Lagos Legends Edge Rivers Hoopers to Claim Premier League Title and BAL Ticket

Lagos Legends Edge Rivers Hoopers to Claim Premier League Title and BAL Ticket

By BSN Sports 

Lagos Legends Basketball Club stunned Rivers Hoopers in a dramatic 74–72 victory on Sunday to clinch the 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League title, ending the defending champions’ bid for a third straight crown in a tense Final 4 showdown in Port Harcourt, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Both sides entered the decisive fixture unbeaten, each having secured two wins in their opening games and chasing Nigeria’s sole qualification slot for the 2026 Basketball Africa League.

Lagos Legends who halted Hoopers’ three-year unbeaten run with an 80–79 win during last month’s Final Eight came out firing once again, forcing the champions to chase the game early on. Despite this, Rivers Hoopers managed to edge the first quarter 20–19.

The second quarter remained tightly contested, with Lagos Legends keeping the pressure high. Their persistence paid off as both teams headed into halftime level at 32–32.

Rivers Hoopers reclaimed a narrow advantage in the third quarter, closing it out 52–49, but Lagos Legends refused to fade. With renewed intensity in the final period, they battled back to tie the game at 61–61, then briefly took the lead before Hoopers responded to lock the score at 70–70 with 39 seconds on the clock.

In the closing moments, Rivers Hoopers added two points, but Lagos Legends delivered a composed late surge, scoring four points in the dying seconds to seal the championship and deny the 2024 BAL bronze medallists a third successive league title.

The victory also confirmed Lagos Legends’ place in next year’s Basketball Africa League, replacing Rivers Hoopers, who represented Nigeria in the last two editions.

The win means Lagos Legends have now defeated Rivers Hoopers twice in their three meetings this season, with the champions’ only triumph coming in an emphatic 89–70 result during the Inter-Group Phase.