Basketball
TUNISIA TOPPLES IRAN FOR FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP VICTORY
Their first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup win puts Tunisia in position to advance to the next round. After losing their previous six games in the 2010 edition by an average of 24 points, the North African side weathered a late surge by Iran to win 79-67.
The inside-outside game of Salah Mejri and a full team effort were too much for Iran in their second World Cup encounter. Iran had won 71-58 in 2010. Michael Roll and Makram Ben Romdhane both added 16 points and 5 assists. Omar Abada’s 12 and Mourad El Mabrouk’s 11 gave balance to the Tunisian attack.
Turning Point: Knotted at 15 with 4:50 to play in the first quarter, Tunisia scored nine straight in a 14-4 run to create a space that they were able to manage through the rest of the game. There was a bit of a scare when Iran cut the lead to just five points with 5:51 to play but El Mabrouk’s trey followed by an Abada fast break finish restored the order.
TCL Player of the Game: Salah Mejri was big inside and outside for the Eagles of Carthage with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. The big man knocked down three of four three-pointers in the first quarter and went 5-of-9 for the game. Five of his boards were on the offensive end.
Stats Don’t Lie: Stats don’t lie. But they can deceive. Iran had a better shooting percentage, 46 to 42 percent, but they took seven less shots. Also, nine more threes made the difference for Tunisia, as they knocked down 13 compared to 4 by Iran.
Bottom Line: Iran looked like the late collapse to Puerto Rico may have shaken their confidence more than they would like to admit. Regardless, at the end of the day, Tunisia were the better team.
They Said: “It’s the first win in the country’s history, so we were all very excited about this game especially after a strange game against Spain. We took the lessons of that game and took it to heart. Everybody was really excited to play. You could tell by our energy, which was fantastic. Everybody performed.” – Tunisia shooting guard Michael Roll
“Our defense created problems. Their shooters didn’t have space to shoot or to penetrate. They are strong inside but we forced them to not go inside. We also did well with rebounding. The game against Puerto Rico is probably the most important in Tunisian basketball history. Our team is ready. We will prepare well. Our players are fantastic in attitude and defense. We fight. We are going to play very hard.” – Tunisia head coach Mario Palma
“We gave up a lot of three-pointers and made turnovers. We had good games before we came here and that gave us hope. We thought we could qualify out of the group. We had bad luck against Puerto Rico and after that tough loss we came here to do a better job but we faced some strange things in this game – five three-pointers from Mejri. We couldn’t expect that.” – Iran guard Mohammad Jamshidi
“It was unpredictable shooting from Mejri. He was like a sixth player with his downtown shooting. In the first half we gave up rebounding to him. The first game against Puerto Rico affected us.”- Iran head coach Mehran Shahintab
FIBA
By Ugo Okeiyi, Enugu
The end-of-year Ozobz Elite Basketball Invitational Tournament, tagged “Championing the Youth Through Sports, Education and Opportunity,” has taken off and will be concluded on Friday. The three-day event is taking place at the Indoor Sports Multipurpose Gymnasium, Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
The grassroots basketball competition is designed to serve as a platform for discovering and nurturing the next generation of Nigerian basketball talent.
A total of 14 teams — eight male and six female sides drawn from across the country — are competing for honours in what promises to be an exciting three-day basketball spectacle.
The tournament is powered by the Anthony Ozubuekwe Foundation, in collaboration with the Enugu State Ministry for Youth and Sports Development and the Enugu State Basketball Association.
Organisers say fans should expect high-quality action, with displays of skill, athleticism and tactical awareness from some of the most promising young players in the country.
According to the organisers, the initiative is structured to positively engage young people, steering them away from social vices and criminal tendencies, while using sports as a tool for education, personal development and opportunity creation.
They added that the tournament will also give coaches and team officials a valuable opportunity to assess the mental readiness, discipline and competitive mindset of the players, while providing a conducive environment for athletes to interact, bond and learn from one another.
The competition will be played in a round-robin format, with attractive prize money on offer. In the men’s category, the champions will receive ₦2 million and a giant trophy, while the runners-up will earn ₦1.5 million.
In the women’s category, the winning team will go home with ₦1.5 million, while the second-placed team will receive ₦750,000.
With its blend of competition, youth empowerment and community development, the Ozobz Elite Basketball Invitational is expected to be one of the standout grassroots sports events of the year in Enugu State.
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Former head coach of Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, Alex Nwora, will join family, friends and well-wishers on December 28, 2025, to celebrate the 90th birthday of his father, Chief Charles Okwudi Nworah, in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The milestone celebration, according to Evelyn Childs, Public Relations Officer of the US-based Imo Women Elite Club (IWEC), will take place at the expansive Onitsha compound of the nonagenarian, who is highly regarded in his community.
Born on April 17, 1936, to Akudo and Agnes Nwora of the Okakwu family in Ogbedogwu Village, Onitsha, Chief Nworah’s early years reflected strong family values rooted in education and public service. He attended St. Mary’s Catholic School before moving on to Prince Commercial College, and later completed his secondary education at Baptist High School, Osogbo, in Osun State.
Chief Nworah began his career in the civil service at a young age with the Post and Telecommunications Service (P&T), where his father also served and retired as a senior manager. His professional journey continued seamlessly into Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) following the merger of P&T with the Nigerian External Telecommunications.
Alex Nwora, who led D’Tigers through notable periods of growth and international competition, is expected to play a central role in the celebration, which will bring together members of the extended Nwora family and the Onitsha community to honour the life and legacy of the elder statesman.
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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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