Meet the FIBA WASL West Asia teams: Al Shorta SC
BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Al Shorta SC have been lurking in and are looking for the chance to shine in season 2 of the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL).
They've been overshadowed FIBA WASL season 1 participant, Al Naft, in the past in local competitions. But Al Shorta SC being a part of the Season 2 playing field gives them a stage to potentially outperform their domestic rivals.
History
Al Shorta are a storied sporting club, recognizing 1932 as the year that the club was founded. They are one of the most successful sports clubs in the country, including basketball. The club won the Iraqi Premier League in 2015 and are on an active streak of six consecutive Final appearances.
Their title in 2015 granted them their first-ever and only appearance to date in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016. In a run that saw them go through to the Quarter-Finals, Al Shorta collected wins over the Malaysia Dragons (Malaysia), Barsy Atyrau (Kazakhstan), Pauian (Chinese Taipei), and even Al Rayyan (Qatar) - another team set to make their FIBA WASL debut this season.
The club's emblem (below) is highlighted by a golden harp, symbolizing the popular moniker "Al-Qithara" which was coined according to the "team's attractive style of play to the tunes of a musical instrument".
Emblem
Homecourt
Al Shorta play their home games at the Al Shaeb Hall in Baghdad.
Path to FIBA WASL
Al Shorta were runners up of the 2022-23 Iraqi Premier League. They replaced Jordan’s Al Ahli Amman in Group B of the FIBA WASL West Asia League.
Group B
0/12 games played
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Al Riyadi |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 |  Al Shorta SC |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 |  Al Wahdaa |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 |  Orthodox Beit Sahour |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
In the Group Phase, Al Shorta are set to face inaugural WASL - West Asia champions Al Riyadi from Lebanon, AL Wahdaa from Syria, and Orthodox Beit Sahour from Palestine.
Players to Watch
Al Shorta are not among the best teams in West Asia but just sheer luck. They have a collection of some of the best talents in Iraq. This includes Hassan Abdullah who was the second leading scorer for Iraq in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers with 15.2 points per game.
Hassan Abdullah, FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers
Then you also have Mohammed Al-Khafaji and Ali Ismael, two national team veterans who can certainly play a big role in this WASL season.
There will be plenty of attention locked on Lamont "Momo" Jones and rightfully so. Jones is making a return to WASL after shining with Al Manama in the Gulf League last season, finishing as one of only 3 players to average over 20 points per game. He was the spark in Al Manama's late-season run that earned them a spot in the WASL Final 8 by upsetting Al Hilal in the Semi-Finals.
Lamont "Momo" Jones, FIBA WASL Gulf League 2023
He will be teamed up with Byron Wesley, a seasoned veteran with high-level experience who was once ranked the No.1 High School player in the state of California, and Delwan Graham.
Byron Wesley, Basketball Champions League 2018
FIBA
