ABIDJAN (Côte d'Ivoire) - Hosts of the 2025 Road to BAL West Division Elite 16, Abidjan Basket Club (ABC Fighters) are aiming to make an impact in front of their home fans.
HOW THEY QUALIFIED TO THE ROAD TO BAL
The Fighters clinched 2023-24 national league title back in June, overcoming local rivals SOA 65-64 in the decisive third game.
QUALIFICATION TO THE ELITE 16
After an impressive performance in Tripoli, Libya, during the first phase of the qualifiers, where ABC dominated their group with three victories in as many games, the Ivorian champions are keen to secure a spot in the 2025 BAL season.
BAL HISTORY
On 18 November 2022, ABC defeated Stade Malien in the Road to BAL Semi-Final and clinched their first-ever ticket to the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
One of the two teams - alongside Stade Malien in the current Elite 16 round to have played in the BAL - ABC fell short to Petro de Luanda (88-84) in 2023 BAL Quarter-Finals in Kigali, Rwanda.
KEY PLAYERS IN THE GROUP PHASE
Cote d'Ivoire international player Nisre Zouzoua came up with a game-high 19 points off the bench while four other Fighters players scored 10 points or more.
Jabari Akins Narcis is a 27-years-old from Trinidad and Tobago. The former Wichita State star was one of the key-factors for ABC's 3-0 mark in Tripoli.
In September 2024, the Fighters signed Senegalese-Canadian Karim Mané, who happens to be the first former NBA player to sign for the Ivorian champions. Mané played for the Orlando Magic.
HEAD COACH
Eric Anderson Affi is the team's head coach. Competing in the Ligue d’Or (formerly the Ivorian Basketball Championship) has been crucial to the ABC Fighters’ success.
The most decorated team in domestic league's history, the Fighters have dominated and elevated the league’s standard.
Affi has been with ABC for a while and was the man in charge when the club narrowly missed qualification for BAL Season 4.
ABC FIGHTERS' HISTORY AND OWNERSHIP
Founded in 1997, it was established by members of the basketball section of the Africa Sports d'Abidjan football club.
The team is the most successful men’s team in the country winning its first-ever Ivorian Basketball Championship in 2004. They won one continental FIBA Africa Champions Cup in 2005, beating Angolan club Interclube 67–66 in the final. Stéphane Konaté was named the competition's Most Valuable Player.
In 2021, the team was re-named from ABC to ABC Fighters. The team is nicknamed Dangôrôs, a term that designates in Malinké those who have earned the respect devolved to the elders. The Fighters play their home games at Palais des Sports de Treichville.
FIBA