2024 BNL season
| 2024 BNL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Basketball National League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | June 22 – September 28, 2024 (group stage) October 12–20, 2024 (final round) |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Season MVP | Sifiso Gininda (Marlins) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | KwaZulu Marlins (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Mpumalanga Rhinos |
The 2024 BNL season was the 11th season of the Basketball National League (BNL), the top-flight basketball league in South Africa. The season began on June 22, 2024, and ended with the last game of the finals series on October 20, 2024.
The Cape Town Tigers were the defending champions, but were unable to defend their title as they withdrew from the league.
The KwaZulu Marlins won their second championship, its first in 27 years, as they had won their first title in the Premier League of 1997.[1]
Team changes
[edit]The league existed out of 11 teams. The BNL decided to enforce a promotion and relegation system and as such the last-ranked Eastern Cape Windbreakers were not part of the league this season, and MBB from Johannesburg joined the league. The defending champions Cape Town Tigers withdrew from the league, citing budgetary constraints.[2]
Group stage
[edit]The schedule was announced on June 9, 2024.[3]
Group A
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mpumalanga Rhinos | 4 | 4 | 0 | 279 | 218 | +61 | 8 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 2 | Limpopo Pride | 4 | 3 | 1 | 228 | 213 | +15 | 7 | |
| 3 | MBB | 4 | 2 | 2 | 235 | 237 | −2 | 6 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 4 | Soweto Panthers | 4 | 1 | 3 | 217 | 251 | −34 | 5 | |
| 5 | Free State Warriors | 4 | 0 | 4 | 207 | 247 | −40 | 4 | |
| 6 | Northwest Eagles | 4 | 0 | 4 | 248 | 323 | −75 | 4 |
Group B
[edit]Multiple games in Group B were not played and technical defeats were given.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KwaZulu Marlins | 5 | 5 | 0 | 399 | 309 | +90 | 10 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 2 | Western Cape Mountaineers | 5 | 3 | 2 | 375 | 334 | +41 | 8 | |
| 3 | Egoli Magic | 3 | 2 | 1 | 178 | 174 | +4 | 5 | |
| 4 | Tshwane Suns | 5 | 2 | 3 | 345 | 360 | −15 | 7 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 5 | Northern Cape Zebras | 4 | 1 | 3 | 243 | 288 | −45 | 5 |
Playoffs
[edit]The playoffs began with the semifinals on October 12 and 13, 2024, in Johannesburg.[4]
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||
| Mpumalanga | 67 | 66 | 133 | |||||||
| Tshwane Suns | 68 | 42 | 110 | |||||||
| Mpumalanga Rhinos | 55 | 68 | 123 | |||||||
| KwaZulu Marlins | 86 | 71 | 157 | |||||||
| KwaZulu Marlins | 78 | 74 | 152 | |||||||
| MBB | 59 | 67 | 126 | |||||||
References
[edit]- ^ @bnlsa (20 October 2024). "Kwa-Zulu Marlins are the 2024 Men's Champions! [...]" – via Instagram.
- ^ Basketball National League [@bnlsa] (14 June 2024). "We're thrilled to share the revised 2024 BNL fixture with you! Note that Cape Town Tigers are excluded, and EC Windbreakers have been relegated. Stay tuned for more updates and let the games begin!" – via Instagram.
- ^ Basketball National League [@bnlsa] (9 June 2024). "BNL Schedule 2024" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Stats – Basketball National League". Retrieved 14 October 2024.