Report: Basketball Africa League's 2nd Season to Begin March 2022 in Senegal
The Basketball Africa League will return for its second season beginning on March 5, 2022, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
The season will begin with 15 games in Dakar, Senegal, followed by 15 games in Cairo, Egypt, in April. The eight-game playoff will take place Kigali, Rwanda, from May 21-28.
The inaugural BAL regular season was limited to just 26 games amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with the entire tournament played in Rwanda. Egypt's Zamalek was the first champion in 2021, defeating US Monastir of Tunisia in the title game.
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The 2022 BAL will once again feature 12 teams battling for continental supremacy, all of which were winners of their country's league in 2020-21.
League winners in Angola, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia all automatically qualify for the Basketball Africa League, which includes defending champion Zamalek after winning another title in the Egyptian Basketball Super League.
The remaining six spots are still up for grabs, with 16 teams battling through the qualifying stages in December.
A free-agent camp for the BAL will take place at the Brooklyn Nets facility in January, per Spears.
Though many of the competitors are based in Africa, the inaugural tournament featured several American players, including rapper J. Cole. Former Maryland guard Terrell Stoglin was the tournament's leading scorer for Morocco's AS Sale.
