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May
14
2021
By The African Mirror
A hoop dream come true

A hoop dream come true

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO  THE dreams of African basketball players around the globe to play the sport at the highest level on African soil will be realized at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda in the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL). The 26-game tournament tips-of on May 16 - with the final being played on May 30. The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is the first partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) outside of North America. The inaugural league, formed in collaboration with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), includes club teams from African countries such as Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco,…
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May
10
2021
By The African Mirror
J. Cole set for pro basketball debut in Rwanda

J. Cole set for pro basketball debut in Rwanda

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO  AMERICAN rapper Jermaine Cole (known as J.Cole) has been added to the BBC Patriots (Rwanda) roster for the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL). He was photographed training with the Patriots ahead of the team’s first game.  Cole has been seen on social media training with National Basketball Association (NBA) trainers synonymous with superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and CJ McCollum from the Portland Trailblazers.  Speculations had surfaced that Cole, who previously played basketball before his rap career, was training to become an NBA player. The rapper has previously told rap legend Master P of his attempt to play…
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Apr
30
2021
By The African Mirror
BAL announces new energy sponsor

BAL announces new energy sponsor

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO  GLOBAL energy giant New Fortress Energy (NFE) has been named a founding partner of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). New Fortress Energy is an energy infrastructure company founded to help accelerate the world’s transition to clean energy. The inaugural edition of the BAL is scheduled to tip-off on May 16 - corralling 12 teams from across Africa to the Kigali Arena in Rwanda - to face-off in the new professional league. The NFE logo will also be displayed on the court and uniforms of the participating teams. New Fortress Energy is a clean energy solution that aims to…
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Apr
29
2021
By The African Mirror
AS Sale gearing up for a challenge

AS Sale gearing up for a challenge

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO  EX-CONGOLESE international Eric Kibi has penned a deal with Moroccan club Association Sportive de Sale (AS Sale) ahead of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) season. Kibi - born in Quebec City, Canada - currently plays for The Hague Royals in the Dutch Basketball League (DBL) where he averages 13 points per game (ppg) and 9.9 rebounds per game (rpg) which is good enough for second in the DBL. The 6’6” (198cm) small forward represented the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the 2017 edition of the African Basketball Championship (AfroBasket). Kibi averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg…
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Apr
26
2021
By The African Mirror
Zamalek strengthen BAL roster

Zamalek strengthen BAL roster

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO  EGYPTIAN basketball club Zamalek has added four talented players to their roster ahead of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) season. Zamalek have acquired a pivot in Chinemelu Elonu - who stands tall at 6’10” (2.08) meters. Elonu is an American and Nigerian Citizen who last played in the Puerto Rican BSN league for Capitanes de Arecibo.  In 13 games the power forward averaged 14.5 points per game (ppg), 9.6 rebounds per game (rpg), 1.4 assists per game (apg), and 1.5 blocks per game (bpg). Elonu won the BSN Championship with Capitanes de Arecibo in 2018.  Elonu, drafted…
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Apr
16
2021
By The African Mirror
River Hoopers splash new signings

River Hoopers splash new signings

SPORT
AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER RIVER Hoopers have added American duo Chris Daniel, Taren Sullivan and National Basketball Association (NBA) Champion Festus Ezeli to their roster ahead of the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL). The Nigerian outfit has set about assembling a powerhouse squad for the first installment of the competition. Ezeli won the NBA Championship in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately injuries limited Ezeli's time in the NBA in 2015-16 - He was planning a comeback before signing with the River Hoopers. In his final season with the Warriors, Ezeli averaged 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in…
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Mar
31
2021
By The African Mirror
All set for Basketball Africa League kick-off

All set for Basketball Africa League kick-off

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO  THE inaugural edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) will take place from May 16-30 in Kigali, Rwanda. BAL was initially set to start in March 2020, yet was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league will carry on with BAL implementing health and safety protocols in line with the World Health Organization and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BAL is the NBA’s first partnership with another organization to organize a basketball league outside North America. The league announced an adjusted schedule for the inaugural edition of the competition - with 26 games all…
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Nov
17
2020
By The African Mirror
COVID-19 forces postponement of Basketball Africa League

COVID-19 forces postponement of Basketball Africa League

SPORT, BASKETBALL
BOITUMELO RANTAO THE COVID-19 pandemic has forced Africa to defer its dream for a continental basketball league. Basketball Africa League (BAL) President, Amadou Gallo Fall, has announced the postponement of the inaugural season of the league to next year. Basketball Africa League (BAL) President, Amadou Gallo Fall Fall said that postponing the historic BAL tip-off,  which was scheduled for March this year, was a difficult, but necessary decision Fall.  “We had hoped to launch the league before the end of the year, and our hosts in Rwanda were excited and prepared,” he said.  Fall elaborated on the current state of…
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Jul
24
2020
By The African Mirror
From bombs, bullets to hoops

From bombs, bullets to hoops

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO THE odds of survival in a country devastated by civil war are slim. The odds of making it overseas, away from a civil war, are even slimmer. The odds of making it into the best basketball league in the world as a native of South Sudan? Near impossible.  But defying the odds is what turns good teams into great ones. That is the inspirational story of Manute Bol, who survived the bombs and bullets of a war in South Sudan and made it into the US National Basketball Association (NBA), the biggest and richest league in the sport.…
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Jul
09
2020
By The African Mirror
Meet Africa’s Mr Basketball

Meet Africa’s Mr Basketball

SPORT
BOITUMELO RANTAO FOR the majority of basketball players in Africa, their only hope of creating a career out of basketball is to seek a change of scenery and travel overseas. For others, basketball can be used to better the current situation by seizing opportunities to better schools that might have not been available before.  Football was known as the clear-cut favourite as Senegal’s No.1 sport, but the growing presence of basketball could not be ignored. Though hard to find the facilities, and at a time when courts were not readily available.  One youngster had just received a basketball from his…
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