ESPN

May 22, 2025, 04:55 PM ET

ESPN has everything you need to know about the NBA-affiliated Basketball Africa League (BAL) for 2025, from news to scores to interviews from players across the league.

South Africa will host the BAL playoffs and final in June 2025, taking over from regular finals host city Kigali, Rwanda, while Morocco has been added as a host nation and Egypt removed.

Dates and locations:

Nile Conference - Kigali, Rwanda - May 17-25

Playoffs and finals - Pretoria, South Africa - June 6-14

Fixtures and Scores

Teams:

Kalahari Conference: Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers, hosts FUS Rabat, Stade Malien of Mali, Al Ittihad of Egypt.

Sahara Conference: Defending champion Petro de Luanda (Angola), 2022 champion US Monastir (Tunisia), hosts ASC Ville de Dakar and Cape Verde's Kriol Star.

Nile Conference: Hosts APR, Nairobi City Thunder of Kenya, South Africa's MBB, and Libya's Al Ahly Tripoli (the last three all debutants).

READ: ESPN's guide to all 12 BAL 2025 teams

News:

Louisville Cardinals sign MBB starlet Camara

NBA unveil court in Rwanda as part of 1000-court project

Cassell: African hoops has grown beyond 'big men'

BAL boss Fall downplays reports of franchise model

Nigeria's Devine Eke signs for Senegal's Ville de Dakar

Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers to tip off Kalahari Conference in Morocco

MBB hire former Mavs assistant coach Sam Vincent as HC

SA's Pieter Prinsloo hopes for BAL place after REG stint

South Africa to host 2025 BAL finals

Features:

BAL's Ongwae inspired by hometown heroes in running Mecca of Eldoret

Nairobi City Thunder (NCT) captain Tylor Ongwae is arguably the face of Kenyan basketball, but in his home city of Eldoret, the most conspicuous athletes are neither hoopers nor footballers.

Who are MBB, and can they put South African hoops in the spotlight?

Made by Basketball, AKA MBB, is a Johannesburg-based BAL team led by former Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sam Vincent, and they're hoping to get South African hoops in the spotlight for the right reasons.

SA's Cele hopes joining BAL champs Petro will get him another NBA chance

South African basketball star Samkelo Cele, who played in the NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks, has signed with Basketball Africa League defending champions Petro de Luanda ahead of the BAL playoffs in June.

How a love for J. Cole led fan-favourite Will Perry to the BAL

"I had a teammate named Stephen Ugochukwu and he was telling me about the Basketball Africa League. He told me J. Cole was playing in the league and that was my favourite rapper. I was like: 'Alright - well, let's watch it.'"

How a hooper and an Uber venture capitalist created BAL team Kriol Star

The team, founded by Cape Verde international Joel Almeida and American venture capitalist Paul Bragiel, represents the third-smallest African country by population (only 500,000) and the smallest to qualify a team for the BAL.

African Basketball is searching for its new face after Dikembe Mutombo's passing

"It never felt like a drag for Dikembe," BAL president Amadou Fall told Andscape. "He showed up everywhere, wherever we needed him. If you have a Hall of Famer with that attitude and commitment, you're going to be relevant wherever you are. His contribution brought a spotlight to everything we did."

Rivers Hoopers coach Odaudu knows less than the Finals is a fail

If there is one thing that Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers are clear about going into the 2025 Basketball Africa League season, it is that they want to surpass their performance from 2024, where they finished in third place.

Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers don't want another BAL participation trophy

After finishing third at the last Basketball Africa League tournament in 2024, Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers want to go at least one better and reach the Final of next year's tournament... perhaps even win it. To get to the 2025 edition, the Kingsmen swept past all opposition to claim their sixth national championship, topping Hoops and Read 71-54 to claim the 2024 NBBF Final 8 title.

Match reports:

Nile Conference:

MBB keep playoff dreams alive with win over APR

Al Ahli TRipoli become first Kigali side to qualify for playoffs

Ahli Tripoli remain unbeaten with strong finish against APR

SA's Prinsloo leas MBB to first-ever BAL win

Al Ahli Tripoli sets new BAL record against NCT

MBB fall to second consecutive defeat, to Rwanda's APR

Hosts APR thrash newcomers Nairobi City Thunder

SA's MBB get rude welcome to BAL with debut loss to Al Ahli Tripoli

Sahara Conference:

Monastir, Kriol Star join Petro in BAL Playoffs on nail-biter final day