Basketball
JENNIFER LOPEZ AND SHAKIRA PLAN SUPER BOWL MESSAGE OVER KOBE BRYANT’S DEATH
Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash has reminded everyone how fragile life is, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira said on Thursday (Jan 30), and the pop superstars plan to use their Super Bowl halftime show to convey that message.
“Life is so fragile and that is why we have to try and live every moment as intensely as we can,” Shakira told a packed news conference.
“We will be celebrating life, celebrating diversity in this country.
“I am sure he (Bryant) will be very proud to see the message we are going to try to convey on stage because I think it is a very big moment for our community, the Latino community in this country.”
Stopping short of saying they were planning a direct tribute to Bryant, the 18-times NBA All-Star who was killed in the crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday, Lopez and Shakira promised a fun, power-packed 12-minute show but wanted to make a point.
“I think this is just affecting everybody so much because it is reminding us, again, how fragile life is and how we have to appreciate every single moment,” Lopez said.
“It can be taken away from us so easily.
“We have to love each other, we have to be together, we have to support each other we can’t be so at odds all the time. That’s part of our mission and our message too.”
Like the Super Bowl commercials, the halftime show is an event unto itself, attracting a stand-alone audience that has no particular interest in the game.
The halftime shows typically feature many of the world’s top-selling artists and last year’s with headliners Maroon 5 attracted nearly 100 million viewers.
The last time the Super Bowl was staged in Miami in 2010 British rock giants The Who topped the bill.
With Miami’s large Latino community and Latin vibe, Shakira and Lopez, performing together for the first time, would appear to be the perfect fit for this year’s Super Bowl.
Lopez, an actress and singer known for hits such as Love Don’t Cost A Thing and If You Had My Love, stars in the movie Hustlers which is generating buzz in Hollywood.
Colombian singer Shakira, a three-times Grammy winner, is one of the world’s best-selling Latin music stars. She found international fame with her 2006 single Hips Don’t Lie.
While the singers offered no hint of any political protest they made it clear their presence on the Super Bowl stage was sending a strong message, particularly to young Latino girls.
“The 49ers and Chiefs are run by women and you’ve got two women heading the halftime show. That statement alone for me is empowering,” Lopez said.
“When I think of my daughter, when I think of all the little girls in the world to see that, two Latinos doing that at this time in our country it is just very empowering.”
-Reuters
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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The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
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