The player and team registration deadline ahead of the 2026 NBL season passed and there were a lot of player movements.

This year, the foreign player rule was amended and thus have seen an influx of foreign players on multiple teams. However, we haven’t seen these guys in action and are not sure of how they will impact their teams and the NBL.

In this article, Avitus Ngabirano highlights some of the ‘proven’ players that transferred and could help their teams greatly.

Joel Lukoji Banza

The 2025 Regular Season and Playoffs MVP Joel Lukoji made a very big move to the City Oilers. This move is very significant because Joel is a person that the Oilers needed and he will help fix a lot of gaps that they had last season.

The Oilers had just one trusted ball handler in Fayed Baale during the 2025 season but now have two of the most skilled guards in the country.

To make it more interesting, Lukoji has been in the country for a while now and is expected to hit the ground running instantly.

Landry Ndikumana

Ndikumana is no stranger to Uganda and City Oilers is a team he won multiple championships with. On top of it, he was named MVP in some of those seasons and he knows what to do. This is a player that the Oilers trust and he will be expected to not only perform but also be a leader in the locker room.

Joel Kayiira

The 2025 NBL Defensive Player of the Year, Joel Kayiira, made a surprising move to the City Oilers. The 10-time champions had a lot of problems in the paint in the 2025 NBL season and Kayiira offer a lot of solutions for those problems.

He has grown in size, skillset, confidence and leadership over the last 3 years and this was a perfect move for him.

Kayiira will have a chance to compete for the championship and hopefully he can continue to hone his skill and play at the top level.

Mampuya Toussaint

Toussaint came into the NBL in the second round for the 2025 NBL for the KCCA Panthers. For spells, he was exciting and showcased a bit of flair.

He is a calm and composed point guard and will dictate the way the Kampala Rockets play. Given that most of his other ‘top’ teammates are Congolese, there could be a Congolese connection and this could spark something.

Kampala Rockets have multiple point guards from Kasasa to Roxine to Wacha and Dexter but Mampuya will undoubtedly be the number one because of his quality.

Edrine Ekau

Ekau has been a very top player for the Charging Rhino in Division One and Division Two and has consistently performed season in season out.

He is still very young, versatile, skilful and composed. Edrine should be able to hit the ground running instantly and if he plays multiple minutes, there is no doubt that he will be competing for some end of season accolades.

Also, a team like Rezlife is perfect for him because there is not a lot of pressure. This way, he can get to continually improve without too much criticism.

Siby Omar

Omar, a Gabonese International, is among the few players that represent their National Teams and are playing in the NBL. The 26 year old played for Gabon at the 2023 FIBA AfroCAN tournament and the 2025 Afrobasket Qualifiers.

He also played at the Road to BAL in 2025 and 2024. Given his experience, he is a plyer that you expect to him the ground running instantly.

Secondly, in his new home, the JKL Dolphins, there are other international stars and thus they can form a new connection that can help the team.

Franck Nyembo Fataki

When Nymebo joined Sommet in 2025, they were in relegation discussions but he and the other signings helped the team to finish as the number two seed.

His performances were nothing short of sensational and moving to the Namuwongo Blazers is very good for him.

Given that the Blazers did not do a lot of transfers, he will be very pivotal in their quest to retain the championship.

Despite playing the second round and the playoffs only, he was a mong the top scorers and to rebounders.  Now if he players from the start and for the defending champions, he could easily be the 2026 NBL MVP.

Mark Ngobi

Ngobi made a move from Sommet to Victoria Crocs and you could say this was perfect for him. The pressure at Victoria is not so much and they have managed to assemble players who are in a certain age group where Mark fits very well.

Mark is very athletic, can find his way to the basket and can also be very aggressive. His energy is a recipe that Victoria will need more on the defensive end.

Can he help the team compete for the championship? Maybe not. But he has positive energy around him and oozes confidence. If his teammates can be able to tap into that, they will have a better season than they did in 2025.