Nam Blazers open title defence against the Oilers

For the last four seasons, the Namuwongo Blazers Basketball Club has been chasing the National Basketball title in vain, as the City Oilers have imposed their dominance.

But last year they toppled ‘the dictator’ to claim their first NBL title since they gained promotion in 2019.

Now every team will be on their necks as they try to defend it, starting with today’s clash against the record winners, City Oil, as the Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) regular season begins at the Lugogo Indoor Arena.

The two sides renew their rivalry in a repeat of the 2025 playoff final, in which the Namuwongo Blazers finally dethroned the City Oilers to win their maiden NBL title.

Team representatives pose with FUBA officials NBL committee Chairman Fredricks Freedom Owora (center) and Arnold Katabi (2nd right) after the pre-match press conference at the UOC offices. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

Nam Blazers secured a well-deserved 68-55 victory against City Oilers in Game 6 of the NBL Playoff Finals at Lugogo Indoor Arena, wrapping up the series 4-2.

“We are now the hunted. It is not easy to defend a championship because basically now everyone is coming out to just want to be the champion, and we are going to be the target for every team,” Namuwongo’s captain Michael Makiadi noted during the pre-match press conference at the UOC offices yesterday. The Blazers have bolstered their squad with Franck Fataki Nyembo.

from Sommet, while the Oilers poached last year’s finals MVP Joel Lukoji from the Blazers, among other signings, and it will be interesting to see how they cope for their new sides.

In the women’s division, last year’s finalists, the JT Lady Jaguars, will entertain newcomers and Division One champions, the Pearl Queens, who have reportedly boosted their squad with marquee signings.

Jaguars captain Sarah Ageno spoke of an interesting season ahead, saying that they will be gunning for the title this time, having made steady progress since 2022. “We achieved our target of at least making the semis last year, and we had made the quarters the previous season, so we are ready for the league. We have maintained the old roster and added two new players in areas we fell short, and we are excited that we shall play some games at the JT Jaguars Den in Kira,” Ageno stated.

She said they were not going to undermine the Pearl Queens and will approach the fixture with a mindset that they are a strong team. A newly registered entity, FUBA Basketball League Limited, is going to run the league starting this year according to the NBL committee chairman, Fredricks Freedom Owora. He said this was necessary in order to help in professionalising the league in the next two to four years.  “So, all the funds from the teams, the players, and the sponsors we shall bring on board will be channeled into that account. All the expenses for running the league shall be paid from that account.  All the team's registration fees shall be received from that same account.  So, I think that is the best way going forward.”

He said the prize money for the winners will also increase from last year’s sh5m to sh10m for the winners. FUBA VP-Marketing Arnold Katabi said the league welcomes the newcomers Pearl Queens, Victoria She Crocks, UPDF Tomahawks, and Uganda Martyrs University Flames. The games will be played at various venues including Lugogo, Kira, YMCA, Rezlife courts in Lubowa, UCU and Abja Park in Naalya.

“We are prepared to give the fans the best experience at all venues. Fans will pay sh10,000 for entry but get a 50 percent discount when they use Stanbic’s Flexi Pay App,” Katabi stated.