Celebrated award-winning actor Lupita Nyong'o has announced her investment in Kenya Basketball Federation champions and Basketball Africa League (BAL) participants Nairobi City Thunder.Lupita posted a video on Instagram, donning a club bomber jacket, with a caption announcing the deal.Download Our MozzartSport App For More News"Taking a tunnel walk to celebrate that I’m an investor in Nairobi City Thunder," she wrote. "The Nairobi City Thunder are the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League, and I’m pumped and proud to be behind them. TWENDE!”Her investment comes as the club prepares to face Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in the 2026 men's league playoff final. Should they retain the title, Thunder will qualify for the BAL qualifiers, Road to BAL set to get underway tentatively in October ahead of the 2026 BAL.Dallas Mavericks President Masai Ujiri to construct multimillion indoor arena in KenyaLupita follows music celebrities Bien and Chiki who also announced they have invested in the Kenyan basketball outfit.They join amidst news that BAL is moving to permanent, privately owned teams according to NBA Africa chief executive Clare Akamanzi.Speaking at the Unstoppable Africa 2026 forum in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Akamanzi said the league would give African and global investors the chance to "own teams permanently, in perpetuity", with the backing of the NBA and FIBA.##NAJAVA_MECA_9984763##Thunder have twice qualified for BAL, and since breaking onto the continental stage, have established themselves as a rising force in African basketball.The club secured their historic first BAL ticket in December 2024 by defeating Uganda's City Oilers 72-62 in the semifinals of the East Division Elite 16 tournament.They made their official debut in the 2025 BAL Nile Conference held at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, competing against Al Ahli Tripoli, APR, and Made By Ball (MBB). They finished their debut group phase with a 1–5 record.Why Michael Olunga will miss Harambee Stars' pair of AFCON 2027 QualifiersTheir historic first BAL win came on 24 May 2025, with an 85-76 victory over South Africa's Made By Ball (MBB).In November 2025, playing in front of a home crowd at the Kasarani Indoor Gymnasium, Thunder crushed Mozambique's Ferroviario da Beira 109–70 and defeated the Johannesburg Giants 94-84 to clear their path, securing a spot in the BAL for a second consecutive year.For the 2026 main season, Thunder were placed into the Kalahari Conference, competing in Pretoria, South Africa, missing qualification to the Playoffs with a 2-3 win-loss record.McCarthy cites 'loyalty' for overlooking Moses Shumah in Harambee Stars squad
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