APR BBC
Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club, commonly known simply as APR, is a Rwandan basketball club based in Kigali. Owned and funded by the Ministry of Defence of Rwanda, the team plays in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) and in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the 2026 season. Nicknamed the "Lions", the team is the most decorated team in the country, as APR has won a record 16 national championships.
| APR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 2026 BAL season | ||||
 | ||||
| Nickname | The Lions | |||
| Division | Division 1 | |||
| Leagues | Rwanda Basketball League BAL | |||
| Founded | 1993 | |||
| History | APR BBC (1993–present) | |||
| Arena | BK Arena[1] | |||
| Capacity | 10,000 | |||
| Location | Kigali, Rwanda | |||
| Chairman | Richard Murefu | |||
| Head coach | James Maye Jr. | |||
| Ownership | Ministry of Defence | |||
| 2026 position | 1st of 14 | |||
| Championships | 14 Rwandan Leagues | |||
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Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club, commonly known simply as APR, is a Rwandan basketball club based in Kigali. Owned and funded by the Ministry of Defence of Rwanda, the team plays in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) and in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the 2026 season. Nicknamed the "Lions", the team is the most decorated team in the country, as APR has won a record 16 national championships.[2]
History
[edit]Originating during the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)'s liberation struggle during the Rwandan Civil War in 1993, the club was established to serve as a means to engage and occupy soldiers during a ceasefire amid the peace talks that eventually led to the signing of the Arusha Accords. Alongside the basketball team, the RPF introduced teams in volleyball and football, which continue to operate successfully.[3]
From 1995 to 2003, APR won nine consecutive national championships.[3]
The Lions were taken over by Kenya-born head coach Cliff Uwuor in 2005. They won the FIBA Africa Zone 5 Club Championship in 2008, and won league titles in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010.[4]
In 2008, APR became the first team in league history to finish the regular season unbeaten.[5] Its succeses were partly due to APR's high-quality foreign players, mainly from the DR Congo. After its thirteenth championship in 2009, the team went a decade without notable performances. The club opted to play with homegrown players in these years, a decision that coach Uwuor named as a reason for less titles in these years.
In the 2023 offseason, the Lions acquired national team player Axel Mpoyo, Jean Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza and Ntore Habimana, among others. APR eventually ended its 13-year long title drought before by winning another title in the 2023 RBL season, under head coach Maz Trakh.[6]
APR made its BAL debut in the 2024 season, receiving direct qualification to the main tournament as Rwandan champion. The Lions were allocated in the Sahara Conference, but disappointingly finished in the fourth place in the group,[7] becoming the first Rwandan team in league history to miss out on the playoffs.[8] In August, they won the inaugural Rwanda Cup title.[9] APR also won the 2024 league title, qualifying them for a second BAL season.[10]
In the 2025 BAL season, APR finished in the third place of the league, the best result by a Rwandan team in league history, surpassing Patriots' fourth place in 2021. The Lions also set a league record for most points scored in a game in the third place game, after beating Al Ittihad 123–90.[11] Center Aliou Diarra was named the BAL Defensive Player of the Year.[12] On July 12, 2025, they won their 16th national championship.[13]
Honours
[edit]National
[edit]Rwanda Basketball League / National Basketball League
- Champions (16): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2023, 2024, 2025
- Runners-up (2): 2013, 2014
- Winners (1): 2024
- Runners-up (1): 2020
Genocide Memorial Tournament
- Winners (1): 2024[14]
International
[edit]Basketball Africa League (BAL)
- Third Place (1): 2025
FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup
- Third Place (1): 2009
FIBA Africa Zone 5 Club Championship
- Winners (3): 2002, 2007, 2008
Friendly
[edit]Legacy Basketball Tournament
- Winners (1): 2024[15]
In FIBA and BAL competitions
[edit]FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup (3 appearances)
Basketball Africa League (BAL) (1 appearance)
- 2024 – To be determined
Season by season
