RSA - South Africa launches professional basketball league

JOHANNESBURG - Fifteen years after folding, the highly-anticipated South African Basketball National League (BNL) was officially launched on 18 October and consists of 11 teams divided in two Conferences.

The Northern Conference will include six teams: Egoli Magic, North West Good Fellas, Soweto Panthers, Mbombela Wildcats, Polokwane Trailblazers and the Tshwane Suns.

The Southern Conference will consist of: Cape Mountaineers, Kimberley Diamonds, Port Elizabeth Wind Breakers, Free State Golden Warriors and KwaZulu-Natal Marlins.

The league will consist of a round-robin competition before advancing to cross-conference quarter-finals, semi-finals with the final to be played in early December.

As a starting point, games will be played at Wembley Stadium in Johannesburg although BNL expects to expand the tournament to rest of the country next year.

Albert Mokoena, the BNL chairman, acknowledged the memorable moment in the country's basketball history.

"It's an historic week for basketball in South Africa, we have been working hard to have a professional basketball league in this country,” he said.

"Basketball is a popular sport in this country. Many young and old people wake up in the early hours of the morning to watch NBA (National Basketball Association) games on television.

"It will be a resounding success.

"We are confident South Africans will support our events too,” he said.

The BNL has agreed a partnership deal with Television giant SuperSport who will broadcast games live across the continent.

Mokoena insists for the first time, basketball will have a truly national premier league giving South African top players the opportunity to excel and to compete with the best that Africa has to offer.

"With SuperSport as our partners and our national league having the endorsement of the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, Sascoc and Basketball South Africa, our players can look forward to a league where the emphasis will be on a high-quality game combined with entertainment that appeals to the youth," said Mokoena.

SuperSport's Brandon Foot, Head of Acquisitions and Legal, explained the reasons behind the partnership: "There is no question that the sport has a captive market. Basketballers now have an avenue for their skills and we couldn’t be happier to be part of this renewal of the local game. We look forward to a strong association."

FIBA