Nairobi City Thunder completed a third consecutive Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Men’s Premier League title defence after edging Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) 74-70 in a tense Game Three at Kasarani Gymnasium on Friday night.

The victory sealed a 3-0 sweep against the Dockers and extended Thunder’s extraordinary unbeaten run in the domestic league to three seasons, further cementing their growing dominance of Kenyan basketball.

Unlike the opening two games in Mombasa, where Thunder controlled the series without dropping a contest, the champions were forced to fight until the final moments on home ground.

KPA went into the break with a 35-29 advantage before Thunder produced a powerful response in the third quarter. The champions outscored the Dockers 24-13 to overturn the deficit and enter the final period leading 53-48.

The fourth quarter became a see-saw battle as neither side was willing to give up its grip on the championship. KPA regained the advantage at 62-59 before Thunder levelled at 62-62 and briefly moved ahead.

The Dockers responded once again, taking a 65-63 lead, but Thunder remained composed as the contest entered its decisive stages.

With less than a minute remaining, KPA still had the upper hand at 70-69. Thunder then produced the crucial response, edging in front 71-70 before adding the points that finally put the contest beyond KPA’s reach and completed a 74-70 victory.

The championship capped another unbeaten domestic campaign for Thunder, whose route to the final had been equally emphatic.

The defending champions opened their playoff campaign with a quarter-final sweep of Kisumu Lakeside, winning 97-54 and 87-44. They followed that with another 3-0 victory over Stanbic Shields in the semi-finals, posting wins of 82-65, 91-67 and 88-65.

KPA also reached the championship series without dropping a game, sweeping Equity Dumas 3-0. The Dockers won the opening two matches 87-56 and 102-87 before completing the sweep with an 82-56 victory in Mombasa.

The final initially appeared to be heading Thunder’s way after they won Game One 78-67, recovering from a late scare, before taking Game Two 73-63 to move within one victory of the title.

Friday’s victory, however, showed the champions had to dig deeper than in the opening two encounters to finally secure the three-peat.

Thunder’s rise has also extended beyond the domestic scene. In 2024, they became the first Kenyan club to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL), while their continental progress continued with victory in the 2026 East Division Elite 16, where they defeated Johannesburg Giants 94-84 in the final.