NAIROBI (Kenya) - For the third consecutive time, Nairobi City Thunder (NCT) were crowned Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men's league champions at the weekend, lifting their third league title unbeaten.
On Friday 2 October, in front of a packed crowd at the Kasarani Indoor Arena, NCT extended their winning streak to 90-0 to complete their three-year unbeaten run, sweeping aside former league champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in the best-of-five playoff final.
Unlike in previous seasons, when the Bradley Ibs-led team enjoyed easy victories over the Dockers, this time they had to work hard in the final three matches against a determined KPA, keen to reclaim a title they had not held for a long time.
The series began away at the Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa, where NCT survived a scare in Game One, taking the match to overtime with a clutch three from Eugene Adera and eventually winning 78–67.
The champions won Game Two 72–63, heading to Nairobi with a 2–0 lead.
Despite KPA coming close to breaking the hosts' unbeaten run, NCT found their winning mojo yet again on home turf, completing the sweep with a 74-70 victory in Game Three.
"We are happy for the win. It is a historic three-season unbeaten run for the club that has come as a result of consistency, hard work, and a collective effort from players, coaches, and management," Tyler Ongwae offered.
"It feels good to win the way we did, as when have prepared for such scenarios all year. KPA being as competitive as they have been this season has been a blessing as we needed that push ahead of the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL) matches. We have lost several close matches in BAL so this has been a good way to prepare for next month," Ongwae added.
League Awards
After months of hard work, the federation recognised the efforts of the players and coaches, with NCT's Derrick Ogechi winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the regular season, while his teammate Ongwae received the Playoffs MVP award.
The Defensive Player of the Year award went to Jason Kesseng of KPA.
Meanwhile, Bradley Ibs was named Coach of the Year.
How the 2026 Season Unfolded
With 22 matches on the cards in the regular season, NCT went unbeaten, finishing on a perfect 44 points, five more than closest competitors KPA who lost two matches and forfeited one.
Former league play-off finalists Equity Dumas came third with 13 wins and 35 points.
Stanbic Shields placed fourth, just one point behind the bankers, having achieved 12 wins in their second season in the top tier.
Meanwhile, former league champions Ulinzi Warriors dropped to fifth place with 33 points.
Umoja Basketball, Strathmore Blades and Kisumu Lakeside completed the top eight, qualifying for the playoffs.
Nairobi University Terror, Eldoret Platinum, Africa Nazarene Wolfpack, and newcomers Moischers took the remaining four places in the 12-team regular league.
The Playoff Battle
The best-of-three quarter-finals began with the eventual champions, NCT, taking on Kisumu Lakeside. NCT won with a score of 2-0 (97-54 and 87-44).
KPA overcame Blades with wins of 77-61 and 76-38, with Dumas claiming their semi-final spot after beating Umoja. Shields made history by reaching their first semi-final with a 2–0 win over Warriors (60–58 and 79–72).
The most fiercely contested quarter-final matchup was between Dumas and Umoja, stretching the best-of-three format to its absolute limit. After splitting the first two games 1–1, with Dumas winning the opening match 68–50 and losing the second 62–58, Umoja dug deep in the winner-takes-all Game Three to win 75–67 and advance.
In the best-of-five semi-finals, NCT outclassed play-off debutants Shields 3–0. The bankers offered little resistance in the 82–65, 91–67 and 88–65 outcomes.
Meanwhile, KPA began their campaign away in Nairobi, where they defeated Dumas 87-56 and 102-87. They then closed the series in front of their home fans at Makande with a score of 82-56.
NCT won the best-of-five final playoff, maintaining their three-year unbeaten run and booking a place in the Road to BAL for the third consecutive time.
FIBA