Basketball
FIBA OPENS NEW AFRICAN HEADQUARTERS IN ABIDJAN
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has opened a new headquarters in Abidjan in the Cote d’Ivoire.
The building was unveiled during a FIBA Central Board meeting, the first to be held in Africa.
Members of FIBA’s Executive Committee and Central Board attended the unveiling, alongside François Amichia, a representative of the Cote d’Ivoire’s Prime Minister and Claude Danho Paulin, the Minister of Sports and Recreation.
The building includes a conference room, a Hall of Fame, offices, a recording studio, a multi-purpose room and a restaurant.
“Nearly 58 years after its creation, FIBA Africa owns its house of basketball,” said FIBA President Horacio Muratore.
“I would like to emphasise the crucial role played by the Ivorian Government in offering hospitality to our organisation for the construction of this headquarters.
“From the beginning of the talks, we felt the great interest of your country in hosting the house of African basketball.”
FIBA vice-president and FIBA Africa President, Hamane Niang, paid tribute to one of the key contributors to the building, the late Patrick Baumann.
Baumann had held several senior positions in the sporting world, including the role of secretary general of FIBA.
He died while at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics Games, aged 51.
“I would like to praise the meeting of FIBA regional director Alphonse Bile and Patrick Baumann which allowed this architectural jewel to come into being,” he said.
“As a great visionary, Patrick felt that the progress of the game in Africa would go through the construction of a headquarters of international standards.
“That is the reason why, with all of his strength, he supported this project which is also so dear to Alphonse Bile.”
The National Basketball Association and FIBA announced last month that they plan to launch a professional basketball league in Africa.
The Basketball Africa League will feature 12 club teams from across the continent and is set to get under way in January 2020.
Musa Kida, the president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has been appointed as a non-executive chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), the country’s apex oil company. His appointment is part of the sweeping overhaul that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu made in the first working day after the Sallah break.
The sacking of the board of the NNPC sees the appointment of Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), replacing Mele Kolo Kyari. Prior to his current appointment, Kida was the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water Services, of Total Nigeria.
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Basketball
NSC DG Bukola Olopade Congratulates NBBF Boss Musa Kida for new appointment as NNPC Chairman
The Director General of the National Sports Commission NSC, Bukola Olopade, has congratulated the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Musa Kida, for his appointment as the new Board Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Olopade said Musa Kida has been one of Nigeria’s most efficient and Productive Sports administrators who has sacrificed a lot for the growth of Nigerian Basketball.
The DG maintained that his latest appointment is a testament to his years of passion, hard work, dedication and a very successful track record in the oil sector for more than two decades.
” Musa Kida is an accomplished administrator whose achievements cut across both the oil sector and Nigerian basketball. I have no doubt that the NNPC Limited will attain better efficiency and attract more investment under his watch”.
” Under his leadership as the President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, we have seen the steady growth of the country’s basketball and how the National teams have continued to achieve new heights.
” At the last Olympic Games in France, the Nigeria Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress was one of the shining stories for Team Nigeria, where they set a new record by making it to the knockout phase before losing to the United States”.
” I personally know the efforts behind the scenes that kida put in for Nigeria to achieve that feat with the girls in France and the Nigerian girls have been an unrivalled team on the continent for some time now”.
The DG added that he does not doubt that Musa Kida will use his new position to further earnest the development of Nigerian Sports especially basketball especially now that there is a new focus on growing a sustainable Sports Economy.
” Whilst the Oil sector will benefit immensely from the Expertise of Musa Kida as the new Board Chairman of the NNPC Limited, Mr President, has further helped to place Nigerian Sports in a better pedestal by putting one of us in a very strategic place like the NNPC”, he concluded.
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Basketball
FIBA names Nigeria’s Agada among those who starred the most on the last day of the 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers
The 16 teams that will be competing at this year’s FIBA AfroBasket from 12-24 August have been confirmed, with some teams securing their places on the final day of qualifying.
A quintet of individuals put in stellar performances to send their teams to this year’s African championship in style.
Teams have 169 days to prepare for the 2025 edition of the AfroBasket set to be hosted by former champions Angola, who will be chasing a record-extending 12th title.
FIBA- Africa looked at the matches and the players and featured nine players who were the stars of the final day on Sunday.
Here is FIBA’s analysis: The return of the Tokyo Olympian has been a blessing for Abdulrahman Mohammed’s Nigeria.
For the second game in a row, Agada was a thorn in their side’s side, scoring 23 points in a convincing 77-62 win over 2021 AfroBasket semifinalists Cape Verde.
The 30-year-old played just over 30 minutes and finished two rebounds shy of a double-double while adding six assists and five steals for an efficiency rating of 29.
Nigeria entered the competition after an 0-3 start, but his disruptive presence on the floor helped them to a 3-0 run to qualify, averaging 19 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The other players highlighted are: Ousmane Drame of Guinea, Karim Maneof Senegal, Childe Dundao of Angola, Siriman Kanoute of Mali, as well as Ntore Habimana (Rwanda) Aliou Fadiala Diarra (Mali) Allan Dokossi (Central African Republic)and Nisre Zouzoua (Cote d’Ivoire)
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