The Story Behind 2024 BAL MVP And DPOY Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.'s Return To BAL

Forbes

3 days ago

One of the familiar faces returning to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs currently underway in Pretoria, South Africa, is Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. He didn't have to come back; after all, what more was there to prove? In Season 4 of the BAL, Acuil swept the league's top individual honours, including Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, scoring champion, and selections to both the All-BAL First and All-Defensive Teams. His dominance was clear and unquestionable, yet those accolades were just the latest chapter in a career shaped by some of the world's toughest basketball environments.
A seasoned professional with experience across Australia, Europe, the United States, and Asia, Acuil's résumé also includes an NBL championship with Melbourne United in 2021. However, when the season ended and his team fell just short of a championship, something deeper lingered. In an interview with Forbes.com during the BAL Playoffs in Pretoria, Acuil shared that it wasn't unfinished business in the usual sense that brought him back, it was a shared purpose, brotherhood, and a desire to play alongside family.
'Yeah, this guy over here,' Acuil laughed, gesturing to Majok Deng, who was seated nearby during the interview. 'Majok and I talked about it in Kigali after that last game. We just wanted to play together. Of course, you want to win the league, but more than anything, we wanted to have that experience of being on the same team.'
That desire to reconnect and pursue something meaningful together brought him back to the continent and to a league that continues to grow in intensity, talent, and international attention.
On paper, Acuil had options. With pro stints in Turkey, China, and Australia, his résumé was already stamped with global success. But Al Ittihad offered something different. Something personal. When the Egyptian powerhouse came calling, Acuil listened. They had already signed Majok Deng, and the opportunity felt rare, more than a roster move, it was a reunion grounded in trust, chemistry, and an unfinished storyline.
'I knew I wasn't going to be able to make the first conference games in Rabat, and they were okay with it,' Acuil said. 'Some teams were hesitant because I wasn't going to be there for the conference games, but this was the one team that was fine with me coming in late.'
Acuil wasn't available for the early stages of the competition, missing the Kalahari Conference entirely, a stretch in which Al Ittihad went a flawless 6-0. With just one practice under his belt before suiting up, Acuil immediately sensed that the team was built on and was working towards one common goal, setting aside individual glory.
'Everyone seems very one-track-minded. Everyone wants to win the League,' he observed. 'No one's really too worried about stats or individual accolades. Everyone kind of has one goal in mind… so yeah, it's been kind of refreshing being around them.'
An added layer to this team dynamic is the opportunity to create lifetime memories to later reminisce on with Deng, who he once again has been able to suit up with.
'Being able to be out there with somebody that you consider a brother, these are things that, when we get older, we can sit down and just talk trash to each other about.'
Last season, Acuil and Majok helped lead Al Ahly to the BAL final, only to fall short of the title. The sting of that loss was real, but so were the lessons it left behind.
'My mindset stays the same, last year is last year. We lost. It is what it is,' Acuil said, steady and composed. 'Obviously, it hurt in that moment, but over time, you heal and move on. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.'
This year, he's not chasing ghosts. There's no weight of redemption, just a calm focus and a renewed sense of freedom.
'I'm not putting too much pressure on winning,' he added. 'I'm just trying to enjoy the League as much as I can.'
Acuil has also seen how far the league has come, and where it's headed.
'Yes, 100%,' Acuil said when asked if the league is earning international respect. 'The only thing that's tough for the BAL is the timing of the tournament. But as far as the players, the calibre is getting better every year.'
Still, he remains pragmatic about the league's hurdles.
'With players in Europe and other places, it's hard to bring the best of the best here because of the scheduling,' he noted. 'But it's definitely growing.'
Despite all the buzz and Al Ittihad's unbeaten streak, Acuil remains remarkably unfazed by the idea of pressure.
'Pressure has always felt like an illusion to me,' he said. 'It's something that comes from outside, from what people say. We just go out there and play basketball. If we win, we win. If we don't, we don't. It's really that simple.'
For Acuil, pressure isn't about buzzer-beaters or championship moments. It's something far heavier, and far beyond the court.
'Pressure is people out in the world who can't feed their kids, or those battling illness, cancer, that's real pressure. Basketball is a privilege.'
That perspective, forged through experience and gratitude, keeps him grounded when the stakes feel highest. He doesn't just play to win, he plays to stay present.
'You win the game, you lose the game, it doesn't change who I am, or who the coach is. Pressure is nothing. This is not pressure.'
That same clarity has helped Acuil remain grounded and draw back from past experiences to help guide his team when it matters most, like in Al Ittihad's overtime thriller against Morocco's FUS de Rabat, a game riddled with tension, lead changes, and late-game chaos.
'Personally, the growth comes from just being as present as possible,' Acuil reflected. 'Shutting the noise out, figuring out the next play, finding ways to be effective.'
Even after a mental lapse late in regulation which led to FUS Rabat's Nisre Zouzoua scoring the equalising three-pointer that sent the game into overtime and the crowd into a frenzy, Acuil managed to reset.
'At the end of the fourth, I had a mental lapse,' he admitted. 'Going into overtime, it was just about reassuring our rules, making sure there were no more slip-ups.'
That accountability set the tone. With a narrow lead in OT, execution became everything for the team who secured a hard-fought 86-83 win.
'Closing the game out, the coach did a good job communicating with us. We were up three, so we just wanted to play the foul game and kill the time that way.'
What began as a simple wish to share the floor one more time with his brother Majok Deng has turned into something much bigger. With Al Ittihad now through to the semi-finals and firmly in the title conversation, it's natural to wonder, could this be Acuil's final chapter?
A championship would be a fitting sendoff. But Acuil isn't thinking about endings just yet.
'I don't know,' he said with a smirk. 'We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But I don't think it's time to write me off. I'm here, so we'll see what happens.'