₦airaland Forum

All the fake news seems to come from the same twitter account. This is where it started from.

ADCVanguard @ADCVanguard

BREAKING NEWS: After weeks of meetings and negotiations, Former Governor of Lagos State H.E. Akinwunmi Ambode has set to join the ADC coalition.

H.E. @raufaregbesola is now a movement in the southwest. More and more are coming.

https://x.com/ADCVanguard_/status/1954181451131371671?t=V_USmfxykTs34pUWuJiLjw&s=19

I said that half of the Afrobasket team were born in Nigeria and someone asked for a list, so here we go.

2025 Afrobasket squad list

Promise Amukamara (born in New Jersy, USA)

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah (born in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria)

Ezinne Kalu (born in New Jersey, USA)

Ifunanya Okoro (born in Arochukwu, Abia State, Nigeria)

Sarah Ogoke (born in New York, USA)

Elizabeth Balogun (born in Lagos, Nigeria)

Amy Okonkwo (born in California, USA)

Vera Ojenuwa (born in Lagos, Nigeria)

Nicole Enabosi (born in Maryland, USA)

Blessing Ejiofor (born in Ebonyi, Nigeria)

Victoria Macaulay (born in New York, USA)

Murjanatu Musa (born in Kebbi State, Nigeria).

Source: List Of D'Tigress Players For 2025 Women's Afrobasket
https://www.nairaland.com/8482765/list-dtigress-players-2025-women

Courts (continued)

Ikorodu Park Basketball Court Gets Facelift

Lanrelagboi:
The Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) has collaborated with the National Basketball Association (NBA Africa) and Hennessy to remodel the Basketball Court within Ikorodu Recreational Park.

Speaking at the commissioning and handover ceremony of the NBA Legacy Basketball Court in Ikorodu, the General Manager of LASPARK, Mrs. Adetoun Popoola, said the rehabilitation of the sports facility is part of the Agency's efforts to contribute to the growth and development of youths in the State.

She expressed the determination of LASPARK to continue collaborating with the private sector on projects that will foster unity amongst residents, noting that NBA Africa is a global sports and media business committed to increasing access to the game of basketball across Africa through infrastructure development of courts.

Popoola acknowledged that the refurbished playing ground will boost sporting activities in the neighbourhood and also complement the State government’s drive towards engaging the youths positively.

Also speaking, the Vice President of NBA Africa, Gbemisola Abudu, appreciated the Lagos State Government for creating an enabling environment that facilitated quick delivery of the Court.

She mentioned that the commissioning is a significant one as it coincides with the celebration of the 75th year anniversary of the NBA league and the launching of the NBA office in Nigeria.

Abudu recognised the tremendous impact Nigeria has had in the game, adding that NBA will continue to play its part in the growing basketball ecosystem in the country. She also disclosed that one of the many Courts planned by the NBA for Africa will be built in Nigeria.

The Vice President of NBA Africa averred that the youths have a lot to benefit from the game, stating that the NBA believes in the transformative power of basketball for social good and that the court will be a place of memory for many children.

The newly renovated Court is a standard regulation basketball field that meets international standards. The original court surface area was less than the standard required, hence its perimeter was expanded. Its railings were fabricated locally as part of the local content NBA Africa promotes.

The playing floor is overlayed with a layer of modular synthetic weather resistant material. The sport court layer is specially engineered to optimise shock absorption, reduce the risk of impact injury and provide the best combination of abrasion protection and dry traction.

Dp

Public courts (continued).

Basketball court at Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Alausa.

LASPARK PARTNERS RED BULL ON BASKETBALL COURT UPGRADE

Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), in a bid to improve the health and well-being of Lagosians, as well as promote community engagement, has partnered with Red Bull on the renovation and upgrade of the Basketball Court in Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Alausa.

Unveiling the newly renovated Basketball Court, the General Manager of LASPARK, Mrs. Adetoun Popoola, expressed gratitude to Red Bull for the rehabilitation work, saying the State Government will continue to seek out opportunities for collaboration to promote recreation and beautification in Lagos State.

“The partnership on this project is in line with LASPARK’s mandate to promote beautification, recreation and leisure in Lagos State", she said.
Popoola highlighted the importance of parks and gardens as safe spaces for members of communities to converge, interact and improve their health and wellness by being active, noting that parks can contribute to lower crime rates in communities.

She added that the partnership also affirms Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to a Healthy and Sustainable Environment in Lagos, stating that LASPARK is open to exploring partnerships and collaborations that will benefit residents of the State.

The General Manager averred that Red Bull's aim, through the partnership, was to leave a strong and positive legacy behind by working with local communities to upgrade existing playgrounds, courts and community centres.

“The artwork in the basketball court was done by popular urban graffiti artist Osa ‘Seven’ Okunpolor, arguably, one of the most talented and sought-after graffiti artists in Africa; who teamed up with Red Bull on the basketball court upgrade project”, she revealed.

The newly rehabilitated basketball court hosted 16 basketball teams from all over Nigeria, who had made it through the qualifiers for the National Finals of the Red Bull Half Court Competition.

The 3 x 3 basketball tournament holds in more than 20 countries across the world, with the World Final slated for September 2021 in Russia.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4458393227515242&id=492378324116772

D'Tigers honour late musician Sound Sultan with customised T-shirts.

Sound Sultan was a big supporter of basketball in Nigeria and he got involved in one of the most popular clubsides in Nigeria, the Lagos Islanders.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfy83FKa1Ws?si=yk6w4Ql3Hju0ipkv

Amotolongbo:
Egbon, I understand that you are trying to help, but you can’t cos you no sabi my level, na only me sabi.

