City Thunder sign top imports, NBA Academy star joins roster

By , April 8, 2025

Nairobi City Thunder (NCT) has added a Congolese player from the NBA Academy Africa to their roster for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Season 5 championship, as the team also signed five imports, including USA-based Ghanaian professional Nana Appiah.

In an exclusive interview with People Sports yesterday, NCT Assistant Team Manager (TM) Bernet Ojay disclosed that the imports are Nana Appiah from Ghana, Evas Ganapamo (formerly of Cape Town Tigers in South Africa), and Kenyan Paul Ereng, who has been playing professionally for Les Hippos in Burundi. “Appiah has already arrived in Kenya and is currently staying with the team in Nairobi,” Ojay added.

Ojay also confirmed that Thunder had re-signed two of their previous imports—William Sidney Davis II, known as “Will,” and Nigerian Uchenna Iroegbu “UC”—who had previously featured for the team in the Road to BAL East Division Group Stage in Tanzania and Elite 16 Stage in Nairobi. However, South Sudanese Majok Ater James and Abdoulaye Harouna, both of whom had featured for Thunder in earlier stages, left after their contracts expired and signed with other clubs globally.

“One of them, Majok or Harouna, signed with Libya’s BAL representatives Al Ahli Tripoli,” Ojay said. “We tried to bring him back, but he ultimately signed with Tripoli.”

According to ojay, BAL has assigned Thunder an “NBA Elevate” player, Kabongo, from NBA’s Academy Africa. The league will cover meals, accommodation and travel expenses for all players on Thunder’s roster. Ojay further explained that “BAL has given Thunder and the other competing teams substantial participation funding.”

“Through NBA Africa, BAL will also assign Thunder one NBA G-League player. Each of the 12 African teams qualified for BAL will be assigned one NBA G-League player. In addition to the NBA Elevate and G-League players, each of the 12 teams is required to sign five imports: two Africans, two players of African descent, and one player born outside Africa but naturalized after the age of 16,” Ojay explained.

People Sports confirmed that an “NBA Elevate” player, in the context of the BAL, is one drafted from the NBA Academy Africa and included in a team’s roster for the continent’s premier basketball competition.

The BAL Season 5 championship, which began on April 5, will run through April 13 at Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco, with the Sahara Conference.

The BAL Elevate programme offers players crucial exposure and experience.

The BAL Elevate programme has assigned one player to each of the 12 teams — Al Ittihad, Fath Union Sport, Rivers Hoopers, Stade Malien, Villecde Dakar, Kriol Star, Petro de Luanda, US Monastir, Rwanda Patriotic Army (APR) BBC, Made By Basketball (MBB) and NCT.

This initiative is part of the league’s strategy to foster player development.
As NCT prepares for their campaign in the Nile Conference, which will take place from May 17 to 25 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, the team has signed three new professional imports.

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