Made by Ball, commonly known as MBB Basketball, has created strides in South African Basketball. Now becoming the third South African basketball team to participate in the Road to Basketball Africa League (BAL), MBB Basketball captain, Lebesa Selepe, is ready to lead the squad to interstellar heights and ultimately, bring the title back home this coming June.
Born and raised in Soweto, Johannesburg, Selepe grew up with a passion for sports, including playing sports such as soccer, cricket, rugby and athletics. Despite being a versatile sportsman, he chose to focus solely on basketball and after being selected for provincial and national teams, he was offered scholarships from various higher learning institutions.
“After completing high school, I decided to give basketball more time as I could see that my love for the sport was ever-increasing. I pursued my LLB with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), but decided to move in a different direction and later furthered my studies in Cost and Management Accounting with the University of Technology (VUT),” says Selepe.
Lebesa unofficially joined MBB in 2022, stepping in to play during periods when the Cape Town Tigers were inactive. He officially signed with the team in 2024 and was named team captain. Throughout his career, he has earned four National Club Championship titles with three different teams, secured the 2023 Basketball National League (BNL) Championship, and claimed two Road to BAL Tournament titles with the Cape Town Tigers. His most notable achievement to date is captaining the Senior National Team at the 2024 Afrobasket Pre-Qualifiers.
“I would like to win the BAL and compete for a world title in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Intercontinental Club Championship with my current team. We’ve grown strength to strength as a unit and this is something that would elevate my career to unimaginable heights,” adds Selepe.
Asked if he has any advice for the youth that would like to pursue a career in basketball, this is what he had to say: “Pursue an education first so that you always have something solid to fall back on, put time into your craft by training alone outside of team practice time and lastly, fall in love with the weight room – a stronger body can get you going for longer,” concludes Selepe.
MBB will be participating in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) in the Nile Conference, along with Al Ahli Tripoli from Libya, Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball (APR) from Rwanda, and Nairobi City Thunder, from Kenya.
MBB is competing to be part of the eight teams that will advance to the playoffs in Pretoria from 06 June 2025. More information about the BAL, visit: https://bal.nba.com/games
