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Nairobi City Thunder roar into Basketball Africa League
Nairobi City Thunder players and officials celebrate their semi-final win over City Oilers of Uganda during the Africa Champions Clubs Road to Basketball Africa League 2025 Elite 16 East Africa Division qualifiers at the Moi International Sports Centre, Gymnasium on December 2, 2024.
Nairobi City Thunder made history on Monday after becoming the first Kenyan team to qualify for the prestigious African Basketball League (BAL).
The Kenyan champions overcame a spirited challenge from their Ugandan counterparts City Oilers to win the tightly contested East Division Elite 16 semi-final 72-62, sending the excited crowd at the Moi International Sports Centre Indoor Arena into a frenzy of celebration.
City Thunder qualified alongside Kriol Stars of Cape Verde, who stunned star-studded favourites Urunani of Burundi 90-82 in the other semi-final.
Both City Thunder and Kriol Stars, who are making their first appearance at the BAL, will meet in the final on Tuesday night at the same venue.
City Thunder have now succeeded where former champions Ulinzi and Kenya Ports Authority failed.
Nairobi City Thunder's Harouna Amadou dribbles past Uganda's City Oilers' Parrish Petty during the Africa Champions Clubs Road to Basketball Africa League 2025 Elite 16 East Africa Division qualifier at the Moi International Sports Centre, Gymnasium on December 2, 2024.
The 2025 BAL will feature 12 teams split into three conferences - the Kalahari Conference, the Nile Conference and the Sahara Conference.
The Kalahari Conference group phase will be held in Rabat, Morocco, from April 5 to 13, while the Sahara Conference group phase will be held in Dakar, Senegal, from April 24 to May 6. The Nile Conference group stage will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from April 17 to 25.
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time as a country and as a team...we've been working hard for the last three months and it's a beautiful night and a beautiful feeling," said City Thunder captain Tylor Ongwae.
City Thunder head coach Bradley Ibs praised his players for their resilience throughout the tournament and for delivering a masterclass in the semi-final.
"This is a historic moment for us and for this country. My players left everything on the court," said Ibs, adding that one of the most humbling moments was the huge turnout of youngsters from the neighbourhood where most of his players come from.
"This is inspiring and good for the game," said Ibs, who also thanked City Thunders sponsors Twende Sports for believing in the team.
Ater Majok and Uche Iroegbu contributed 17 and 16 points respectively for City Thunder while Parris Petty sank 23 points for the Oilers while Falando Cortez Jones added 15.
Israel Otobo and Petty gave the Oilers a 4-2 lead but Iroegbu put Thunder ahead 7-6, Ongwae made it 10-6 and Majok doubled the lead at 16-8.
City Thunder led 18-11 at the end of the first quarter and 34-26 at the break with a thrilling dunk from Majok. Akol Diing's three-pointer gave City Thunder a 41-32 lead in the second quarter.