Fox Divas crowned 2024 NBL Women title
DAR ES SALAAM: THE women’s basketball team, Fox Divas from Mara, has secured their first-ever championship title in the betPawa NBL League, Tanzania’s premier basketball club competition, defeating BD Lioness from Dar es Salaam.
The exciting final took place on Wednesday evening at Chinangali Park in Dodoma, where Fox Divas achieved a convincing 67- 54 victory.
This remarkable win follows the team’s performance as runners-up in last year’s tournament, where they finished behind the defending champions, Vijana Queens. This time, however, they proved to be a formidable opponent.
Fox Divas received a trophy and a cash prize of 2.8m/- from the league’s main sponsor, betPawa.
BD Lioness, the runners-up, were awarded 1.4m/-. Both teams have also earned spots in the upcoming Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) 2025 Zone Five Qualifiers.
In the third-place match, Orkeeswa was declared the winner by a walkover with a score of 20-0 after Vipers Queens failed to show up. Orkeeswa was awarded a prize of 700,000/-.
The awards were presented by Nassoro Mungaya, the East Africa Regional Marketing Coordinator for betPawa, who praised the teams for their efforts and the fans for their support. Fox Divas Head Coach, Bariki Kilimba, credited the victory to his team’s dedication and fighting spirit.
“My players deserve every compliment. They worked hard and made the Mara region proud. We have demonstrated that teams from upcountry can challenge and overcome more established teams in Tanzanian basketball,” he stated.
Kilimba highlighted the team’s impressive performance throughout the tournament, winning eight out of nine games.
He also mentioned that each of his 12 players and four officials received a locker room bonus of 1.26m/- as a motivational reward from betPawa’s partnership with the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF).
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Kilimba emphasised that the team’s next goal is to qualify for the Zone Five competition for the second consecutive time, building on their achievements from last year.
At the event, Mungaya commended all participating teams, officials and basketball stakeholders for contributing to the tournament’s success.
He reiterated betPawa’s commitment to supporting the development of basketball in Tanzania.
“We are proud to contribute to the game’s growth in the country. The players’ performances have been exceptional, and we commend the winners and all participants for their outstanding displays in Dodoma,” said Mungaya.