Nkem saw her brothers playing basketball using a ring tied to coconut tree. The closest I saw my brothers doing was stoning lizards 🦎 and squirrels 🐿️ on coconut trees.

There is no correlation. Everybody does not have to play basketball.

yummy001:
Egbon Naptu2, I get the point of folks like Amotolongbo.. Cases of athletes like Nkem are the exception and not the rule based on the kind of exposure they had as kids and the background they grew up in.. It is a case of 1 in every 10,000 households if I am trying to be conservative..

Compared to football, there is a case of an Nkem in almost every household.. The football passion in Nigeria is almost equal to that of Brazil where almost every kid must have played the round soccer game as a recreation at some point..

I believe the gap between the two sports in Nigeria should not even be coming up for a debate..

That is exactly where the problem is.

You guys are derailing this thread because you believe that this is a competition with football. It is not.

In every country in this world there is a most popular and dominant sport, in Nigeria it is football. That's not what this thread is about.

This thread is about people that say that nobody plays or knows about basketball in Nigeria and that all national team players were born abroad. That is not true.

Basketball is played across Nigeria, there are many clubs, there are many public courts, there are many people that are interested in it, there is a home grown basketball culture, etc.

American football (gridiron) is the most popular sport in America, but there are also many places in America where it is not played (places in Alaska for example), does that mean that it is not popular in America??

Read my last post.

The facts remain:

1) This is not a competition with football. Every sensible person will tell you that football is the most popular sport in Nigeria.

2) Basketball is also popular in Nigeria. It is played across the country, it is played recreationally, it is played in schools, churches and mosques. It is also played professionally.

3) The claim that people do not play basketball in Nigeria, that all players for the national team are born abroad, etc is false.

4) You do not need to have a basketball court or ball to play basketball and many kids across the country play basketball without those things.

5) The fact that basketball is popular in Nigeria does not mean that every single person must play or be interested in it. There is no sport in Nigeria that every single person plays or is interested in, not even football.

Amotolongbo, read the story of Nkem Akaraiwe above and read what she used to play basketball when she was a child (ring and coconut tree). Is that above your level?

NKEM AKARAIWE

Nkem Akaraiwe was born in Okwe, Imo State, Nigeria on December 22nd, 1996.

She got attracted to basketball because she saw her father and elder brother playing basketball using a ring tied to a coconut tree in front of their house. She said that she also took up the sport because she wanted something to do in the evenings after school.

First Bank and Customs

She played for First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos and Customs Basketball Club in the Zenith Bank Nigerian Basketball League. She was the MVP of the league in 2018.

Video: Nkem Akaraiwe, 2018 MVP of the Nigerian League.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpwD3VS_sM0?si=OQIh08PMK1zBSh_D

She competed at the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Basketball Africa League with First Bank. She competed at the 2023 edition with Customs and at the 2024 edition with KPA Women.

D'Tigress

She won silver for Nigeria at the 2015 All-Africa Games in Congo. She also represented Nigeria at the 2015 Afrobasket.

She won the 2021 Afrobasket with D'Tigress. She also represented Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup and the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2022

Next I will write about Nkem Akaraiwe who started playing basketball because she saw her elders playing it using a ring that was tied to a coconut tree.

dettolgel will tell you that people in rural areas have no access to a ring tied to a coconut tree. 🤣

Is he still wasting his time?

Back to the matter at hand.

The fact still remains that basketball is popular in Nigeria. It is one of the top 5 sports in the country.

The most popular sports in Nigeria are (in no particular order) football, track and field athletics, basketball, table tennis and boxing. These are the sports that people participate in, watch live and watch on TV.

🤣 He's still trying, but it won't work.

He will tell you that kids in rural areas don't have access to buckets.

He will tell you that kids in rural areas don't have access to paper.

He will tell you that kids in rural areas don't have access to wood.

He will tell you that kids in rural areas don't have access to balls.

He will also ignore the real life experience of Murjanatu Musa.

dettolgel:
I don't know what samco is. Another mistake from you is thinking that majority of kids have the same exposure as you did. At least in Nigeria the majority of the population still leaves in rural area.

If that be the case what does that tell you about majority of the kids knowing what samco was and what an average urban kid is aware of?

I think most Nigerian kids born and raised in urban centers should travel round the country spend some time in those rural areas, maybe with that some of us will be really aware how the other halves see the world.

OK, now I know that you are just trolling.

You think it's about SAMCO? Before you said that kids needed a basketball court anf ball to play, now you say kids in rural areas don't know what SAMCO is.

That's all I need to know that you are just trolling.

Anybody that's not trolling would know that it's about stuffing paper together till it becomes a ball.

Now, go ahead, tell me that kids in rural areas don't have paper.

This is so funny that it's comical.

You obviously aren't being serious so no need to continue engaging you.

Goodbye, I won't read your posts again.

Let me address one very funny thing that some people have written here.

They think that you need a basketball and basketball court to play basketball. You don't.

When I was a kid I played basketball with all kinds of things including:

Do you know Samco? It's a flavoured drink that children drank (we called it ice cream). It came in paper cartons. We put Samco cartons together until it had mass and we used that as a ball. We used that to play both basketball and football. That is, we used it to shoot hoops.

You also don't need an actual rim to shoot hoops. We've used buckets, the square upper part of doors (that have been broken) and all kinds of things as rims. Many people did the same.

Cc Amotolongbo and dettolgel