BBA shortlists players for All-Star Game

Bahrain’s biggest basketball stars are in line to play in this year’s Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) AllStar Game. The BBA released yesterday its roster of candidates for this year’s highly anticipated exhibition contest. Fans are being invited by the BBA to vote in the players who they believe deserve a slot on one of the two All-Star teams.

A total of 24 hopefuls, 12 for each team, will get to play in the one-off affair, which has become a staple on the BBA’s yearly calendar. Through their official social media account on Instagram, the BBA has called on fans to vote in four point guards, six shooting guards, four small forwards, four power forwards, two centres, and four professional players.

The point guards who are candidates include Ahmed Hassan from Muharraq, Ahmed Salman and Hussain Shaker from Manama, Ali Aqeel from Al Ahli, Younes Kuwayed from Riffa, Hussain Lulu from Bahrain Club, Hassan Helal and Ammar Mohammed from Al Ettihad, Qassim Hassan from Al Najma and Hussain Busafwan from Samaheej.

The shooting guards to choose from are Mohammed Buallay from Muharraq; Ahmed Aziz, Mohammed Hussain and Hassan Nowrooz from Manama; Hesham Sarhan from Ahli; Ali Jassim from Riffa; Ahmed Jamal from Al Hala; Hussain Mohammed and Fadallalah Abbas from Najma; Khalid Ali from Bahrain Club and Mohammed Abdulla from Sitra.

From the small forwards, there are Bader Abdulla Malabes and Mohammed Juma’a from Muharraq, Muzamel Ameer from Manama, Maytham Jameel and Sayed Hashim Habib from Ahli, Ali Jaber from Najma, Ali Ghadeer from Ettihad, and Mohammed Nabeel from Isa Town.

The power forwards in the running are Mohammed Ameer from Manama, Mohammed Qurban from Ahli, Subah Hussain from Riffa, and Mohammed Albutti and Ahmed Hassan from Nuwaidrat. The shortlisted centres include Ali Shukrallah from Muharraq, Ahmed Najaf from Manama, Abdulrahman Ghali from Riffa, Essa Ebrahim from Sitra and Hassan Fahad from Al Ettihad.

The professional players are Kevin Murphy from Muharraq, Christopher McKnight from Manama, Haminn Quantance from Nuwaidrat, Joseph Jones from Riffa, Milos Macura from Sitra, Lester Ferguson from Bahrain Club and Antwan Wilkerson from Samaheej. Fans have only a limited time to vote for the players they would like to see play in the All-Star contest.

The game is set to be the headlining event in the BBA’s upcoming All-Star Festival, which is set to be held as part of their celebrations of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Day. The schedule for the festival and details of the event’s other competitions like a Slam Dunk Contest or a Three-Point Shootout, along with their participants, have yet to be announced.