2021 BAL season

2021 BAL season
LeagueBasketball Africa League
Season2021
Dates16 – 30 May 2021
Games played26
Teams12
Regular season
Season MVPWalter Hodge
(Zamalek)
Finals
ChampionsEgypt Zamalek (1st title)
  Runners-upTunisia US Monastir
Third placeAngola Petro de Luanda
Fourth placeRwanda Patriots
Statistical leaders
Points Terrell Stoglin (AS Salé) 30.8
Rebounds Ibrahima Thomas (Police) 12.0
Assists Myck Kabongo (Ferroviário) 6.8
Records
Biggest home win47 points
GNBC 66–113 US Monastir
(12 May 2021)
Winning streak6 games
Zamalek
Highest attendance1,789
US Monastir 63–76 Zamalek
(30 May 2021)
Seasons

The 2021 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 1, was the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Established as a joint effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and FIBA, the BAL is the highest tier continental league of Africa, replacing the FIBA Africa Basketball League.[1] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BAL held its inaugural season one year later as planned, with the season beginning in 2021.[2][3] Initially the league planned to play in six venues in six countries; however, due to the pandemic the season was held in a bio-secure bubble in Kigali, Rwanda. The season began on 16 May 2021 and ended on 30 May 2021.[4]

The qualifying rounds for the season were held from 16 October to 21 December 2019, with national champion of each African country has the opportunity to qualify through the qualifying rounds. Meanwhile, six national champions directly qualified for the regular season to make a total of twelve teams in the main tournament.

Zamalek won the first-ever BAL championship after beating US Monastir in the finals and going undefeated over the season.[5]

  1. ^ "NBA, FIBA launching 12-team league in Africa; Barack Obama to have hands-on role". USA Today.
  2. ^ "NBA's Basketball Africa League to debut May 16 in Rwanda". ESPN. 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Basketball Africa League postpones start of inaugural season". NBA.com. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Basketball Africa League to tip off historic inaugural season in May". Basketball Africa League. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Egypt's Zamalek wins inaugural Basketball Africa League". NBA.com. 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2023-09-23.