The Basketball Africa League (BAL), FIBA Africa and Hennessy, the world-renowned cognac brand and the Official Spirit of the BAL, will host a networking event, “BAL IN” on Feb. 9 at the FIBA Regional Office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. 

The “BAL IN” experience will be an opportunity for sports lovers, basketball fans and cognac enthusiasts to live an exciting experience from the two iconic brands. BAL and Hennessy share common values of bringing people together, creating unforgettable experiences and celebrating the creativity and culture on the continent.  As part of the event, BAL, FIBA Africa and Hennessy will celebrate Africa’s cultural resonance across basketball, fashion, music, art, and design through tasting, mixology and cultural experiences.

The “BAL IN” experience is part of the league’s long-term strategy to connect and engage with fans across the continent and beyond including the African Diaspora.  Previous networking events have been held in Accra, Ghana; Berlin, Germany; Lagos, Nigeria; Paris, France and Salt Lake City, U.S.

“We are super excited to see the momentum building across Africa and around the world, especially among the African Diaspora,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “This “BAL IN” event in Abidjan celebrates African sports industry excellence, provides networking opportunities for industry stakeholders, in line with the BAL’s commitment to being a catalyst for the growth of a robust African sports, entertainment and lifestyle ecosystem.”

“As the Official Spirit of the NBA and the BAL, Hennessy is looking forward to another exciting season, especially with the addition of South Africa to the host markets this year. We invite fans to enjoy both the games hosted across the continent and the cultural playground that’s celebrated beyond the court,” said General Manager Southern Africa and Marketing Director Africa Middle East at Moët Hennessy David White.

The expanded fourth season of the BAL will tip off on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.  The 2024 BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a record 48 games in Pretoria; Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; and Kigali, Rwanda over four months, marking the first BAL games in South Africa and the first time the league will play games in four different countries.  Fans can register their interest in tickets to games in all four markets at BAL.NBA.com.

During the 2024 BAL season, the 12 teams will be divided into three conferences of four teams each.  Each conference will play a 12-game group phase during which each team will face the other three teams in its conference twice.  The inaugural Kalahari Conference group phase will take place from Saturday, March 9 – Sunday, March 17 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.  The Nile Conference group phase will take place from Friday, April 19 – Saturday, April 27 at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo.  The Sahara Conference group phase will take place from Saturday, May 4 – Sunday, May 12 at the Dakar Arena in Dakar.  The top two teams from each conference and the top two third-place teams from across the three conferences will travel to Kigali for four seeding games followed by an eight-game, single-elimination Playoffs and Finals from Friday, May 24 – Saturday, June 1 at BK Arena.  

The 12 BAL teams, conferences, game schedule and additional information about the 2024 BAL season will be announced in the coming weeks.

BAL Season 4 announcement video (Credit: Basketball Africa League) (https://apo-opa.co/3SrLphb)