In an electrifying culmination to the Kenya National Basketball Men’s Premier League, the Nairobi City Thunder clinched the championship title after a dominant 3-0 series sweep against the defending champions, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). The final game, held at the packed Nyayo Gymnasium on Saturday evening, saw Thunder secure an emphatic 86-48 victory over the Dockers.
Thunder, based in Shauri Moyo, concluded their unbeaten league run with this championship win, ending their long wait for the title. From the onset, Thunder displayed superior performance, taking the first quarter 26-09. The second quarter saw a more balanced play, ending 16-16, with the halftime score standing at 42-25 in favor of Thunder. The Nairobians continued their dominance in the third quarter, widening their lead to 28 points with a 24-11 win, and sealed the game with a 20-10 victory in the last quarter.
Griffins Ligare, Thunder’s captain, was named the playoffs Most Valuable Player, while Albert Odero took home the regular season MVP award. Thunder’s head coach, Brad Ibs, received the Coach of the Season accolade, and team manager Kooshin Diriye was honored as the Team Manager of the Season.
Albert Odero shone brightly for Thunder, scoring a game-high 20 points. Ligare and Faheem Juma added 16 and 13 points respectively. KPA’s John Wijass and Abdulaye Haidara combined for 22 points but couldn’t match Thunder’s firepower.
Reflecting on the triumph, a jubilant Coach Ibs said, “We knew we could play like this against a good team all year. It is historic, a very beautiful thing that happens when great players leave their egos at the door and care about the well-being of each other and the team.”
Team captain Ligare, overcome with emotion, added, “I am out of words, I just feel great. I don’t know what to say; I just thank God. If you believe, then things can really happen. I’m very grateful. I attribute it to hard work, teamwork, and the changes that Twende Sports brought to the club.”
Despite the defeat, KPA head coach Cliff Owuor graciously acknowledged Thunder’s superiority. “Thunder have done a great job assembling a great team. We give them credit for what they have done, great organization. It was fantastic. On our side, we did not play good basketball as we did in Mombasa. We amplified the mistakes we made in Mombasa. It is not easy to come back from such a defeat when playing a team like Thunder,” Owuor remarked.
Thunder had previously secured wins in Game One and Game Two with scores of 73-70 and 59-50 respectively in Mombasa. With this victory, Nairobi City Thunder will now represent Kenya in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) next season, bringing pride and honor to their fans and the nation.
