PRETORIA (South Africa) - Al Ahli Tripoli defeated Petro de Luanda 88-67 to win the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Championship, which took place in Pretoria, South Africa and reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages.
This victory made Al Ahli Tripoli the first Libyan team to win the BAL. Petro de Luanda finished as runners-up for the second time in BAL history. A record 141,564 fans attended games over the course of the BAL’s milestone fifth season. This is also the first time a conference winner has won the BAL, and the first time a BAL Coach of the Year has led a team to the championship title. Jean Jacques Boissy was voted the 2025 BAL MVP.
Following the game, BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and FIBA Africa President Anibal Manave presented Alahli Tripoli with the BAL Championship Trophy and Alahli Tripoli forward Jean Jacques Boissy with The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for winning the 2025 BAL Most Valuable Player Award. For the first time in BAL history, the 2025 champions received championship rings, following a tradition long associated with global basketball excellence.
Alahli Tripoli went 9-1 during the Nile Conference group phase in Kigali, Rwanda, and the Playoffs, defeating Cape Verde’s Kriol Star and Rwanda’s APR in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to advance to the Finals. Alahli Tripoli is the first team in league history to win both its conference and the championship in the same season. APR defeated Egypt’s Al Ittihad 123–90 in the third-place game yesterday, setting a league record for the most points scored in a single game. Boissy is also the 2025 BAL Scoring Champion and was named to the 2025 All-BAL First Team and the 2025 All-BAL Defensive Team, recording per-game averages of 18.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 assists. Several former NBA players attended games during the 2025 BAL Playoffs and Finals, including 2014 NBA champion Boris Diaw (France; ties to Senegal), seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady (U.S.), BAL Ambassadors and NBA Africa investors Luol Deng (South Sudan), Ian Mahinmi (France; ties to Benin) and Joakim Noah (grandfather from Cameroon), 2015 FIBA AfroBasket champion Olumide Oyedeji (Nigeria), former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet (Tanzania) and former NBA player and Olympian Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Ghana). The BAL has also announced the Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sportsmanship Award winner, All-BAL First Team, All-BAL Defensive Team, and Ubuntu Award winner. The voting panels varied for each award and comprised fans, coaches, team captains, media, broadcasters, and scouts.
2025 BAL Coach of the Year Alahli Tripoli head coach Abou Chacra Joseph Fouad led his team to a BAL Championship with a 9-1 record during the Nile Conference group phase and the Playoffs. 2025 Defensive Player of the Year APR center Aliou Diarra won The Dikembe Mutombo Trophy as the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year. Diarra led APR to a 6-4 record during the Nile Conference group phase, and the Playoffs, averaging 17.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks in 10 games this season. He is the first player in league history to win the award twice, having previously received the honor in 2023 with Stade Malien (Mali). Diarra was also named to the All-BAL First Team. 2025 BAL Sportsmanship Award Petro de Luanda (Angola) guard Souleyman Diabate received The Manute Bol Trophy for exemplifying the ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie.
2025 BAL Ubuntu Award Kriol Star Basketball (Cape Verde) guard Joel Almeida won the 2025 BAL Ubuntu Award in recognition of his ongoing efforts to use the game of basketball to positively impact the lives of youth in his native Cape Verde. Over the past year, Almeida organized basketball camps and clinics that reached more than 100 aspiring players and coaches, including from underserved communities.
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