NBA
Benoni to Burundi: The rise of the BAL's rebound record-holder, Nathi Sibanyoni
To this day, Nkosinathi ‘Nathi’ Sibanyoni is not quite certain who built the basketball court in Wattville, Benoni, that would go on to change his life.
Image Credits: Nacer Talel/NBAE via Getty Images
To this day, Nkosinathi ‘Nathi’ Sibanyoni is not quite certain who built the basketball court in Wattville, Benoni, that would go on to change his life.
However, had the court not been built, then it would not only have been South Africa’s loss, but the entire continent’s.
Power forward Sibanyoni broke the Basketball Africa League’s single-game rebound record last season. Now, he wants to become the first South African player to win the championship.
Having previously made the BAL semi-finals with the Cape Town Tigers, he will be back in action at the Road to BAL qualifiers this month for Burundi’s Urunani BBC, with whom he won the national championship and was Defensive MVP.
Sibanyoni believes that if Urunani can qualify for the BAL, then they are capable of competing for the title. Angola’s Petro de Luanda are the defending champions.
How Nathi Sibanyoni found basketball
For some, it might be a surprise to even hear of South Africans not only competing at the top level continentally, but breaking records. Football is the most popular sport in a country otherwise known for being mad about rugby and cricket.
Until 2012, the year he turned 14, Sibanyoni appeared set to follow in the footsteps of many into football. However, life took an unexpected turn.
“I used to play soccer a lot, so around 2012 – I think it’s because there was a court built next to the place where I lived – and then all these old guys… started playing there and then us, liking things, we started practicing with them and started understanding the rules and opened a team,” Sibanyoni recalled.
His love for basketball only grew deeper as he played while struggling with a leg injury to keep himself busy while he was unable to play football.
Soon, Sibanyoni realised that there was more to basketball than merely playing in tournaments in and around his neighbourhood.
“For the love of the game, I left that township [I came from]. I used to play [in the] Ekurhuleni Basketball Association. I played that league; I won that league three times as an U18. We won that league six times as a senior team. Every year, we had to pay application [fees] at the end of the league. When you win, you simply get a trophy, get medals – nothing else. Next year, you have to pay again,” Sibanyoni said.
“I thought: ‘Instead of staying here, let me go try something else.’ That’s when I started playing JBL (Johannesburg Basketball League) in town – in the Joburg CBD.
“Me going there – I would take a train to get there. I’d be trying to take a train for free. I only have R10 or R20 to get there. I knew in the train, I could simply buy snacks and buy one can of jungle oats… for the day and I’m fine.”
On a national level, Sibanyoni not only represented two of Johannesburg’s best clubs – Jozi Nuggets and Egoli Magic – but also his hometown team, Mpumalanga Rhinos. He had been born in Middelburg before moving to Wattville.
Showing his claws for the Tigers
Sibanyoni was picked up by the Cape Town Tigers ahead of their first ever BAL season in 2022. He played a bit-part role in the first two seasons, but in qualifying for the 2024 season and then the tournament itself, he established himself as a key player alongside fellow South African Samkelo Cele.
In the Tigers’ upset quarter-final win over top seed FUS Rabat (Morocco), Sibanyoni broke the BAL record with 25 rebounds.
“I had confidence all the time, but because there’s someone who’s older, someone who has played the game before – we had Pieter Prinsloo and guys like Billy Preston – those are the guys you play with. You’re the one to rest them whenever you’re tired, so you only get that two or three minutes,” Sibanyoni said, reflecting on his struggle to establish himself as a key player for the Tigers before his breakout season in 2024.
“You don’t really get that time to play better. [When] you make a mistake, by the time you try to redeem yourself, already a coach pulls you out because he has rested the other guys.
“As guys like Pieter Prinsloo left the team, every responsibility he did, I had to carry, so I had more time to play.”
The Tigers were knocked out in the semi-finals and have since been embroiled in off-court trouble, with CEO Raphael Edwards resigning amid allegations of improper reporting of finances to the BAL, reported by ESPN.
Repping Puma and Balling in Burundi
Fortunately for Sibanyoni, he was able to secure a deal with Burundi’s Urunani BBC. However, he once again had to work his way into a central role in a competitive roster. Once again, he succeeded.
Sibanyoni was the national league’s Defensive MVP and beat fellow South African Cele in the final.
Now, he has re-signed with Urunani ahead of the Road to BAL qualifiers in Tanzania (16-20 October).
The winners will advance to the Elite 16, which will be split into the East and West divisions. If Urunani finish in the top three, they can participate in the 2025 BAL.
Around a year ago, Sibanyoni sealed a deal with Puma – a moment of huge symbolic significance given that he once struggled to afford basketball shoes.
“I feel like it was definitely a life-changing moment for me. We used to only play with one [pair of] shoes… Sometimes, the shoe can have a hole underneath and you will take the shoes to a person who can repair the shoes and you simply wear the same shoes,” Sibanyoni said.
Now, all that is missing is the elusive BAL championship.
“With how the team looks and how changes are being made and how we’ve been playing lately, I believe we can definitely land ourselves [among the teams challenging for the title] in the BAL,” said Sibanyoni.
With experienced players such as Senegal’s Jean-Jacques Boissy and former Memphis college basketball star Chris Crawford alongside him, it would take a brave man to bet against Sibanyoni breaking more records with the champions of Burundi.
Leonard Solms is a freelance journalist who has been covering local and international sport from South Africa since 2015. Best known for his work for ESPN, he has also written for Al Jazeera, The Continent, New Frame, Planet Rugby and GiveMeSport among several other publications.