African Basketball League

The Continental Basketball League (CBL), formerly the African Basketball League (ABL), was a men's private professional basketball league in Africa established with the vision of creating opportunities in the sports industry by capturing the rich entertainment culture of Africans to promote sports tourism.[1][2]

Not to be confused with FIBA Africa Basketball League.
Continental Basketball League (CBL)
SportBasketball
Inaugural season16 December 2015 (2015-12-16)
CEOUgo Udezue
MottoWe Think Africa
No. of teams6
ContinentFIBA Africa (not recognized)
Most titlesIvory Coast Abidjan Ramblers
Nigeria Lagos City Stars
(1 title each)
Official websiteablafrica.com
cblafrica.net

The objectives of the league are to create wealth and employment; develop intra-Africa tourism and integration; and foster internal growth and development. This will be achieved through the development of an ecosystem that will support the creation of viable and valuable basketball franchises.[3]

In May 2016, Abidjan Ramblers defeated Lagos Warriors to become the inaugural winners of the league.[4]

History

The ABL was launched on Wednesday December 16, 2015 at the Lagos Boat Club, Ikoyi Lagos. The official presentation of the league was made at the launch including the unveiling of the participating clubs, the introduction of the Management Board and the announcement of the league partners. The inaugural season began on Friday March 4, 2016.[5][6][7]

The league was intended to run simultaneously with other national leagues in Africa, with the CEO, Ugo Udeze stating that approval was gotten from FIBA Africa before commencement of the league. In March 2016, Nigeria Basketball Federation declared it illegal and expelled two Lagos teams, who previously played in the Nigerian Premier League from returning to the legitimate Nigerian basketball league.[8] FIBA Africa also corroborated the stance by the Nigerian body, explaining that it never gave such approval for the league.[9]

In 2017, the league re-branded to become the Continental Basketball League (CBL), also named the CBL Africa.

Teams

2017 season
Team City, Country Founded Joined
Ivory Coast Abidjan Raiders Abidjan, Ivory Coast 2017
Nigeria Eko KingsCBL Lagos, Nigeria 2017
Nigeria Lagos Warriors Lagos, Nigeria 1994 2016*
Nigeria Lagos City Stars Lagos, Nigeria 2017
Gabon Libreville Izobé Dragons Libreville, Gabon 2015 2016*
Cameroon Yaoundé Giants Yaoundé, Cameroon 2017

CBL Teams that are owned by the Continental Basketball League itself.
* Teams that are founding members of the ABL in 2016.

Former teams
Team City, Country Founded Joined
Ivory Coast Abidjan Ramblers Abidjan, Ivory Coast 2016*
Nigeria Lagos Islanders Lagos, Nigeria 1984 2017
Nigeria Stallions Lagos, Nigeria 2000 2016*
Senegal Dakar Rapids Dakar, Senegal 2016*

2016 season

On May 2016, the Abidjan Ramblers won the inaugural title after beating Stallions in the finals.[10] Jourdain Allou was named Finals MVP.[10]

2017 season

The regular season began on May 12 and ended May 28, 2017. The final four was played in Lagos on June 3 and June 4, 2017.[11] On June 4, the Lagos City Stars won the second league title and Jordan Mayes was named MVP.[12]

Regular season

Pos. Team W L W%
1 Eko Kings 5 0 100.0
2 Abidjan Raiders 4 1 80.0
3 Yaoundé Giants 3 2 60.0
4 Lagos City Stars 2 3 40.0
5 Lagos Warriors 1 4 20.0
6 Libreville Izobé Dragons 0 5 0.0

Final Four

Semifinals Finals
      
1 Nigeria Eko Kings 73
4 Nigeria Lagos City Stars 82
4 Nigeria Lagos City Stars 73
2 Ivory Coast Abidjan Raiders 59
2 Ivory Coast Abidjan Raiders 72
3 Cameroon Yaoundé Giants 65

References
  1. "So much to gain from African Basketball League, says Udezue » The Guardian Nigeria". Guardian.ng. 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  2. "NBBF declares African Basketball League illegal - Vanguard News". Vanguardngr.com. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  3. "FIBA Africa opposes launch of African Basketball League". FIBA.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  4. Monye, Alex (May 30, 2016). "Abidjan Ramblers make history, beat Lagos Warriors to win first African Basketball League". Guardian.ng. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  5. "African Basketball League -Official Homepage". Ablafrica.com. 2016-07-08. Archived from the original on 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  6. Tunde Eludini (2015-12-19). "African Basketball League debuts with seven clubs - Premium Times Nigeria". Premiumtimesng.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  7. "How African Basketball League crashed". Dailytrust.com.ng. 2016-03-19. Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  8. "NBBF declares African Basketball League illegal". Vanguard. March 8, 2016. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  9. Ngobua, David (March 19, 2016). "How African Basketball League crashed". Daily Trust. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  10. "ABL makes history, ends first season in Abidjan with Ramblers clinching trophy » FLATIMES". 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  11. "Schedules & Scores – Continental Basketball League – Official Page". Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  12. "Jordin is MVP as Lagos City Stars win CBL's May Madness". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
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