[edit]| Season | Regular season | Playoffs | Cup competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||
| APR | |||||||
| 2017–18 | Season was not held | ||||||
| 2018–19 | 4th | 7 | 6 | .538 | Lost semifinals (Patriots) 2–3 | ||
| 2019–20 | 3rd[a] | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost semifinals (Patriots) 68–75 | Runners-up (HC) | |
| 2020–21 | 4th | 10 | 1 | .909 | Won quarterfinals (UGB) 93–51 Lost semifinals (Patriots) 0–2 |
||
| 2021–22 | 3rd | 21 | 3 | .875 | Lost semifinals (REG) 1–2 | ||
| 2023 | 3rd | 19 | 3 | .864 | Won semifinals (Patriots, 3–0) Won finals (REG, 4–0) |
||
| 2024 | 2nd | 16 | 2 | .889 | Won semifinals (REG, 3–0)
Won finals (Patriots, 4–2) |
Winners (RC) | |
| 2025 | 1st | 15 | 1 | .938 | Won semifinals (Patriots, 3–2)
Won finals (REG, 4–1) |
||
| Regular season record | 90 | 17 | .841 | ||||
| Play-down record | 25 | 13 | .658 | ||||
- ^ In the 2019–20 season, the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such APR only played a group phase of three games.
Players
[edit]Current roster
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| APR roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: May 4, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable players
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Criteria |
|---|
|
To appear in this section a player must have either:
|
Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza- Elie Kaje
- Cedric Isom
-
Ntore Habimana 
Ulrich Chomche
Kami Kabange
Darko Balaban
Tom Wamukota
Head coaches
[edit]The following people have been head coaches of APR:
- Cliff Uwuor: (2005–2023)[4][16]
Maz Trakh: (2023–2024)- James Maye Jr.: (2024–present)[17]
Women's team
[edit]APR WBBC is the club's women's team plays in the Rwanda Women's Basketball League and have represented the country in the 2022 FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club â€" Rwanda Basketball Federation".
- ^ "Tracing the evolution of basketball in Rwanda". The New Times. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
Rebuilding came with the birth of clubs like APR Basketball Club which has since won seven league titles,
- ^ a b "APR (RWANDA)". The BAL. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b Bishumba, Richard (27 February 2015). "Owuor weighs in on the future of APR BC". The New Times. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "APR makes history". The New Times. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (9 September 2023). "PHOTOS: Basketball: APR clinch first championship in 14 years". The New Times. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (13 May 2024). "BAL 2024: AS Douanes end APR's playoffs hopes". The New Times. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Gatera, Emmanuel (23 May 2024). "Will Rwanda's absence at BAL playoffs affect the turn up?". The New Times. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (10 August 2024). "APR wins inaugural Rwanda basketball cup tournament". The New Times. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (23 September 2024). "PHOTOS: APR see off Patriots in Game 6, win record 15th championship". The New Times. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "APR clinch third place in the 2025 BAL in a record-breaking game". The BAL. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ "Diarra wins second BAL Defensive Player of the Year award". The BAL. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (12 July 2025). "APR see off REG in Game 5, win record 16th championship". The New Times. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (21 April 2024). "Basketball: APR overcome Patriots to lift GMT title". The New Times. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (28 January 2024). "Basketball: APR, Kepler crowned 2024 Legacy Tournament winners". The New Times. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (20 December 2020). "APR basketball re-sign coach Cliff Owuor". The New Times. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (11 October 2024). "Basketball: APR coach James Maye Jr. on playoffs victory, working in Rwanda". The New Times. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "APR WOMEN BBC at the FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women 2022". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
External links
[edit]- APR Basketball Club at Eurobasket.com
- Official APR BBC site
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| Qualifying rounds | |
| Playoffs | |
| Teams | |
| Arenas | |
| Competition stages | |
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| Records and statistics | |
| Associated |
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