Meet the 2025 Nile Conference teams

Three newcomers and second-time Basketball Africa League (BAL) participant make up the 2025 Nile Conference.

From Saturday, May 17 to May 25, Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya), Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR; Rwanda), Made by Ball (MBB; South Africa), Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya), will compete over six gamedays at the Kigali Arena for the right to secure two automatic berths to the 2025 BAL postseason.

BAL.NBA.COM brings you an insider look at the four contenders in Kigali.

AL AHLI TRIPOLI

Al Ahli Tripoli, the second most successful team in the Libyan Basketball League with eight titles, arrives in Kigali ready to climb to the top of African basketball.

How they qualified for the 2025 BAL season

Al Ahli Tripoli, winners of three of the last four domestic league titles, closed their Road to BAL qualifying campaign undefeated in seven games.

Their journey to the BAL began on home soil, where they beat Stade Malien and Kriol Star.

In the Elite 16 round in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, the Libyan champions dominated even more, beating Mighty Barrolle (Liberia) 99–75, Spintex Knights (Ghana) 101–69, KSA (Cameroon) 96–91, ABC Fighters (Côte d'Ivoire) 80–76, and Stade Malien (Mali) 71–68.

BAL Record

Al Ahli Tripoli, a BAL debutant, is the second Libyan team to play in the league since last year’s finalists, Al Ahly Ly.

Head Coach

In recent years, Lebanese Fouad Abou Chacra has been at the forefront of Libyan basketball.

As the head coach of the Libyan men’s national team, he led the North African country to its first AfroBasket qualification in 16 years.

Highlights of his coaching career: Seven-time champion of the Lebanese Basketball League with Rihad. He won the 2023 Libyan Cup with Itthiad and the 2024 Libyan League with Al Ahli Tripoli.

Al Ahli Tripoli's coaching staff includes former Tunisia captain Amine Rzig, who helped his country win the 2011 AfroBasket title in Madagascar.

Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR)

The club was founded by the Rwandan Patriotic Front and is currently owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Total league titles: 15 Rwandan National Championships

Titles in the Last Decade (2015–2024): Two titles (in 2023 and 2024), ending a 13-year title drought that began after their 2009 championship. They are the most decorated club in Rwanda, and no other team in the country has matched their level of domestic success.

Nickname: The Lions

How they qualified for the 2025 BAL season

APR is one of six teams that automatically qualified by winning their domestic league in 2024.

BAL Record

In their BAL debut last season, APR finished in last place in the Sahara Conference, with a record of 2–4.

Head Coach

James Maye Jr. took over as head coach of APR, replacing Mazen Trakh.

Maye Jr.'s resume includes an assistant coaching position with the NBA G League team College Park Skyhawks, an affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks.

Before arriving in Kigali, Maye Jr. gained experience with African basketball by playing for the Libyan team Al Shabab, which finished sixth in the 2008 FIBA Africa Champions Cup, the predecessor to the BAL.

Maye Jr. led Al Shabab in scoring with 21.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Primeiro de Agosto, Africa’s most successful team with eight African titles, won the 2008 tournament in Sousse, Tunisia.

MADE BY BALL - MBB

MBB (Made By Ball), based in Johannesburg, was formed in 2010 by a group of former basketball players, including Cyril Shabalala. Shabalala coached the team during the 2025 Road to BAL Elite 16 round in Nairobi, Kenya.

Shabalala relocated from his native Durban and saw a huge need to bring basketball to Johannesburg. The team aims to make an impact on South Africa’s basketball landscape.

How they qualified for the 2025 BAL season

MBB received a wild card to play in the current BAL season after finishing 1-2 in the qualification round.

MBB is the second South African team since the Cape Town Tigers to participate in the BAL.

BAL Record

MBB is one of three BAL debutants in the 2025 Nile Conference, along with Al Ahli Tripoli and Nairobi City Thunder.

Head Coach

Sam Vincent, a former NBA champion and assistant coach, built a storied career in African basketball.

Vincent, an American tactician who counts former REG head coach Dean Murray as an assistant, has played a key role in Nigeria’s dominance of the Women's AfroBasket tournament. Under Vincent, D’Tigress won their first of four consecutive African championship titles in 2017.

Vincent was appointed MBB head coach in February 2025.

NAIROBI CITY THUNDER

In their first attempt, the Nairobi City Thunder achieved what the Kenya Ports Authority had been unable to do for years: reach the BAL.

Established in 1998 as a corporate team under Kenya's National Social Security Fund, Nairobi City Thunder secured a local championship in 2000 and in 2001 represented the country in the Zone 5 Club Championships. 

In August 2023, Twende Sports Limited (founded by Colin Rasmussen, Kooshin Diriye, Stephen Domingo, and Sandra Kimokoti) acquired the team and professionalized it.

In July 2024, Nairobi City Thunder clinched the Kenya Men’s Premier League Championship in a historic undefeated season and in December 2024, went on to become the first team from Kenya to qualify for the Basketball Africa League.

How they qualified for the 2025 BAL season

During the 2025 Road to BAL qualifiers, the Thunder won seven of their eight games. They lost a close game (89–88) against Burundi’s Urunani in the first round in Tanzania.

BAL Record

The first Kenyan team to participate in the BAL will make its debut when the 2025 Nile Conference begins.

Head Coach

Brad Ibs is the man at the helm of the Kenyan champions. A 46-year-old American, he has called Kenya home for the last 17 years.

In an interview with BAL.NBA.com, Ibs shared his journey to becoming a BAL coach.

"I grew up in Minnesota. I played basketball and baseball there. After college, I wanted to help kids through after-school programs. I started a basketball program for East African refugees who had moved to the Twin Cities. I did that for eight years, which led my wife, my one-year-old daughter, and me to move to Nairobi in 2008 for similar work in another part of the world.

Two years ago, Twende Sports was looking for a coach. I had mutual friends with the owner, who reached out to me, and it's been a joyride ever since.”

The 2025 Nile Conference runs from May 17-25 in Kigali, Rwanda.