Best performing player in the season of the Basketball Africa League
History
First award
2021
Most wins
4 players (1 each)
Most recent
Jo Lual-Acuil, Al Ahly Ly (2024)
The Basketball Africa League Hakeem Olajuwon Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Basketball Africa League (BAL) award given to the best player of a given season. The award is named after all-time great Hakeem Olajuwon. The award was first handed out in the inaugural season to Walter Hodge.[1]
From the 2024 season, fan voting was introduced in the process with 25% of the score being determined by online fan votes. Fans could vote on a selected pool of players.[2]
Three players have won the award thus far. Nuni Omot from South Sudan is the only African player to have won the award.[3]
Winners
Key
Player (X)
Name of the player and number of times they had won the award at that point (if more than one)
†
Player was on a team that did not win the BAL championship
Season
Player
Position
Nationality
Club
Selected statistics
Ref
2021
Walter Hodge
Guard
US Virgin Islands[a]
Zamalek
15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game
^Hodge, born in Puerto Rico, also owns the Puerto Rican and American nationality but represents the US Virgin Islands in international competition.
^Dixon was born in the United States but became a naturalised Georgian citizen in 2016.
^Omot was born to South Sudanese parents in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya. He also owns the American nationality as he moved to the country at age 2.[6] He represents South Sudan in international competition.
References
^ abc"Zamalek are the champions of the inaugural Basketball Africa League". The BAL. 30 May 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^"Vote for Your 2024 BAL Most Valuable Player". The BAL. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
^ ab"AL AHLY ARE THE 2023 BAL CHAMPIONS". The BAL. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
^"Walter Wallace Hodge - Statistics". The BAL. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^"Michael Andre Dixon - Statistics". The BAL. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^"New forward for Bundesliga basketball team Gießen 46ers". Archysport. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
^"Anunwa Omot - Statistics". The BAL. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^"Acuil-Jr. dominates 2024 BAL Awards". The BAL. Retrieved 3 June 2024.