Nairobi City Thunder forward takes pride in team's improved showing at 2026 BAL

Nairobi City Thunder power forward Ariel Okall says his team’s performance at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) has been “a huge achievement”, despite not making it through to the main finals in Kigali, Rwanda next month.

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Okall, speaking after Thunder’s 101-92 win over Rwanda’s RSSB Tigers, was proud of how the two-time Kenya Basketball Federation champions went about their business all through the one week of Kalahari Conference action at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.

“We needed this win, not only for ourselves, but also for the Kenyan fans back home, and for the team as we move forward into probably BAL 7,” the experienced Kenya Morans forward told BAL.com on Sunday.

Nairobi City Thunder crush Tigers to end BAL campaign on high

“We needed to win today (Sunday) to give us moral support and boost our confidence, so that we can leave this conference with our heads held high.”

Helped by Derrick Ogechi’s career-high total of 22 points, Thunder made sure to exit the championships with a grin, as they put together their best offensive performance in the BAL, scoring 100 points for the first time, and knocking over the previously unbeaten Tigers.

Despite playing with the knowledge that their fate at this year’s championships had been sealed, Bradley Ibs’ side still showed up with lots of energy and fervour, only trailing in the opening exchanges of the game, before taking full control of it.

After taking a 38-24 lead in the first quarter, Thunder put on a show in the resulting period to lead by as much as 25.

Tigers, however, roared back with a 12-2 run of their own in the third quarter, and had Thunder on the ropes in the final frame when their lead was slashed into single digits.

Ogechi and Garang Diing would, in turn, have the bigger say, as the Kenyan side secured its second Kalahari Conference victory, finishing with a 2-3 record, after their earlier 71-65 triumph over Johannesburg Giants on Tuesday, 31 March.

“We just had to stick together,” Okall, who ended the evening with five points and two rebounds, said of RSSB Tigers' fight-back.

“There were a few mistakes here and there, but as long as we played for each other and for the name on the front of the jersey, we were going to be fine.”

On Thunder’s mindset going into the game, he added: “We wanted to be aggressive on both offence and defence and put all the other losses behind us. We came into this game with no pressure at all, and it worked.”

Thunder rebound with win over Giants as BAL Kalahari Conference rolls on

To sum it up, Okall described the 2026 campaign as a big improvement compared to last year, when Thunder finished 1-5 in their BAL debut.

“It was important to achieve a second win in the campaign,” he said. “We are still growing; two wins is a huge achievement for us. I hope that next season, when we come back, we will have won three or four games.”

The four teams that sealed qualification to the finals were: RSSB Tigers (4-1), Petro de Luanda (4-1), Al Ahly Libya (3-2), and Dar City (2-3).