In African Basketball: Senegal hosts Dakar En Jeux, FIBA Afrobasket qualifiers, Kenya gets BAL Elite 16 – African Basketball

Senegal, set to host the Dakar En Jeux and the upcoming 2025 FIBA Afrobasket Qualifiers. continues to cement itself as a top basketball destination, while Kenya hosts it’s first major basketball event in decades with the Basketball Africa League qualifiers. Here, African basketball commentator Silalei Shani and bird story agency contributor shares the latest in African basketball in a regular update.

Silalei Shani, bird story agency

The third edition of the Dakar En Jeux Festival which took place in Dakar, Senegal in November saw Nigeria’s U16 girls and Senegal’s U16 boys clinch gold medals.

In the girl’s final, Nigeria defeated Senegal 10-8 in a hotly contested game, a day after the Nigerian side lost an encounter against Senegal in the group stage. Victor Okoro, Nigeria’s head of delegation and team coordinator, was thrilled out the outcome.

“I’m very proud of this team. I am also happy that once again, they have made Nigeria proud on the international stage,” he remarked.

The boys’ final saw Senegal beat Gambia, 19-14, to secure the title. The Lion Cubs showcased their supremacy throughout the tournament, having had a perfect performance throughout the 2 days of games. The 3×3 games were attended by basketball legends like Makhtar Ndiaye, the first Senegalese player to play in the NBA, Antawn Jamison, two-time NBA All-Star, and FIBA Hall of Famer Mama Marty Mbengue.

Still in Senegal, the stage is set for the second window of the FIBA Afrobasket qualifiers 2025 where eight teams will battle it out in Dakar for a favourable position in next year’s FIBA Afrobasket event. 12 games will be played at Dakar Arena from November 22-24 including teams from South Sudan, Morrocco, Mali, DR Congo, Senegal, Cameroon, Gabon and Rwanda.

Morocco recently replaced Mozambique after the recent announcement from the latter that they would not be available for the qualifiers due to political unrest in the country.

The FIBA AfroBasket is Africa’s prime basketball event and it is hosted by the Regional Office of Africa. It is held quadrennially and it comprises 16 national teams split into four groups of four teams each who play each other through three qualifying windows.

The 2025 edition of the Afrobasket will be held in Angola, a country that has organised the tournament three times (1989, 1999 and 2007). It’s expected to take place in August 2025.

Kenya, meanwhile, has been awarded the hosting rights for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 (East Division) to take place from November 28- December 3,2024. The games will be played at Kasarani Indoor Arena, a 5,000-spectator capacity gym, for the final qualification stage of the fifth edition of the BAL.

This marks a shift from the trend of South Africa hosting the event over the last three editions.

Eight teams will compete for 2 slots available to advance to the BAL slated to begin in April 2025 namely: MBB (South Africa), NBA Academy, Matero Magic (Zambia), Brave Hearts (Malawi), Urunani (Burundi), and hosts Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya).

First time entrants to the BAL qualifiers, Nairobi City Thunder, have boosted their roster with the additions of South Sudanese international, Majok Ater, and Nigerien and former All-BAL Defensive First Team player, Abdoulaye Harouna, to improve their chances of advancing. With now a home court advantage, Thunder is excited about the possibilities of putting Kenya on the basketball map, as shared by Thunder power forward, Ariel Okal.

“Hosting the Elite 16 is huge for the country. Especially basketball fans. We’ve not done anything of this magnitude since 2020 and for us to play in front of our home fans will keep us motivated. We hope that we give our best and be the first team in Kenya to qualify for the BAL,” Okal shared.

bird story agency