Thunder to face opponents from Ethiopia, Tanzania in BAL Qualifiers

National men’s basketball league champions Nairobi City Thunder will face J.K.T of Tanzania, Hawassa City of Ethiopia, Seychellois club BEAU Vallon Heat, Ushindzi of Comoros and G.N.B.C from Madagascar, as well as Urunani of Burundi, in the Basketball Africa League Qualifiers.

The competition is set to tip off from October 15th to 20th in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

Of the seven teams in the East Division, that has Thunder, only two teams qualify to the next round which will take place in November, at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Thunder, after winning the Kenyan league title, will be making a debut in the competition and hopes to qualify for the second round.

Thunder have boosted their roster with six new players. They include Kenyans Tylor Okari Ongwae, Eugene Adera, Derrick Mekenye Ogechi and Tom Bush Wamukota. Others are Nigerian Uchenna Onyekachi Iroegbu, and American William Sidney Davis II.

Thunder had also signed Michel Diogoye Diouf from Senegal, but the player terminated his contract before he could even begin the new season and went back to Denmark.

 In his place, Thunder signed Kenyan international Tom Bush Wamukota from APR of Rwanda who will be unveiled as soon as he arrives in the country.

The participating teams will play in a round of robin format where the top two placed teams will qualify for the next round – the qualifying tournament.

 During the qualifying round, the sixteen teams will be divided into two - of eight teams each.

The eight teams in the qualifying tournament will further be divided in two groups of four teams.

Every winner in the four groups will qualify for the 2025 BAL Championship