The second edition of the Basketball Africa League [BAL] is set to tip off in Dakar, Senegal, on March 5, with the 12 competing teams confirmed and defending champions Zamalek returning. The group phase will take place in Dakar (Sahara Conference – March 5-15th) and in Cairo (Nile Conference – April 9-19th) before the tournament moves to Kigali for the playoffs from May 21-28th. Last year, with the tournament taking place over two weeks in Rwanda due to COVID-19, Egypt’s Zamalek beat Tunisia’s US Monastir in the final, becoming the first NBA-affiliated African club champions.