Basketball
BLACKMAIL WILL NOT DETER US, SAYS NBBF
The leadership of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has condemned attempts to blackmail the federation into making a hasty decision over its continental representation at the 2017 FIBA Africa club championship.
The comment is sequel to the protest letters by two clubs, the Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls. The two basketball clubs reportedly petitioned the Secretary General of the continental body, FIBA Africa and copied the Nigerian National Assembly.
But in a communiqué signed by its President, Musa Kida, the NBBF described the petitions as “mere smear campaign against the NBBF for no justifiable reason.”
The federation described the two petitions which were published in the media as attempts to ambush the NBBF and portray its board in bad light before the basketball community and the world.
According to Kida, “The NBBF recognizes the right of all its affiliates and individuals to seek redress whenever the need arises.
“It is against all norms of established protocol for a club to write a petition to an international body without first discussing the matter involved with its national federation or at the least copy its petition to the body and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) on the subject matter.”
According to the press statement from the NBBF, Kida linked the episode to the antagonistic stance of the former NBBF Board led by Tijani Umar over their refusal to cooperate with the new board in line with their agenda to remain in office after completing his term of eight years in office.
“The two teams involved are all supporters of the antics of the former president of the NBBF Board who has refused to hand over to the new board. Kano Pillars are operating from Kano which is the adopted “Headquarters” of the former NBBF Board, while Gombe, home of Gombe Bulls, is the base the former President who was elected onto the last board from the North East Zone.
Explaining the genesis of the problem, Kida said “After the National Sports Federations election and the subsequent swearing in of the Board on 21st July, 2017, the board permitted the former Board to conclude the regular season of the Premier Basketball League so as not to disrupt the programme which had already started before it was sworn in, with a directive to hand over at the end of the regular Season preceding the Final 6 whose fixtures at the time had not been drawn since no one was sure of the qualifiers then.
“When the regular Season came to an end, rather than comply with the NBBF’s directive, the out gone Board invited all the qualified clubs to Ilorin and Kano for the Atlantic and Savannah Conference Final 6 Tournaments respectively.”
The NBBF president explained that “without recourse to the NBBF which apart from being recognized by the Federal Government, the NOC and the FIBA letter dated 26th July, 2017, the former board led by Tijani Umar defied the new board’s directive by enticing clubs for the National Final 8 based on monetary inducements from monies received from a sponsor for the Nigerian Premier Basketball League which however found its way into private accounts.”
Kida explained that despite several acts of defiance, the NBBF was still magnanimous enough to write a letter to the clubs with a deadline of 9th October, 2017 to explain why disciplinary actions should not be taken against them for defying the federation.
“As at today only Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club of Port Harcourt have replied to the query issued, while others, including Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls have refused to reply, thus defying the NBBF’s directive once again.
In the case of Kano Pillars and Gombe Bulls, they have taken the matter to the National Assembly while orchestrating a campaign of calumny in the media and other strata of Nigerian life against the NBBF.”
Kida wondered why Tijani Umar and his cronies chose to create a faction out of all the 34 National Federations whose elections were conducted under the supervision of the NOC and the subsequent inauguration of the authentic Boards by the Minister for Youths & Sports, Solomon Dalung.
Meanwhile, the NBBF will decide on several issues, including its representatives in the FIBA Zone 3 Champions Cup Qualifiers for Men within the next few days, taking into consideration all the attendant issues that will ensure the best for basketball in Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred national honours on all members of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, in recognition of their historic victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Côte d’Ivoire.
Each member of the team was decorated with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) title at a special reception held on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Representing the president at the event was Vice President Kashim Shettima, who announced a series of generous rewards for the champions.
In addition to the national honours, each player will receive $100,000, while each member of the technical crew will be given $50,000. The government also pledged a flat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to every player and official on the squad.
The rewards follow D’Tigress’s emphatic 78-64 win over Mali in Sunday’s AfroBasket final, played at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan. The victory marked Nigeria’s fifth consecutive AfroBasket title, a feat unmatched in the tournament’s history. With the triumph, D’Tigress also secured an automatic berth to the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
President Tinubu, in his remarks delivered by Vice President Shettima, hailed the team’s resilience, determination, and consistency, describing their dominance on the continental stage as a symbol of national pride and inspiration to the youth.
Present at the reception were First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, Garba Maidoki, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports Development, and Kabiru Amadou, Chairman of the House Committee on Sports.
The honours and incentives underscore the government’s renewed commitment to recognising excellence in sports and motivating future champions.
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Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, on their triumphant outing at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket, describing the victory as a testament to the nation’s indomitable spirit and sporting excellence.
In line with what the women’s football team, Super Falcons, experienced barely a week ago, another dollar rainfall could be in the offing for the basketball team.
