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Newcomers Dar City caused a major upset on the opening day of the 2026 Kalahari Conference Africa Basketball League beating favourites Johannesburg Giants 100–70 in Pretoria.
The Giants struggled to contain Dar City’s offensive players for most of the game, particularly Nisre Zouzoua and David Michineau, who scored a combined total of 62 points.
Pieter Prinsloo scored the opening basket with a low-post move, but that was the only time the Giants led.
Although the Giants won the rebounding battle 40–36, Dar City appeared more polished in attack.
At one point, the Tanzanian champions were leading by as many as 36 points, mainly thanks to their exceptional three-point shooting.
Zouzoua scored 24 of his 35 points from behind the arc, while Michineau — who played for AS Monaco as recently as last month — was unstoppable, shooting 12 for 15 from the floor to finish with 27 points. Nigerian forward Daniel Utomi added 14 points.
Jakobi Heady led the Giants in scoring with 26 points, while Nino Dim, the only other Giants player to score in double figures, added 13.
Junior Madut, who came off the bench to contribute 10 points for the victors, told the BAL.NBA.COM website: “This is the first time Tanzania is represented in the BAL. This moment is special for the country. No limits for this team, we stay ready for what’s next.”
Despite the 30-point defeat, Giants centre David Craig remained positive.
The seven-foot player finished with seven points and four rebounds, acknowledging that there is room for improvement.
Craig said: ‘Not the start we wanted, but it’s just the first game. We’ll adjust and come back stronger; we just need to improve our defence and take better care of the ball.”
He continued: ‘Our hopes of progressing are still alive. Hundred per cent. This is just the first game, and there’s a lot more basketball to be played.”
The main things for us are focusing on our defensive rotation and taking care of the ball.”
When asked about facing Hasheem Thabeet, a player of his height, the 7’3″ Craig said: ‘I have a lot of respect for Hasheem Thabeet. He was someone I admired as a child. It was great to bring some physicality to the game against him, but someone with his experience made some fantastic plays for his team. He definitely made it tough for me in some situations.”
The Johannesburg Giants will return to action on Sunday, when they face the Nairobi City Thunder, who will play Dar City on Saturday.
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In the other game of the day Leonard Randall II and Teafale Leonard Jr combined for 64 points, helping the RSSB Tigers to defeat the self-proclaimed title contenders, Al Ahly Ly, 103–95 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
Randall was on fire from behind the arc, making eight of his 20 attempts and finishing with a game-high 37 points. Leonard Jr., who thrilled fans with a series of dunks and blocked shots, finished with 27 points.
Following a balanced first half, in which the Tigers took a narrow five-point lead (52–47) at the break, the third and fourth quarters proved to be pivotal for the Rwandan team, who went on to lead by as many as18 points.
At times, it seemed as if the Libyan champions might turn things around, especially when they tied the game at 59–59 midway through the third quarter.
However, this prompted the Rwandans to respond with a 12-0 scoring run, giving them a 71-59 lead.
Despite their efforts to fight back, Al Ahly Ly found it too challenging to overcome conceding 16 three-pointers to the Tigers.
Lenard Jr., who is playing his second consecutive BAL season, scored the first two points of the 2026 BAL season with a thunderous two-handed dunk — a sign of things to come, as he was instrumental in the victors’ success.
Meanwhile, Randall II, making his BAL debut, caused Al Ahly Ly all sorts of trouble, adding seven assists to his 37-point performance.
Ntore Habimana and Antino Jackson Jr added 11 points each, and Mathiang Ayub tied a BAL record with 25 rebounds, adding seven points.
Donovann Williams led the way for Al Ahly, shooting 9-for-14 from the floor — including an impressive 7-for-9 from behind the arc — to finish with a team-high 28 points.
Jo Lual Acuil finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while reigning BAL MVP Jean Jacques Boissy had a quiet night, finishing with five points from 2-for-13 shooting.
Talking to the BAL.NBA.COM, Mathiang Ayub said: “Obviously, I am proud of my performance, but personal stats don’t really matter as long as we get the job done as a team. I am really proud of my team, who all showed up. Everyone played their hearts out, we played together, and for some of us it was our first time playing in the BAL. It was a bit nerve-racking, but everyone knew their role.”
“Staying together is what gave us the win. It was important for us to come in and follow what the coaching staff were saying. We also knew that we had the whole of Rwanda supporting us. We just wanted to come here and give it our all.”
Al Ahly Ly return to action on Saturday, facing Petro de Luanda while RSSB will have a rest day on Saturday.
