a challenging start to their debut Basketball Africa League (BAL) campaign, Nairobi City Thunder remain determined to turn things around. With three games left in the Nile Conference, the Kenyan champions are holding onto hope of making it to the playoffs in South Africa.

Nairobi City Thunder are refusing to give up on their Basketball Africa League (BAL) dream, even after losing their first three games in the Nile Conference.

The Kenyan champions are yet to record a win in their debut BAL appearance, but they still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the playoff stage in South Africa, if they can win their remaining three matches and other results go their way.

More To Read

Their campaign began with a tough 92-63 loss to hosts APR Rwanda on May 17. That was followed by a 115-87 defeat to Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli on May 18 - a game that saw Al Ahli set a new scoring record in the BAL. Thunder’s most recent outing was their strongest yet, narrowly losing 75-74 to Morocco’s MBB on May 20 after a dramatic last-second three-pointer from Robinson Opong sealed their fate.

Despite the setbacks, head coach Bradley Ibs is confident that the team is on the right track.

“We still want to win three games, we have three left, and in addition to that we just want to keep getting better each and every game,” he said during training ahead of their next fixture. “If we continue to do that, it puts us in a great position.”

Team captain Tylor Ongwae echoed that optimism, saying: “Our mood is still good, we still think we can win these remaining games. We just have to take it a quarter at a time, and we are still confident.”

The Thunder’s next match is scheduled for today, May 22 at 5:00 PM EAT, where they will face Al Ahli Tripoli in a rematch. They will then play MBB on May 24 and close their group stage campaign against APR Rwanda on May 25.

Players like Eugene Adera, Garang Ding, and Ongwae have shown signs of growing chemistry, which the coach hopes will be key in the remaining fixtures. Guard Garang Diing Akol Diing, speaking after the heartbreaking loss to MBB, admitted that the team couldn’t contain their opponents' late surge, but added that they are committed to improving:

“We’ll go back, watch the tape, and make adjustments.”

Nairobi City Thunder earned their place in the BAL by winning the Kenyan national championship earlier this year. Their appearance in the BAL is a major milestone for Kenyan basketball on the continental stage.

Now in its fifth season, the BAL features 12 top teams from across Africa, with the best from each conference progressing to the finals in South Africa. For Thunder, the mission is simple but tough: win all three remaining games and hope that other results, especially losses for MBB, fall in their favour.

Despite the uphill task, Nairobi City Thunder are keeping their heads high and their eyes on the prize.