SunBet Arena filled to the brim for Basketball African League opening game
People came out in their numbers and enjoyed themselves at the SunBet Arena’s Basketball African League session.
On Saturday, March 9, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) season started with a sold-out game at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
According to the National Basketball Association (NBA), first-time participant Morocco’s FUS Rabat beat Angola’s Petro de Luanda 82-73 two-time BAL finalist, with four FUS players scoring double figures in the Kalahari Conference group phase opener.
The crowd was excited for the half-time performance by Daliwonga and Musa Keys during the first week of the Kalahari conference.
The NBA said that many other big South African artists would perform during the rest of the Kalahari event.
On the following day, the SunBet Arena started with interactive community and fan events.
Special Olympics of South Africa (SOSA) and the BAL held a basketball clinic with 40 SOSA athletes joined by FUS Rabat players. According to NBA, this was followed by a unified celebrity game with South African music artists and entertainers.
The Special Olympics Ambassadors included Primo Baloyi, Pearl Thusi, Sho Majozi, Robot Boii and many others.
Former NBA player Pops Mensah-Bonsu, two-time NBA All-Star Joakim Noah and two-time WNBA champion Jewell Loyd were present, coaching the four teams.
“That evening, Petro de Luanda bounced back against the Tigers, defeating the home team 100-88 to improve to 1-1. The Tigers moved to 0-2,” the NBA said.
The Kalahari Conference continues until Sunday, March 17.
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