The inaugural 12-team Basketball Africa League (BAL) is finally set to tip off in Kigali, Rwanda, on May 16, more than a year after it was scheduled to start, and hoops fans have plenty to learn about Africa's premier domestic sides.

The BAL was initially scheduled to start on March 13, 2020 in Dakar, Senegal, but COVID-19 postponed the continent-wide event. The whole tournament was moved to a bubble in Kigali and the regular season was changed to a group stage format.

Angola's Petro de Luanda, Egypt's Zamalek, Morocco's AS Salé, Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers, Senegal's AS Douanes and Tunisia's US Monastir qualified directly as national champions.

They are joined in the BAL by hosts Patriots, Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club (GNBC) and Ferroviário de Maputo from the East Division of qualifying, as well as the West Division's GS Pétroliers, AS Police and Forces Armées et Police Basketball (FAP).

How to watch

The entire 26-game tournament will air in Africa on ESPN (Channel 218 on DStv), as well as on Azam channel 120, Zuku channel 320, and StarTimes channel 256.

Groups:

A: Monastir, Hoopers, Patriots, GNBC

B: Petro de Luanda, AS Sale, AS Police, FAP

C: Zamalek, AS Douanes, Ferroviário de Maputo, GS Petroliers

Format:

An 18-game group phase with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four. Each team will face the three other teams in its group once, starting on May 16.

The top eight teams from the group phase will qualify for the playoffs, which will be single elimination in all three rounds.

The first BAL Finals will be held on May 30.

Group stage schedule:

May 16 - Rivers Hoopers v Patriots (4pm local time)

May 17 - GSP v AS Douanes (2pm), Maputo v Zamalek (5:30pm), GNBC v US Monastir (9pm)

May 18 - AS Police v Petro de Luanda (5:30pm), FAP v AS Sale (9pm)

May 19 - Patriots v GNBC (2pm), AS Douanes v Maputo (5:30pm), GSP v Zamalek (9pm)

May 20 - Petro de Luanda v FAP (2pm), Rivers Hoopers v US Monastir (5:30pm), AS Police v AS Sale (9pm)

May 22 - Maputo v GSP (2pm), Zamalek v AS Douanes (5:30pm), US Monastir v Patriots (9pm)

May 23 - GNBC v Rivers Hoopers (2pm), FAP v AS Police (5:30pm), AS Salé v Petro de Luanda (9pm)

Will rapper J. Cole bring real value to the BAL and the Patriots?

U.S. rapper J. Cole is a busy man these days. Not only does he have a new album release on the horizon, he's now seemingly putting down the mic and picking up a basketball.

News filtered through on Monday of the musician being on the brink of signing a deal with Rwanda-based Patriots BBC, a team that will be playing in the all-new Basketball Africa League.

Cole, 36, arrived in Rwanda this week and is currently quarantining, per The Undefeated. The tournament begins on Saturday May 16, with the Patriots taking on Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers, and it's expected that Cole will feature in some capacity.

As if the hype wasn't already enough surrounding the start of the new NBA-affiliated league, the addition of a celebrity to the roster of the home side has raised the question of whether he's legit when it comes to keeping up with pro athletes.

Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers used BAL delay to strengthen roster

While Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers are still trying to navigate the sea of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, head coach Ogoh Odaudu told ESPN that the Basketball Africa League's delay was a 'blessing in disguise'.

As a result of the long delay, the Hoopers' training schedules and protocols were changed, the team had to pivot away from the players they initially wanted to fill their Foreign Player quota, and had to deal with the new reality of having to play without fans within a bubble.

In spite of all those disruptions, Odaudu believes that the break, and all the resulting changes, have put the team in a better position to compete than they were a year ago, as it allowed the team more time to get their house in order.

Ex-NBA guard Ben Uzoh expects the BAL to display talent

While expectation may be that the Basketball Africa League will be light in talent in its inaugural season, former NBA guard Ben Uzoh believes a surprise is on the way.

"It will be pretty good. The signings that I've been reading and that I've been made aware of across the country and across the continent have been pretty solid," Uzoh told The Undefeated recently.

One big question as the league debuts is if there are any former NBA players set to play. Uzoh of Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers is expected to have the most NBA experience of all the anticipated players.

The former University of Tulsa star played in 60 NBA games with the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors while also playing professionally in the G League and in Russia, Belgium, Mexico, France and Nigeria.

ESPN's guide to all 12 Basketball Africa League teams