Basketball
NIGERIANS EXCITED ABOUT BAM ADEBAYO’S D’TIGERS PROSPECT
Basketball fans in Nigeria are in frenzy over the prospects of having Miami Heats Centre, Femi ‘Bam’ Adebayo on the national team, D’Tigers.
The 2017 NBA 17th draft who at the end of the 2019–20 seasons, finished as runner-up as the Most Improved player in the NBA was recently named in the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
With a consistent and eye-catching performance, Bam Adebayo according to many Nigerians will greatly improve and perfectly fit into the DTigers team.
Reacting to the clamor by Nigerians for the Nigeria Basketball Federation to woo ‘Bam’ Adebayo to play for Nigeria, NBBF President, Musa Kida said impossible is nothing.
Kida in a recent statement opined that the DTigers meteoric rise in global basketball has recently changed the narratives with many Nigerians now interested in representing their father land.
“Before now, players like Josh Okogie and San Antonio Spurs player, Chimezie Metu would have had a second thought about playing for Nigeria, but when the Technical Crew presented the project to them, they were excited and they jumped on it.”
“Having Bam in the National team is a possibility that we are considering as a federation ahead of the 2020 Olympics and beyond”
“We are excited about how far he has gone and what he can achieve in his career with DTigers if he chooses to play for Nigeria”, Kida said.
In a similar vein, Kida has advised upcoming players to draw inspiration from D’Tigers’ point guard, Gabriel Vincent Nnamdi who just became the first Nigerian National Team player to qualify for the NBA finals.
While congratulating the player, Kida said the story is inspirational for many who are finding it difficult to stay focused as the effects of Covid-19 bite hard on the organized sports in Nigeria.
“Just early this year, Gabe was playing in the G-League with Stockton Kings before his hardwork and consistency was recognised which earned him a two-way deal with Miami Heats and Sioux Falls Skyforce.
“We are excited that he made up his mind to play for his fatherland which helped our world cup campaign as D’Tigers became the first and till now the only African country to qualify for the 2020 Olympics”
According to Kida, the relationship has been symbiotic for all parties involved.
“Playing for DTigers has helped in improving the team while the national team has also provided him a platform to show his talents at the biggest global basketball event”.
For many Nigerian players at home and abroad who are finding it difficult to motivate themselves to strive for greatness, Kida said the latest achievement of the 2020 NBA G-League’s most improved player should serve as an inspiration to them.
“With consistency, hardwork and dedication, success is guaranteed. What the federation has achieved so far or what you see Gabe achieving now is not accidental. It took years of preparation”.
Gabe earned his first international cap for Nigeria at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China where he averaged 11.4pts (49th best shooter at the world cup) and 1.2rebs.
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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