The BAL's biggest shots of all-time

As of May 12, 2024, there have been 132 BAL games since the league’s inaugural season in May 2021, and over the last three seasons we have witnessed some incredible shots.

Here are the BAL’s biggest shots of all time.

GANAPAMO SINKS FAP

Context – On April 12, 2022 at Hassan Mostafa Sports Complex in Cairo, Cape Town trailed FAP by six with 40 seconds remaining until Ben Myburgh came off the bench to launch the Tigers’ resurgence.

Myburgh hit a three-pointer that tied the game at 70-70. Then, with 2 seconds on the clock Evans Ganapamo buried the game-winning three-pointer that boosted Cape Town’s chances of advancing to the postseason.

NOEL’S BUZZER BEATER SENDS GAME TO OT

Context – May 4, 2024 marked the start of the Sahara Conference at Dakar Arena on the outskirts of the Senegalese capital.
But the opening of the conference couldn’t have finished without Obadiah Noel leaving his mark.

As APR trailed 78-75 with four seconds remaining, Noel received an inbound pass from the baseline, dribbled a third of the court before triggering the three-pointer that tied the game at 78-78 where the Rwandan champions outlasted US Monastir 89-84.

FOFANA BEATS HOOPERS AT THE BUZZER

Context - On May 9, 2024, AS Douanes made sure to avoid playing five extra minutes against Rivers Hoopers, and the game-changing moment came right at the buzzer.

There were less than five seconds on the clock when Hoopers’ guard Will Perry tied the game at 54-54 from the free-throw.

AS Douanes head coach Mamadou Gueye called a time-out to draw what turned out a beautiful basketball moment.

Gueye called Mike Fofana, who had been on the bench for over five minutes, to strike the final straw and the Ivorian forward delivered the biggest shot of his career as he admitted.

Fofana set a screen, received the inbound pass and triggered the game-winning shot at the buzzer, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

SLAC TRAP CLEVELAND JR. BUT LEAVE JEAN JACQUES WILSON OPEN FOR THE GAME-WINNER

Context - On March 9, 2022, Rwanda’s REG were on the brink of a defeat as they trailed 81-80 against Guinea’s SLAC with 4 second left.

But, REG guard Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight.

SLAC’s defense trapped Cleveland Thomas Jr. ferociously, forcing him to pass the ball to Nsobozwabyosenumukiza, who seized the opportunity to hit the game-winning three-pointer, which he later called the biggest shot in his career.

CHUDIER BILE’S 3 RESCUES ABC FIGHTERS

Context – On March 20, 2023, ABC Fighters found themselves in an unfamiliar territory, but Chudier Bile was at the right spot, at the right time to lift the Ivorian outfit to a 79-76 win over Nigeria’s Kwara Falcons.

With head coach Liz Mills side-lined with a health issue, assistant coach Eric Minotte refused to disappoint, inspiring his team to a 10-0 run in the last 1:37 minute left , which included Bile’s three-pointer that closed the game out.

GONCALVES’ PUTBACK BREAKS AL AHLY SC’s HEARTS

Context - On May 5, 2023, eventual season champions Al Ahly SC were playing as hosts of the Nile Conference when Petro de Luanda silenced a rowdy home crowd thanks to a game-winning put-back from Gerson Goncalves right at the buzzer.

Petro de Luanda prevailed 91-90.

GASANA SENDS PATRIOTS TO THE SEMIS

Context - Basketball gods protected Rwanda’s Patriots BC on May 29, 2021.

With 2.7 seconds left, Patriots guard Kenneth Gasana had an opportunity to end the game against Ferroviario de Maputo from the free-throw line, but things didn’t, initially, go according to plan as Gasana missed the first of two free-throws.

But the BK Arena erupted in joy when he scored the second free-throw before Maputo’s Celio Dinis’ missed a three-pointer attempt with a second left. The win saw Patriots advance to the semi-finals.

EKE’s PUT-BACK HURT SHORT-HANDED APR

Context - The second Sahara Conference clash between Rivers Hoopers and APR on May 11, 2024 entered the league’s history as the first one to be decided in a double overtime.

As if missing Obadiah Noel and Adonis Filer to injuries wasn’t concerning enough, APR allowed Hoopers’ Devine Eke to score a put-back shot that sent the game to overtime before the Nigerian champions outlasted APR 78-71.