₦airaland Forum

nairalanda1:
Lol, you are right. But the truth is anything involving football and maybe athletics gets most of the attention.

Any other sport? Ok o.

Stolen:
A Nigerian should be allowed to play for Nigeria.

Faber:
FIBA no want make we win abi...

Mad people

nairalanda1:
The fact that we are looking for overseas Nigerians and foreign born Nigerians to play for us shows the poor state of basketball in this country.

No grassroots basketball programs, no high school programs, weak university basketball programs, etc etc.

We don't take sports seriously in this country except for the national football teams.

Emeskhalifa:
Some decisions may affect you even when you are not the one that made those decisions. Her parent's had their reasons why they wanted their children to be Americans, unfortunately she doesn't want that but the decision has been made on her behalf by her parents already, she just have to accept reality and move on.

CaptainGo:
Don't you think you complain too much?
Do something about it, stop screaming into the wind.

nairalanda1:
1. Oga, I don't think I abused you.

2. Why can't you guys respond intelligently and without getting angry all the time?

3. Seriously man, calm down a bit.

4. We don't have a strong enough basketball scene in this country and that's for the men. Women is even worse

The league is weak , and at secondary school level and university level, basketball is weak or absent.

We don't have enough people playing to get a strong domestic team

I know you guys will say I am hating on Nigeria, but as a casual basketball fan since the early 90s, I know that our getting overseas Nigerians is to cover up for the fact that basketball as a whole is weak in Nigeria

USA does well because they have strong basketball programs from primary school up. Alongside a strong amateur league. Even in villages , there are basketball teams.

Nigeria doesn't have that.

And you are here shouting at me for telling the truth

FreeStuffsNG:
It's all over for her. Even her younger sister, Chinenye, has been affected by the horrible and unpatriotic choices of her parents.

There are many Nigerians in diaspora who will learn this lesson in a bitter way with the way some of them run down Nigeria because of the hate they used to raise some of them.

They raised her to be American and she is just a victim of decisions she later realized was unfavorable to her.

She has regularized her Nigerian citizenship, albeit late, and she has an opportunity to correct the mistake her parents did with her by raising her own children to identify as Nigerias.

oluwaseyi0:
If USA keep calling her she will not have remember Nigeria

lanocfoods:
The only reason she is pushing is because she does not have a place in the USA team

Kog45:
This is insensitive!

benardtotti:
@Naptu2, please come and enlighten this person about Nigeria basketball.

nairalanda1:
When last was the time we had state secondary school.championships

How many kids play basketball in your village

How many schools have basketball programs, and not just within the city?

How good is our female league?

We ain't where we supposed to be.

naptu2:
I don't have the energy to argue again, but the answers to all your questions (and more) are in this thread. Read the thread from beginning to the end.

D'Tigress' Home Grown Players And The Popularity Of Basketball In Nigeria
https://www.nairaland.com/8494163/dtigress-home-grown-players-popularity

nairalanda1:
Shrugs .

I am.not here to argue with you or disagree with you. I just think we can do much better than we have now.

If you think I am wrong, it's all right. But as far as I am concerned, we don't have a strong basketball scene in Nigeria.

Thanks

Faber:
FIBA no want make we win abi...

Mad people

nairalanda1:
Well, I talk this way because I want us to have a strong domestic basketball scene

As for doing my part, I try not to vote for apc or pdp or anyone linked to them. But most of you will be telling me wasted vote.

Also my opinion is my opinion. It doesn't have to make you onery

FreeStuffsNG:
It's all over for her. Even her younger sister, Chinenye, has been affected by the horrible and unpatriotic choices of her parents.

There are many Nigerians in diaspora who will learn this lesson in a bitter way with the way some of them run down Nigeria because of the hate they used to raise some of them.

They raised her to be American and she is just a victim of decisions she later realized was unfavorable to her.

She has regularized her Nigerian citizenship, albeit late, and she has an opportunity to correct the mistake her parents did with her by raising her own children to identify as Nigerias.

naptu2:
D'Tigress' Home Grown Players And The Popularity Of Basketball In Nigeria

There are some comments that shock me every time Nigeria takes part in the Afrobasket championships. Some people claim that basketball is not popular in Nigeria and that Nigerians do not play basketball. Others claim that all the D'Tigress players were born in the United States and that they know nothing about Nigeria. None of these statements are true.

Basketball has always been very popular in Nigeria. It has always been played by a lot of people, many people follow the local league and many people follow the NBA. Many of the players that have won Afrobasket and other tournaments like Ajuba for Nigeria were born in Nigeria and began playing basketball in the country.

Famous people

Lots of very famous Nigerians have actively played and been involved in basketball. Major General Joseph Garba, a former commander of the Brigade of Guards (in the 1960s and '70s) and foreign minister (in the 1970s) was a basketballer and played for the Nigerian national team until his job made it impossible for him to play for the team. One of his proteges, Colonel Sam Ahmedu, created the Dodan Warriors basketball club.

