RSSB Tigers
Basketball team in Kigali, Rwanda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RSSB Tigers, formerly known as Tigers BBC, is a Rwandan semi-professional basketball team based in Kigali. Founded in 2019, it entered the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) in the same year.
| RSSB Tigers | |
|---|---|
| |
| League | Rwanda Basketball League Basketball Africa League |
| Founded | 2019 |
| History | Tigers BBC (2019–2026) RSSB Tigers (2026–present) |
| Location | Kigali, Rwanda |
| Team colors | Black, Blue and Yellow |
| Chairman | Francis Shyaka |
| Head coach | Henry Mwinuka |
| Ownership | Francis Shyaka |
| Website | tigers |
History
The club was founded by entrepreneur and former basketball player Francis Shyaka.[1] The Tigers' best result was their 4th place in the 2021–22 season and their participation in the semifinals. In December 2024, the team signed Henry Mwinuka, a five-time winning RBL coach, as their new head coach.[2]
The Tigers won their first trophy when they won the Rwanda Basketball Cup in 2025.[3] At the end of the season, the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) assumed full ownership over the team, and thus the team was re-named RSSB Tigers.
In the beginning of the following 2026 season, they also won the Super Cup.[4]
On March 23, 2026, it was confirmed the Tigers would play in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the first time in history, as the champions APR were forced to withdraw due to American sanctions on the Rwandan military, which owns the team.[5]
Arena
Since its establishment, the Tigers have played in several courts provided by the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), however, the team has plans to construct an own arena in the future.[6]
Honours
- Rwanda Basketball Cup[3]
- Winners (1): 2025
- Rwanda Basketball Super Cup
- Winners (1): 2026[4]
Season by season
| Playoffs berth |
| Season | Tier | League | Regular season | Postseason | Cup competitions | Head coach | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win % | |||||||
| Tigers BBC | |||||||||||
| 2020–21 | 1 | NBL | 13th[a] | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 | Did not qualify | Robert Mugabe | ||
| 2022 | 1 | RBL | 4th | 24 | 15 | 9 | .625 | Lost semifinals (Patriots) 0–2 | |||
| 2023 | 1 | RBL | 7th | 22 | 11 | 11 | .500 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2024 | 1 | RBL | 7th | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | Quarterfinalist (RC) | |||
| 2025 | 1 | RBL | 5th | 16 | 10 | 6 | .625 | Winner (RC) | |||
| Regular season record | 94 | 49 | 45 | .521 | 0 regular season champions | ||||||
| Playoffs record | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 championships | ||||||
