May 31, 2025

10 BAL records set in the 2025 regular season

Throughout the three 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) conferences, one thing that couldn’t go unnoticed was that some players went the extra mile to make a difference for their teams.

Thanks to their efforts, some of those players ended up setting season records.

This article is all about the records set during the first 36 games of the 2025 BAL season. A few more records are likely to emerge when the playoffs begin in Pretoria on Friday, June 6.

POINTS SCORED IN A GAME (39)

*Teafale Lenard Jr. #6 of Made by Basketball looks on during the game against the Nairobi City Thunder during the Nile Conference Group on May 20, 2025 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.*

Teafale Lenard Jr. tried everything he could to help the South African champions, MBB, win their final game, but they fell 102-73 to the high-flying Al-Ahli Tripoli on the last day of the Nile Conference in Kigali.

Not even his season-record-setting 39 points were enough to guarantee MBB a spot in the playoffs.

STEALS (5)

Michael Afuwape and Kelvin Amayo (Rivers Hoopers), Anas Mahmoud (Al Ittihad Alexandria), and Mohamed Sadi and Caleb Agada (Al Ahli Tripoli) each had a season-high five steals in a game during conference play.

REBOUNDS (7 &17)

*Peter Olisemeka #14 of the Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club looks on during the game against the Al Ittihad Alexandria during the Kalahari Conference on April 12, 2025 Rabat, Morocco.*

Peter Olisemeka has built a reputation as a reliable rebounder, and he lived up to it throughout the Kalahari Conference.

The Nigerian power forward set a season record of 17 rebounds in a game and became the only player to finish with eight offensive rebounds in the 94-77 loss to Al Ittihad Alexandria on April 12 in Rabat, Morocco.

ASSISTS (13)

*Childe Dundao #5 of Petro de Luanda handles the ball during the game against ASC Ville de Dakar during the Sahara Conference Group on May 3, 2025, at Dakar Arena in Diamniadio, Senegal.*

In his fifth consecutive Basketball Africa League (BAL) season, Petro de Luanda point guard Childe Dundao has become one of the league's most familiar faces.

On April 26, he made his mark on the regular season by finishing with a season-high 13 assists and helping Petro de Luanda secure a 103-74 victory over Kriol Star in Dakar.

BLOCK SHOTS (8)

*Aliou Diarra #10 of Armee Patriotique looks on during the game against Nairobi City Thunder during the Nile Conference Group on May 17, 2025, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.*

After sitting out two of APR’s six games due to health issues, Aliou Diarra delivered a standout performance in the final game of the Nile Conference.

In APR’s 77-74 win over the Nairobi City Thunder, Diarra set a BAL record with eight blocks, surpassing the previous record of seven set by Anas Mahmoud and Khaman Maluach in the 2022 and 2024 seasons, respectively.

FIELD-GOALS MADE (13)

*Albert Einstein Onyango Odero #14 of Nairobi City Thunder shoots the ball during the game against Made by Basketball during the Nile Conference Group on May 20, 2025, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.*

Whether or not it was a coincidence, the truth is that the two highest field goals made in a single regular season game were set by two players whose teams missed out on playoff spots.

Alberto Odero made a season-high 13 field goals, finishing with 29 points; however, his Nairobi City Thunder lost to the hosts, APR, 77-74. The Kenyan champions finished with an overall record of 1-5.

Mahamane Coulibaly of Stade Malien registered the second-highest number of field goals made in a game this season (12), though the Malian champions fell to Al Ittihad Alexandria 91-68 on April 10 in Rabat, Morocco.

THREE-POINTS (8)

*Jean Jacques Boissy #5 of Al Ahli Tripoli dribbles the ball during the game against Armee Patriotique during the Nile Conference group play on May 20, 2025, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.*

Jean-Jacques Boissy has never hidden his intention to make history in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

When Al-Ahli Tripoli head coach Fouad Abou Chakra called his name off the bench during their opening game in the Nile Conference in Kigali, the Senegalese guard made an immediate impact.

Boissy set a regular-season three-point record by shooting 8-for-13 and finishing with a game-high 28 points in an 87-77 win over MBB.

EFFICIENCY (43)

*Deon Thompson #41 of Al Ahli Tripoli looks on during the game during the Nile Conference Group on May 18, 2025, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.*

Deon Thompson may not be part of Al Ahli Tripoli’s playoff plans, but the Ivorian-American power forward certainly left his mark on the league.

He shot 8-for-13 from the floor, finishing with 21 points. He also had 14 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks, one steal, and a season-record 43 efficiency rating.

In their 77-74 win over the Nairobi City Thunder, APR’s Aliou Diarra registered the second highest efficiency rating (42).

FREE THROWS (12)

George King of Al Ittihad Alexandria had a perfect 11-for-11 performance from the free throw line in their 100-80 victory over the Rivers Hoopers on April 8 in Rabat, Morocco. However, that spectacular record was surpassed when Teafale Lenard Jr. of MBB converted one more free-throw on two occasions in Kigali.

Lenard Jr. shot 12-for-14 from the free-throw line in a 94-88 win over APR on May 22, then shot 12-for-16 in an 85-76 loss to Thunder two days later.

PLAYING TIME (45)

*Anderson Correia #12 of Kriol Star Basketball dunks the ball during the game against Petro de Luanda during the Sahara Conference Group on May 4, 2025, at Dakar Arena in Diamniadio, Senegal.*

A desperate Kriol Star needed its shorthanded roster to do the impossible to qualify for the postseason, and Anderson Correia made his presence felt in style.

Not only did Correia lead the Creoles in scoring with a team-high 16 points, but he also stayed on the floor for the entire 45 minutes to help Kriol Star defeat Petro de Luanda 71-69 in overtime.

Correia is the only player in BAL history to play a full 45-minute overtime game.