| National Basketball League | |
| Confed: | FIBA Africa |
| Founded: | 1995 |
| First: | 1995 |
| Relegation: | Division 1 |
| Levels: | 1 |
| Confed Cup: | Africa Champions Cup |
| Champions: | City Oilers (9th title) |
| Season: | 2023 |
| Most Champs: | City Oilers (9 titles) |
| Current: | 2024 NBL Uganda season |
| Organiser: | FUBA |
The National Basketball League is a semi-professional basketball league in Uganda that is the highest division of men's basketball in the country.[1] The league currently consists of 13 teams.
Established in 1995, media often highlights the league's physicality.[2] The City Oilers dominated during the 2010s, winning seven straight NBL titles. The Oilers are the league's most decorated team with nine won championships, which were all won consecutively.[3]
Basketball was introduced in Uganda in 1962, by the American Peace Corps and East African teachers. During the 1970s and 80s, economic hardship in the country meant a decline of the sport in the country as many schools abandoned the game.[4]
A national basketball league was founded in 1995 and started with six teams: the Kyambogo Warriors, Blue Jackets, Black Power, Rhino, Sky Jammers and Makerere University. Since 2003, the league was expanded with a second-level league, named Division 1. Since 2019, there has also been a third level named Division 2.[5]
The City Oilers entered the league in 2013 and have since then dominated, winning nine consecutive titles.
| Team | Location |
|---|---|
| City Oilers | Silver Springs, Kampala |
| Ndejje University | Ndejje University, Kampala |
| Betway Power | Y.M.C.A, Kampala |
| Our Saviour | Makerere University, Kampala |
| Kampala Universe (Men) | Kampala University, Kampala |
| Kyambogo Warriors | Kyambogo, Kampala |
| UCU Canons | Uganda Christian University, Kampala |
| JKL Dolphins | Namboole, Kampala |
| KIU Titans | Kampala International University, Kampala |
| Sharing Youth | Sharing Youth, Kampala |
| Falcons | Makerere University, Kampala |
| KCCA Men | Nakasero Primary School, Kampala |
| Season | Champion | Finalist | Finals score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Makerere | ||||
| 1996 | Power | ||||
| 1997 | Charging Rhino | ||||
| 1998 | Falcons | ||||
| 1999 | Falcons (2) | ||||
| 2000 | Sadoline Power (2) | ||||
| 2001 | Sky Jammers | ||||
| 2002 | Falcons (3) | ||||
| 2003 | Falcons (4) | ||||
| 2004 | Falcons (5) | ||||
| 2005 | Nkumba Marines | ||||
| 2006 | Nkumba Marines (2) | ||||
| 2007 | Falcons (6) | Kyambogo Warriors | 3–2 | [6] | |
| 2008 | Sadoline Power (3) | Falcons | 3–1 | [7] | |
| 2009 | Kyambogo Warriors | ||||
| 2010 | DMark Power (4) | Kyambogo Warriors | 4–3 | [8] | |
| 2011 | DMark Power (5) | Kyambogo Warriors | 3–0 | [9] | |
| 2012 | Kyambogo Warriors (2) | Falcons | [10] | ||
| 2013 | City Oilers | Falcons | |||
| 2014 | City Oilers (2) | Power | 4–0 | [11] | |
| 2015 | City Oilers (3) | UCU Canons | 4–3 | [12] | |
| 2016 | City Oilers (4) | Betway Power | 4–1 | [13] | |
| 2017 | City Oilers (5) | Betway Power | [14] | ||
| 2018 | City Oilers (6) | Betway Power | [15] | ||
| 2019 | City Oilers (7) | UCU Canons | 4–3 | [16] | |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | [17] | |||
| 2021 | |||||
| 2022 | City Oilers (8) | Nam Blazers | 4–3 | [18] | |
| 2023 | City Oilers (9) | KIU Titans | 4–2 | ||
| Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Oilers | 9 | 0 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 | – | |
| Falcons | 6 | 3 | 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 | 2008, 2012, 2013 | |
| Power | 5 | 4 | 1996, 2000, 2008, 2010, 2011 | 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 | |
| Kyambogo Warriors | 2 | 3 | 2009, 2012 | 2007, 2010, 2011 | |
| Nkumba Marines | 2 | 0 | 2005, 2006 | – | |
| Makerere University | 1 | 0 | 1995 | – | |
| Charging Rhino | 1 | 0 | 1997 | – | |
| Sky Jammers | 1 | 0 | 2001 | – | |
| UCU Canons | 0 | 2 | – | 2015, 2019 | |
| Nam Blazers | 0 | 1 | – | 2022 | |
| KIU Titans | 0 | 1 | – | 2023 |
Each year, the FUBA Awards are held, and the most valuable player of the league is named.
| Year | Most Valuable Player | Playoffs MVP | Top Scorer | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | (Vegetarians) | (Oilers) | (Oilers) | align=center | [19] |
| 2014 | (Oilers) | (2) (Oilers) | [20] | ||
| 2015 | (UCU Canons) | (Oilers) | (3) (Oilers) | align=center | [21] |
| 2017 | (Oilers) | Asher Sserugo(Oilers) | (Oilers) | [22] | |
| 2018 | (Power) | (Oilers) | (Power) | align=center | [23] |
| 2019 | (Oilers) | (Oilers) | (Oilers) | align=center | [24] |
| 2020 | (Power) | (2) (Oilers) | (Oilers) | align=center | [25] |
| 2022 | Tonny Drileba (Oilers) | (3) (Oilers) | [26] | ||
| 2023 | Titus Lual (Oilers) | Titus Lual (Oilers) | Peter Cheng (Blazers) | [27] |
The FUBA also organises the Division 1 (second level) and Division 2 (third level) leagues.
| 2019[28] [29] | UDPF Tomahawks | Namuwongo Blazers | Felix Mukunzi | ||
| 2018[30] | KU | Falcons | |||
| 2022[31] | Kampala Rockets | Rezlife Saints | |||
| 2023[32] | Livingstone | JT Jaguars | Bismarck Omoya |