Basketball Africa League

Basketball Africa League

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The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is the premier men's basketball league in Africa. Founded in 2019, the organization was established by both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and International Basketball Federation (FIBA).

Each season typically runs from March to May, and in the current format the league consists of twelve teams. Each of the teams qualify through their performance in their domestic competition, a meritocratic system similar to the format of the UEFA Champions League. Six teams qualify directly, while six others have to play in the Road to BAL. The season exists out of three conferences and uses playoffs to determine the champions. The BAL champions of each season automatically qualify for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

The first season was held in 2021 and thus far, three champions have won the competion.

History

On 16 February 2019 the National Basketball Association and FIBA announced plans to establish a continental professional basketball league. During a press conference at the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend, NBA commissioner Adam Silver elaborated on plans to establish the league. He stated that the league will feature 12 teams after qualification tournaments in late 2019. The countries that could possibly host a team include; Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. Silver also hinted at the involvement of former U.S. president Barack Obama in an unspecified role. In May 2019, Amadou Gallo Fall was assigned by the NBA as the first president of the BAL. In September 2019, BAL announced the venues and cities for the inaugural season, which included a Final Four played in Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.

On 15 October 2019, the qualifying tournaments for the inaugural season began, with teams from 32 African countries participating. The start of the BAL was eventually postponed twice due to the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic. The first BAL game was played on 16 May 2021, in the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, which hosted the entire tournament. The season was held in a bio-secure bubble with only limited attendance allowed. On 30 May, Zamalek from Egypt won the first-ever BAL championship after beating US Monastir in the inaugural final.

The following season, the league expanded it format with five-team conferences (the Sahara and Nile Conference), which were held in Dakar and Cairo. The playoffs were held in Kigali.

"농구 아프리카 리그"는 아프리카 대륙에서 개최되는 대규모 농구 토너먼트입니다. 이 토너먼트는 아프리카 대륙의 다양한 국가에서 온 최고의 농구 팀들이 참가하여 경쟁합니다. 농구 아프리카 리그는 아프리카 대륙의 농구 수준을 높이고, 아프리카 농구 선수들의 잠재력을 발휘할 수 있는 기회를 제공합니다. 이 토너먼트는 열정적인 경기와 뛰어난 기술을 자랑하는 선수들의 경쟁을 통해 관중들에게 흥미로운 시합을 선사합니다. 농구 아프리카 리그는 아프리카 대륙의 농구 문화와 열정을 대중들에게 알리는 중요한 행사로, 농구 팬들에게는 놓치지 않을 만한 흥미로운 경기들을 제공합니다.