Anas Mahmoud Wins Inaugural Basketball League Africa Championship

(Photo of Anas Mahmoud via FIBA)

KIGALI, Rwanda - Former Louisville men's basketball forward/center Anas Mahmoud is a Champion of Africa, as he helped Zamalek capture the inaugural Basketball Africa League Championship, winning 76-63 vs. Union Sportive Monastirienne on Sunday.

The 7-foot, 215-pound big man went 2-3 from the field in the championship game, scoring five points and hauling in six rebounds. He also had two blocks, and a steal. In three group phase games and three playoff games, Mahmoud averaged 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.8 blocks while shooting 63.6% from the field.

The BAL was established as a joint effort between the NBA and FIBA, and is the premier basketball league on the African continent. Each season, clubs must qualify for the league by winning designated qualifying tournaments, similar to how the UEFA Champions League is structured.

It starts with a group phase, with the 12 participating teams divided into three groups of four. During the group phase, each team faces the three other teams in its group once, with the top eight teams from the group phase qualifying for the single elimination playoffs.

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, he spent some time in the NBA Summer League with the Memphis Grizzlies. He signed with Zamalek, a club based in his home country of Egypt, later that year where he has been ever since.

From 2014 to 2018, the Cairo native made 41 starts and 119 appearances for Louisville. In his senior season, he averaged 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 22 starts and all 36 games for the Cardinals.

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