In a statement released Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu praised the Coach Rena Wakama-led side for their “skill, resilience, determination, and teamwork,” which powered them to a 78–64 victory over Mali in Sunday night’s pulsating final at the Palais des Sports de Treichville in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
With this win, Nigeria extended their dominance in African women’s basketball, securing their fifth consecutive AfroBasket title and seventh overall, further solidifying their status as the continent’s most successful women’s team.
The President, who had earlier dispatched a nine-man presidential delegation to Abidjan to support the team in the final, commended the players for rising to the occasion despite a slow start that saw them lose the first quarter to a determined Malian side.
“Your superb performance throughout the competition has made Nigeria proud. Like the Super Falcons, you have inspired our young ladies. You embodied the indomitable Nigerian spirit, the power of unity, and the rewards of hard work,” President Tinubu said.
He added that D’Tigress’ sustained excellence had “written their names in history” and served as a beacon of what Africa can offer on the global sporting stage.
The President also praised Head Coach Rena Wakama and her technical crew for their outstanding leadership, and commended the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) for their steadfast support to the team.
In an apparent nod to the recent cash rewards showered on the Super Falcons, there is strong speculation that a similar financial windfall may await D’Tigress on their return to Nigeria.
“The Federal Government and Nigerians will never forget the sacrifices and remain grateful for the highly elevating performances,” Tinubu stated, assuring the team of continued support as they prepare for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments next March.
President Tinubu concluded his message by expressing eagerness to personally receive the victorious team and their trophy in Abuja and wished them a safe trip back home.
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South Sudan’s Bright Starlets are the 2025 Women’s AfroBasket bronze medallist.
The debutants who made the competition on a wild card, stunned 11-time champions Senegal 66-65 in the Third-Place Game on Sunday, August 3 to clinch their first ever medal in the continental showpiece.
Their win over Senegal, who were looking to end a decade-long wait for gold, makes it the third time the West Africans have missed out on the podium in 26 editions. They missed in the inaugural edition in 1966 and in 2021 in Cameroon, finishing fourth on both occasions.
Senegal had a start to forget, scoring a single point in the opening seven minutes, finishing the period trailing 26-10. An 18-9 show in the second stanza got their comeback efforts going.
South Sudan still had a 10-point lead with 4 minutes and 41 seconds to play in the third, but Victorine Thiaw contributed seven in a 10-0 run for the Senegalese, to level the score at 44 and it was game on.
Khadija Faye handed Senegal their first short-lived lead at 46-45, but they trailed 50-48 heading to the final quarter.
Lena Timera gave the 11-time champions their biggest lead yet with a step back jump shot from deep for 58-54 but the debutants refused to budge.
A dramatic final minute saw Thiaw and Faye miss four crucial points from the charity stripe with the score tied at 65. Cierra Dillard’s foul with 6 seconds left gave Nyamer Lual Diew the chance to win it for South Sudan, converting one for the massive victory.
HERO
Maria Teresa Gakdeng, on debut for the Bright Starlets, has continued to prove a formidable addition for the East Africans, and she demonstrated that yet again with a huge performance.
She came two blocks shy of a triple-double after shooting for 14, the team’s second highest, while grabbing 13 rebounds and added three assists to finish with an efficiency rating of 26.
Skipper Adut Bulgak scored 14 as well, while leading the side on defense with 11 of her 13 rebounds. Delicia Washington was the side’s top scorer with 22, coming two assists off a double-double and adding 5 rebounds.
The trio will, however, have Diew to thank for the victory in regulation time, as a miss would probably have send the match to overtime.
STATS DON’T LIE
Despite allowing Senegal to score 30 from their 29 turnovers, and missing 14 of their 32 chances from the charity stripe, South Sudan kept themselves in the game with a better show on field goals where they converted 45.8% of their chances against Senegal’s 38.3%.
They out rebounded Senegal 44-26, 29-17 on defense to deny the 2023 silver medalist any second chance scoring opportunities.
BOTTOM LINE
South Sudan have left an indelible mark on debut, reaching the podium in a historic run that saw them come from two losses in the Group Phase to beat Egypt, Uganda and Senegal for the very first time and become the first debutant to be on the podium.
The West Africans, meanwhile, will have some reflections as they are yet to reclaim their dominance of yesteryears. This is the second time since their last title in 2015 that they are missing out on the podium.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Wins happen, losses happen, you can’t win them all. What really matters in sports is how you regroup the next day. You have to have a short memory in this field.
Speaking to our resilience as a team and the mental toughness that took to overcome what happened yesterday [semifinal loss against Mali] and throughout this tournament… This is our first run in AfroBasket and our team deserves to be here.
“The girls have shown it this time around, especially of how young they are. I am looking forward to what the future has for us.” South Sudan power forward Adut Bulgak.
FIBA
Final Standing of the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket
1. Nigeria 2. Mali 3. South Sudan 4. Senegal 5. Cameroon 6. Mozambique 7. Cote d’Ivoire 8. Uganda 9. Egypt 10. Angola 11. Rwanda 12. Guinea
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