BEVERLY HILLS, May 31, (THEWILL) – The inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) rounded off with the Egyptian club Zamalek Basketball Club claiming the victory in the final game after defeating US Monastir of Tunisia 76-63 at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda, which was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages.
Amadou Gallo Fall, the BAL President, was on hand to present the winners with the trophy and congratulate them for winning the maiden edition of the Basketball showpiece.
The trophy itself was the cynosure of all eyes as it was attractively designed to represent the baobab tree, a tree that is native to Africa and often referred to as the “tree of life” for its utility in providing food, water, shelter, and protection to people and animals alike as it has done for ages on the continent.
As part of the award ceremony, the BAL announced the first recipients of the league’s end-of-season awards.
As a nod to the pioneering efforts of African NBA Legends Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), Dikembe Mutombo (the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Manute Bol (South Sudan), the BAL created the Hakeem Olajuwon BAL Most Valuable Player Award, Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award in recognition of their legendary NBA careers and off-court contributions in the continent and beyond.
The co-finalists, expectedly, dominated the recipients with Walter Hodge (Zamalek) named the Hakeem Olajuwon BAL Most Valuable Player after leading his team to an undefeated 6-0 record. Hodge averaged 15.5 points per game, 5.7 for assists, and 5.0 rebounds towards his side’s triumph.
Hodge’s team-mate Anas Osama Mahmoud (Zamalek) took home the Dikembe Mutombo BAL Defensive Player of the Year award. He registered per game averages of 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks to clinch the gong.
The other finalist, Tunisia’s US Monastir also was recognised as their player Makrem Ben Romdhane won the the Manute Bol BAL Sportsmanship Award for exemplifying the ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie with his approach to the competition.
The BAL noted that additional awards will be announced on Tuesday via the BAL’s social media channels. There will still be awards for the BAL All-First Team and the 2021 BAL Scoring Champion. Then, there is also the BAL Ubuntu Award which recognises an individual or organization that has made an impact on the local community during the first BAL season with an award of appreciation.
The very well received and organised inaugural Basketball showpiece had in attendance domestic champions from the national leagues in Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. Six other teams, who secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent in late 2019, joined from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, and Rwanda.
Nigeria’s representatives, Rivers Hoopers, who added American duo Chris Daniels and Taren Sullivan to their roster, also drafted Ben Uzoh into their squad, a veteran of D’Tigers national team and a former NBA star with Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Although they won their final group game against the Malagasy Gendarmerie National Basketball Club (GNBC), the Hoopers did not progress to the knockout stages due to superior points difference that gave the advantage of progressing to the next round to FAP of Cameroon and Douanes of Senegal.
However, as reported by THEWILL, with Uzoh making the basket to score the first ever points in BAL, the Rivers State team became the first club to score a point in the history of the competition, a record that cannot be erased.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
