For the second consecutive year, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) will participate in the prestigious Quai 5, the world’s biggest streetball tournament, which will take place on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23 at Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, France. The BAL’s participation is part of the league’s year-round strategy to engage new and existing fans across the African Diaspora and around the world.
The team representing the BAL will feature standout players from the 2024 season, including 2024 champion and Angolan basketball legend Carlos Morais (Angola’s Petro de Luanda), 2024 All-BAL First Team and All-Defensive Team member Samkelo Cele (South Africa‘s Cape Town Tigers), and 2024 BAL 3-point leader Kelvin Amayo (Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers). Below is the complete list of participating players:
|
First Name |
Last Name |
2024 BAL Team |
|
Makhtar |
Gueye |
Dynamo Basketball Club (Burundi) |
|
Samkelo |
Cele |
Cape Town Tigers (South Africa) |
|
Kelvin |
Amayo |
Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) |
|
Jean Jacques |
Boissy |
AS Douanes (Senegal) |
|
Carlos |
Morais |
Petro de Luanda (Angola) |
|
Yannick |
Moreira |
Petro de Luanda (Angola) |
|
George |
Williams |
US Monastir (Tunisia) |
|
John |
Wilkins |
Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) |
The team will be coached by Karim Nesba (Morocco), who served as head coach of the City Oilers (Uganda) during the 2024 BAL season, and Victor Samnick, who won the French National League (LNB) championship in 2008 and 2011 and played collegiately at Georgetown University.
Quai 54 is renowned for its high-energy atmosphere and top-tier competition, bringing together the best streetball talent from around the world. Last year, the BAL team that reached the semifinals featured 2023 BAL champion Ehab Amin (Egypt’s Al Ahly), 2023 All-BAL First Team member Chris Crawford (Senegal’s AS Douanes), and 2023 All-BAL Defensive Team member Ater Majok (Petro de Luanda).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Icy Avenger
Ellyse Perry played football world cups and women’s cricket.
Breadmaker
Sport Trivia: Who was the first person from South Africa to win the Olympic 100m sprint? Answer: Reggie Walker. South African Reggie Walker won the Olympic 100m track event in London in 1908. He set a new Olympic record of 10.8 seconds in his semi final, and equalled it in the final. He was just 19yrs and 128 days old when he won the gold medal. Paul Nash equalled the then world record of 10.0 seconds four times in 1968.