New Horizons: BAL Season 5 Kicks Off with NBA Aspirants and Tributes to Dikembe Mutombo in Morocco

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is set to begin its landmark fifth season this Saturday, introducing a new host city and championship venue. The league reached a significant achievement last year when former player Ulrich Chomche, from Cameroon, was drafted by the Toronto Raptors. Another promising talent, Khaman Maluach, who played in the BAL and is currently a freshman at Duke, is projected to be a lottery pick in the latest mock draft by Jonathan Wasserman.

With a new tournament format and rising NBA-caliber talent, the BAL is eager to continue the positive momentum from the previous season.

As we approach the Kalahari Conference opener on Saturday, here are some players and narratives to keep an eye on.

For the first time, BAL games will take place in Rabat, Morocco, during the Kalahari Conference group stage, while Pretoria, South Africa, will be the new location for the postseason championship. By including host cities from every region in Africa, the league seeks to broaden its audience across the continent and in the African diaspora.

Will Perry, a crowd favorite last season, was the standout player for Rivers Hoopers, averaging 17 points and five assists per game, earning him First-Team All-BAL honors and aiding the team in securing a bronze medal. With Perry now joining ASC Ville de Dakar in Senegal, the Hoopers will look to Nigerian-Canadian Kelvin Amayo to take the helm in Pretoria.

This season marks a historic addition of six new teams to the BAL:

Kriol Star Basketball and Nairobi City Thunder will serve as the inaugural representatives for Cape Verde and Kenya, respectively.

Throughout the season, the BAL will honor the memory of the late Dikembe Mutombo, featuring a “DM55” patch on uniforms and observing moments of silence before each conference group phase. Mutombo, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a Hall of Famer, recognized as the NBA’s first global ambassador after his retirement in 2009.

The BAL remains dedicated to nurturing Africa’s next generation of basketball stars, exemplified by players like Chomche and Maluach. Rueben Chinyelu, born in Nigeria, has also played a pivotal role in Florida’s advancement to the Final Four.

This season, NBA Academy Africa will compete against the U23 Rwandan National Team, while four Academy athletes will participate in the Kalahari Conference via the BAL Elevate program.

As the BAL enters its fifth season, it continues to expand its reach while shaping the future landscape of basketball in Africa.