KIGALI, Rwanda - Golden Hawks men's basketball alum Ntore Habimana is a Basketball Africa League (BAL) champion after helping the RSSB Tigers win the 2026 title in dramatic fashion.

The Tigers edged Petro de Luanda 90-88 on Sunday in Kigali to capture the BAL crown in their first season in the competition, making them the first Rwandan club to win the continental championship.

Habimana contributed six points in the final as RSSB closed out a historic run on home soil.

"There's nothing that tops it. This means everything to us. We worked hard - personally, I worked five years for this moment, specifically. This means everything to me, to Kigali, to Rwanda," Habimana said afterward in a team release.

The 28-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., entered the championship game averaging 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists through six BAL appearances this season.

Habimana played for Laurier from 2016 to 2021, spending five years with the Golden Hawks. He finished with 341 career rebounds, ranking 18th in program history, while adding 606 points and 174 assists in 70 regular-season games before embarking on a professional career and representing Rwanda internationally.