Former NBA Academy Africa student-athlete Jean-Jacques Boissy scored 28 points, including 24 from behind the arc, got seven rebounds and three steals, and Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) beat Made By Basketball (MBB, South Africa) 87-77 when the Basketball Africa League’s (BAL) (www.BAL.NBA.com) Nile Conference tipped off at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on Saturday night. In the second game, APR (Rwanda) defeated Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) 92-63.
Jaylen Adams and Naseim Badrush combined for 30 points and eight rebounds for Al Ahli who outrebounded MBB 51-37, including grabbing 21 offensive rebounds. Teafale Lenard Jr. got 20 points and six rebounds, Robinson Opong added 15 points, and Pieter Prinsloo finished with six points and five rebounds for MBB.
Meanwhile, Aliou Diara did it all for APR, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and four steals, with the team shooting 52.3 percent from the floor. Former NBA player Chasson Randle added 20 points for APR, who also recorded 28 fast break points.
The Nile Conference continues on Sunday, when Nairobi City Thunder takes on Al Ahli Tripoli at 2:30 p.m. and MBB faces APR at 5:30 p.m. CAT.
The 2025 BAL season is reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships, including on Canal+, ESPN, FIBA’s digital platform Courtside 1891 and livestreaming on the NBA App, NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL’s YouTube channel.
Africa Fact: In June 2019, Google announced their plan to build a private fiber-optic subsea cable that will run along the west coast of Africa, which will greatly enhance Africans’ access to the internet.
Zorkle Sporkle
The most tries scored by a rugby player is 69 – Though Japan is yet to take the world cup, former player Daisuke Ohata holds the world record for most international tries with 69. He set the bar between 1996 and 2006 while playing on the wing and once scored eight tries in a single match. It’s going to be a long time before anyone beats that record!
Old Felix
New Zealand has produced many rugby legends, including Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, and Jonah Lomu. Richie McCaw, a former All Blacks captain, is widely regarded as one of the greatest rugby players of all time, having played in 148 test matches and leading the team to two Rugby World Cup victories. Dan Carter, a fly-half, holds the record for the highest points scorer in international rugby. Jonah Lomu, a powerful winger, gained worldwide fame during the 1995 Rugby World Cup for his improbable speed and strength.