Thunder strikes rivals in BAL ticket battle

National League champions Nairobi City Thunder secured their second straight appearance at the prestigious Basketball Africa League (BAL).

They once again did it in style by not only qualifying, but also winning the Road to BAL Elite 16 East Division contest that ended on Sunday at the Kasarani Indoor Arena on an unbeaten run.

Thunder crowned their impressive performance with a 94-84 win against South Africa’s Johannesburg Giants in the final played at the fully packed 5,000-seater gymnasium.

With the 2026 BAL ticket safely in their hands, Thunder will now shift their focus to next year’s contest with the aim of improving on their 2025 performance.

On their BAL debut, Thunder failed to qualify for the play-offs winning one match and losing five during the Nile Conference.

Speaking after their final victory against the South African side, Thunder coach Bradley Ibs said that he is glad they were returning to the BAL.

“Obviously it’s great to have a clean slate and go back to the BAL and to beat a really good Johannesburg team twice. I think what stood out for me throughout this experience is the fans turnout. The venue was packed each of the last two nights and it feels like an exciting movement that we are part of,” Ibs said.

Thunder, who got a direct qualification to the Elite 16 thanks to last season’s brilliant show, launched their quest in Group A with an 89-62 win against Ugandan Champions Namuwongo Blazers.

With the fourth team Elan Coton of Benin having withdrawn from the competition, Thunder completed their preliminaries with a hard-fought 86-83 win against Johannesburg Giants.

The two wins saw them top the pool and secure a semis date with Mozambique’s Ferroviario Da Beira, who had finished second in Group B.

They thrashed Ferroviario and also registered the only century of the tournament following their resounding 109-70 victory.

Johannesburg on the other hand edged out Tanzanian champions Dar City who topped Group A 71-69 to set a second duel with Thunder.

Thunder dominated their guests in the final, taking a 28-18 first quarter lead. The second period was evenly contested with the homeboys scoring 22 points, one more than their visitors for a 12-point advantage at the breather.

On resumption, Thunder controlled the game to win the third quarter 33-23 and stretch their lead to 22 points.

Johannesburg were stronger in the last quarter, scoring 23 points against Thunder’s 11 but their last-ditch effort was not good enough to salvage the game.