47 Players From 10 Countries to Compete in Inaugural Basketball Africa League Kalahari Conference Group Phase Tipping Off Saturday, March 9 in South Africa

Top NBA Academy Africa Prospects Khaman Maluach and Ulrich Chomche Join BAL (www.BAL.NBA.com) Teams As Part of 2024 BAL Elevate Program; Fans Can Watch All Games Live on the NBA App (https://apo-opa.co/4a0Kzz0), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube (www.youtube.com/@theBAL) Channel; Games Will Reach Fans in 214 Countries and Territories in 17 Languages; Tickets on Sale Now at BAL.NBA.com and Ticketmaster.co.za for the Games in Pretoria; Fans Can Save Up to 35% On Group Packages

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) today announced the 47 players from 10 countries (https://apo-opa.co/3TnVMnL) across Africa, Europe and the U.S. who will compete in the inaugural Kalahari Conference group phase from Saturday, March 9 – Sunday, March 17 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, as well as the league’s global broadcast distribution for the 2024 BAL season*. 

The fourth BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams (https://apo-opa.co/3TnVMnL) from 12 African countries playing a record 48 games in Pretoria; Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; and Kigali, Rwanda, marking the first BAL games in South Africa and the first time the league will play games in four different countries.

The four teams competing in the Kalahari Conference group phase – home team and three-time BAL participant Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), first-time BAL participant Dynamo Basketball Club (Burundi), first-time BAL participant FUS Rabat Basketball (Morocco) and 2022 BAL runner-up Petro de Luanda (Angola) – collectively feature four players with NBA and NBA G League experience, 11 former NCAA Division I players, four NBA Academy Africa prospects, four former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) campers, five players who have participated in the FIBA Basketball World Cup and 13 players with FIBA AfroBasket experience.

Top NBA Academy Africa prospects Khaman Maluach, a native of South Sudan who will play for the City Oilers (Uganda), and Ulrich Chomche, a native of Cameroon who will play for APR (Rwanda), are among the 12 NBA Academy Africa prospects who will compete in the 2024 BAL season as part of the third edition of the BAL Elevate program (https://apo-opa.co/42IkW3v).  Maluach and Chomche previously participated in the 2022 and 2023 BAL seasons.

The 2024 BAL season will reach fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships with the African Union of Broadcasting, American Forces Network (AFN), Canal+, NBA TV, Tencent Video, TSN, TV5 Monde, Visionary TV and Voice of America (VOA), and livestreaming on the NBA App (https://apo-opa.co/4a0Kzz0), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/43gfoxt) channel. 

In the season opener, FUS Rabat Basketball will face Petro de Luanda at 4:00 p.m. CAT.  In the second game, the Cape Town Tigers will take on Dynamo Basketball Club at 7:00 p.m. CAT.  Tickets for the Kalahari Conference group phase in Pretoria are on sale now at BAL.NBA.com and Ticketmaster.co.za.  Single game tickets for the Kalahari Conference group phase start at 75 ZAR.  Fans can save up to 35% off single game ticket prices for group packages by emailing BalTickets@thebal.com.  Fans who purchase tickets will also have free access to BAL Fan Zones at the arena in each market.

The 12 teams have been divided into three conferences of four teams each.  Each conference will play a 12-game group phase during which each team will face the other three teams in its conference twice.  New this season, the home team in each market will play on every gameday, including on the weekends.  The Nile Conference group phase will take place from Friday, April 19 – Saturday, April 27 at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo.  The Sahara Conference group phase will take place from Saturday, May 4 – Sunday, May 12 at the Dakar Arena in Dakar.  The top two teams from each conference and the top two third-place teams from across the three conferences will travel to BK Arena in Kigali for four seeding games followed by an eight-game, single-elimination Playoffs and Finals from Friday, May 24 – Saturday, June 1. 

Linked here (https://apo-opa.co/4bYS1MO) please find select Kalahari Conference group phase player and coach storylines, and here (https://apo-opa.co/4c62yps) please find complete details about the 2024 BAL season’s global broadcast distribution.  Rosters for the Nile Conference and Sahara Conference group phases will be announced at a later date.

*Rosters are subject to change and will be updated in real-time on the team roster pages on www.BAL.NBA.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Download here: 
View Kalahari Conference Group Phase Rosters (https://apo-opa.co/3TnVMnL)
Basketball Africa League Season 4 Hype Video (https://apo-opa.co/3T9WdRj)

Contact:
Edwin Eselem
Basketball Africa League
+221 78 615 42 87
EEselem@theBAL.com

About the BAL:
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that will tip off its fourth season in March 2024.  Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized across the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America.  Fans can follow the BAL (@theBAL) on Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3IryMxW), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/48G8a76), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/49zyG3f), X, and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/43gfoxt) and register their interest in receiving more information at www.BAL.NBA.com.