Highlights from the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Season
The 2024 BAL season tipped off on March 1, 2024, with Petro de Luanda facing off against FUS de Rabat at Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. FUS de Rabat pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Petro de Luanda 82-73.
As the season progressed, Cape Town Tigers recorded their only win against Petro de Luanda, beating them 84-78 on March 16, 2024.
FUS de Rabat continued their strong form, finishing top of the Kalahari Conference with a 3-1 record.
In the Nile Conference, City Oilers caused a major upset by beating Al Ahly SC 82-81 on April 24, 2024.
Al Ahly Ly's Jo Lual Acuil Jr. set a BAL scoring record with 42 points in a 110-78 victory over City Oilers on April 27, 2024.
The regular season saw several teams battling for playoff spots, with APR and US Monastir securing their places in the Sahara Conference.
Rivers Hoopers finished top of the Sahara Conference with a 4-2 record, despite losing to APR in double overtime on May 11, 2024.
In the playoffs, Firas Lahyani scored a buzzer-beater three-pointer to help US Monastir beat Petro de Luanda 70-67 in the Classification Round on May 25, 2024.
Cape Town Tigers caused another upset by beating FUS Rabat 91-88 in overtime on May 26, 2024.
Rivers Hoopers beat US Monastir 92-88 in the Quarter-Finals on May 27, 2024, while Petro de Luanda came back from a 20-point deficit to beat AS Douanes 66-65 in the Quarter-Finals.
Al Ahly Ly outscored Rivers Hoopers 13-10 in overtime to win 89-83 in the Semi-Finals on May 29, 2024.
Petro de Luanda advanced to the BAL Final for the second time, beating Cape Town Tigers 96-86 in overtime on May 29, 2024.
In the Third-Place Game, Rivers Hoopers outclassed Cape Town Tigers 80-57 on May 31, 2024.
The 2024 BAL Final saw Petro de Luanda come back from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Al Ahly Ly 107-94 on June 1, 2024. This marked Petro de Luanda's second BAL title, solidifying their position as one of the top teams in African basketball.
The season also saw historic moments off the court, with Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye hosting Rwanda's Paul Kagame during the AS Douanes vs APR game at Dakar Arena.
Awards were given out at the end of the season, with Jo Lual Acuil Jr. winning the 2024 BAL MVP, Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year, and leading the league in scoring with 21 points per game.
Will Perry of Rivers Hoopers won the Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award for the second consecutive season.
Watch the highlights of the BAL Championship Game and see who was crowned the 2024 African Champions!