Winning bonus sparks new competitive fire in Uganda's basketball league

It is the end of a fiercely contested National Basketball League (NBL) match at the YMCA, and the victors are gathered in a huddle for some postgame celebratory review.

Before actual basketball talk commences, one player catches his teammates by surprise with an expression of heartfelt gratitude.

“Guys, thank you so much for this win,” he says. “I really needed it. I am really broke.”

The player was, of course, referring to the sh130,000 winning bonus that is awarded to each player and four members of the coaching staff for every NBL win this season.

The prize, which is part of BetPawa’s near-sh4b sponsorship deal with Ugandan basketball, has had precisely the sort of impact governing authorities hoped for.

This is what FUBA CEO Marcus Kwikiriza told New Vision Sports about his expectations for the BetPawa bonus.

“When something like a locker-room bonus happens, it changes the players' lives because we all know how much money players make in Uganda, and for you to be able to get your money immediately at the end of every game because you did a good job and won a game, I think it levels the playing field totally,” said Kwikiriza.

“So whether or not a player is getting a bad salary or rarely getting it because some teams pay their people late, the locker-room bonus gives the players a chance to earn something because of their talent because of their hard work. And it is not only players; it is plus four on the technical bench. I think it is a game-changer for the league because every game is going to be competitive.

“That is wonderful for the game.”

Namuwongo cash in

One team that can attest to the wonders of BetPawa cash more than any other is the Namuwongo Blazers. With nine wins in nine outings this season, the Blazers have earned the most in the NBL. Namuwongo have received a total of sh18.72m from Betpawa, with players receiving sh1.17m each.

If Namuwongo go through the regular season unbeaten, which seems likely given the gap between them and the rest of the NBL, most of their players would earn sh2.86m in BetPawa bonuses. That may not sound like much, but it is notable. By NBL standards at least.

Which is why there is a sense that the level of competition, outside of games involving Namuwongo, has gone up.

The JT Jaguars and KCCA Panthers have made the biggest jump so far, winning seven of their first nine. That means the club have received sh14.56m each, with players taking home sh910,000 each. The Panthers have won six of eight so far, while the UCU Canons and Rez Life have recorded five victories each this season.

Two other teams have tasted BetPawa bonuses four times, another two thrice, while Livingstone have done it once. But for last year’s NBL finalists City Oilers and KIU Titans, the BetPawa era has not exactly been felt yet.

In fact, in KIU’s case, it as if it has never arrived, with the Titans being the only winless team in the NBL – and that after eight games. Relegation seems a certainty at this point for the oldest member of the NBL.

The most successful member has won just two games so far, although unlike KIU, the Oilers say all will be corrected in the course of the season. The Oilers have two wins from six, by far their worst start to an NBL campaign.

The Oilers' collapse, temporary though it may prove, is not only costing them positions in the table but shillings for the pocket. And even for players of the richest club in the NBL, extra shillings in the pocket would do no harm.