JCA Kings
Ivorian club that reached the BAL in 2026.
Based in Abidjan, the JCA Kings, formerly known as Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan (Abidjan Youth Club), are an Ivorian basketball team playing in the Ligue d'Or. They earned a spot in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the 2026 season, marking their debut in that competition after qualifying through the Road to BAL in 2025. The club has won two national championships, six Ivorian Cups, and two Ivorian Super Cups.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- League
- Ligue d'Or
- Founded
- 2010
- History
- Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan; 2010–2025; JCA Kings; 2025–present
- Manager
- Carlo Viera
- Coach
- Stéphane Konaté
- Championships
- 2 Ligue d'Or
- 6 Ivorian Cups, 2 Ivorian Super Cups
- 1 District Cup
- President
- Ismaël Cissé
Facts from the source article.
History
The team was founded in 2010 by Carlo Viera and Moussa Diarra with the aim of developing local basketball and challenging the national dominance of ABC Fighters, who had won the national championship twenty times. In its first years, JCA reached the Ligue d'Or finals but lost three times in a row between 2010 and 2012. After some years in relative obscurity, they had a breakthrough in the 2022–23 season, reaching the finals once again but losing to ABC 0–2.
In 2023, JCA won its first trophy, the Ivorian Cup. Ahead of the 2024–25 season, the club signed Stéphane Konaté as its new head coach, and the team went on to win its first league title after defeating SOA in the finals. As winners of the national league, JCA qualified for the Road to BAL in 2025, making its international debut on 18 October with a win against Ghanaian team Spintex Knights. The Kings qualified for the 2026 BAL season on 15 November after defeating the Spintex Knights again, becoming the second Ivorian team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League.
The team was later acquired by Ismaël Adam Cissé, who professionalized the organization, eventually leading to the rebranding as JCA Kings.
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