BAL Unveils Nile Conference Rosters Ahead of Group Phase Tip-Off on April 26 in Cairo

The 12 BAL teams have once again been divided into two conferences – the Sahara Conference and the Nile Conference.

The six teams – Al Ahly (Egypt), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), City Oilers (Uganda), Club Atlético Petróleos de Luanda (Petro de Luanda; Angola), Clube Ferroviário da Beira (CFV - Beira; Mozambique) and Seydou Legacy Athlétique Club (S.L.A.C; Guinea) – collectively feature 78 players from 15 countries across Africa, Oceania, and the U.S., including two former NBA players, nine players with NBA G League experience, 20 former NCAA Division I players, six NBA Academy Africa prospects, and 15 former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa campers. Al Ahly and the City Oilers will be making their BAL debut, while the Cape Town Tigers, CFV - Beira and S.L.A.C are returning for the second consecutive season. 2022 runner-up Petro de Luanda has participated in all three BAL seasons.

In the conference opener, Al Ahly will take on CFV - Beira at 12 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CAT on Canal+, ESPN, NBA TV, Visionary TV, Voice of America (VOA) and select free-to-air channels across the continent. The game will also livestream on the NBA App (https://apo-opa.info/3leQJYr), www.NBA.com and www.BAL.NBA.com.  Fans can view the complete Nile Conference game schedule and purchase tickets at www.BAL.NBA.com.

The 12 BAL teams have once again been divided into two conferences – the Sahara Conference and the Nile Conference.  Each conference plays a 15-game group phase during which each team plays the five other teams in its conference once. The top four teams from the Nile Conference group phase will join Abidjan Basket Club (ABC Fighters; Côte d’Ivoire), AS Douanes (Senegal), Rwanda Energy Group (REG; Rwanda) and Stade Malien (Mali) in the BAL Playoffs, which will feature a single-elimination tournament and Finals at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda in May.

Below please find select BAL Nile Conference player and coach storylines:

• Josh Hall (Cape Town Tigers) played 21 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2020-21 NBA season.
• Michael Gbinije (Cape Town Tigers) was the No. 49 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and played in nine games for the Pistons during the 2016-2017 season.  He won the 2015 FIBA AfroBasket Championship as a member of the Nigeria Men’s National Team.
• Ater Majok (Petro de Luanda) was the No. 58 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.  Majok, who won the 2022 BAL Finals and Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year Award as a member of US Monastir, is competing in his third BAL season.
• In addition to signing Majok, Petro de Luanda signed 2022 BAL champion Souleymane Diabate.   Majok and Diabate join 2022 All-BAL First Team member Carlos Morais and 2022 All-BAL Defensive Team members Childe Dundão and Abou Gakou.  A number of Petro de Luanda players previously represented their respective national teams in FIBA Basketball World Cup tournaments, including Diabate (Côte d’Ivoire; 2010 and 2019) and Dundão (Angola; 2017 FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup).
• Petro de Luanda shooting guard Carlos Morais is one of the most accomplished players in the history of Angolan basketball.  He is an eight-time Angolan League champion, a three-time Angolan Cup winner, and represented Angola in three FIBA Basketball World Cups (2006, 2010, 2019) and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  He was also named Most Valuable Player of the 2012 FIBA Africa Champions Cup.  Morais played in three preseason games with the Toronto Raptors in 2013.
• Former New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and NBA G League Ignite assistant coach Rasheed Hazzard will serve as head coach of the Cape Town Tigers.  Hazzard was also an assistant coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers when they won the 2021-22 G League Championship.  He will coach alongside South Africa’s Flosh Ngwenya, who led the team during the Road to the BAL qualifiers last November.
• Tigers guard Zaire Wade most recently played for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League.  Zaire is the son of three-time NBA champion and 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Dwyane Wade.  
• Al Ahly forward Anunwa “Nuni” Omot made history with the South Sudan National Team when the team qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time earlier this year.  He was South Sudan’s leading scorer throughout their World Cup qualifying campaign.
• Six Al Ahly players were part of the Egypt National Team that qualified for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.  In addition, Al Ahly guard Amr Gendy represented Egypt in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and guard Corey Webster represented his native New Zealand in two FIBA Basketball World Cups (2014 and 2019).
• NBA Academy Africa prospect Dramane Camara, who is playing for Al Ahly as part of the BAL Elevate program, recently committed to DePaul University and is set to join the Blue Demons ahead of the 2023-24 season.