Taiwo Obileye, a former NTA newscaster, commentator at national events (like Independence Day) and actor actively played basketball.

Sound Sultan, a very famous musician, also played basketball and was an ambassador for a Nigerian basketball clubside.

Clubs

I had relatives that played in the Nigerian basketball league in the 1980s and early 1990s. I followed the exploits of teams like Lagos Islanders, Ebun Commets, Kano Pillars, Kadda Stars, Niger Potters, Oluyole Warriors, NEPA, YMCA and Plateau Peaks. I know the Nigerian basketball clap and I watched many matches at the National Stadium in the 1980s and 1990s (the Indoor Sports Hall was always filled with basketball fans). I knew refugees from other countries like Sudan, Somalia and Liberia, who played in the Nigerian League in the 1980s and 1990s.

First Bank women's basketball club has been so successful that many Nigerians that were born abroad, like Mfon Udoka, Rena Wakama (the current coach of D'Tigress) and Dr Sarah Ogoke, have played for them. They have won the African Women's Basketball Cup many times and they have also won silver and bronze in the competition.

First Bank won the African Women's Basketball Cup/League in 2003 and 2009, they came second in 2011, third in 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2008 and fourth in 2010.

First Bank are not the only Nigerian team to perform well in the competition. Bini Queens came fourth in 1987 and First Deep Water came third in 2011 and fourth in 2013.



The NTA also showed Nigerian league matches on Sports Spectacular and Sports World (there was a time that the league was sponsored by Milo and there was a time that it was sponsored by Pepsi. In more recent times the league has been sponsored by Zenith Bank).

NBA

The NBA has been so popular in Nigeria that it has influenced fashion.

Nigerians followed the exploits of the Twin Towers (Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson) in the 1980s. The NTA showed NBA matches as far back as 1985. I was always fascinated by the All Star Weekend and the skills contests and I saw Spud Webb win the Slamdunk Contest and Larry Bird win the 3 Point Contest. All of these were shown on the NTA.

Kurtis Blow's basketball song was a huge hit in Nigeria back in the day (1984/1985).

The NBA became so popular that teenagers wore Los Angeles Lakers branded clothes in the 1980s and Chicago Bulls branded clothes in the 1990s. The Bulls team of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman was especially very popular. Teenagers wore high top sneakers and the Chicago Bulls would have made a lot of money from Nigeria if all those clothes and shoes were original.

All of these inspired Nigerians to play and watch basketball.


Courts

There are probably more basketball courts than football fields in Lagos. They are in secondary schools and higher institutions, they are in housing estates and parks, they are virtually everywhere.

There was a ritual back in the 1980s and 1990s. Secondary school kids would flood the YMCA basketball court on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi from 2:30pm each week day. Then the professional players and older folks would arrive around 4pm and the school kids would leave. Watching basketball at that court was always a fun way to spend the evenings.

People also flocked to the basketball courts at the 1004 Housing Estate. 1004 was built to accomodate members of the National Assembly, but it was allocated to senior civil servants after the 1983 coup. It became a great place to watch basketball in the 1980s and '90s.

I also watched basketball at the University of Lagos, the Yaba College of Technology, Rowe Park Yaba, St Gregory's College and at Eagle Club in Surulere.

In recent times basketball courts have been created at Campos Square Mini Stadium and City Hall on Lagos Island.

There are now basketball courts in every major school and housing estate in Lagos. There are also basketball courts in many of the parks that have been built by the Lagos State Government like the JJT Park and the Ndubuisi Kanu Park in Alausa. There are also public basketball courts in places like Ilupeju and Oworonshoki.


Schools

Milo sponsored the Nigerian League in the 1990s, but they stopped after an incident. They held a press conference about the league, but no Nigerian Basketball Federation official was present. They stopped sponsoring the league soon afterwards and Pepsi took over as sponsors from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.

Milo stopped sponsoring the league and focused on school sports instead. They ran a basketball competition for secondary schools. It was not only a competition, they picked the best players from the competition and paired them with top coaches and created the Milo Basketball Clinic. The competition and clinic were held every year. The Milo Basketball Championships (for secondary schools) is currently in its 25th year.

There was also a time that some private schools in Lagos decided to organise their own separate competition and the games were played at the American International School basketball court.

Financiers

Many Nigerian businessmen and sports lovers have pumped money into the game. They include people like Toyin "Noik" Sonoiki, Colonel Sam Ahmedu, Josiah Ahmedu, late Wale Abodunrin (of Punch Newspapers), Damoye Oyesiku and others.

Apart from investing their money in the sport, some of these men have hosted basketball shows on Nigerian TV and some of them have even coached the national team and served as officials of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF).


Players

So many people that were born in Nigeria and grew up playing basketball here, have gone on to do great things in the sport.

Coach Ganiyu Otenigbagbe is an absolute legend of the sport in Nigeria. He played for Nigeria in the 1960s and '70s, retired and became the most significant coach in the history of Nigerian basketball. He discovered Hakeem Olajuwon at Muslim Teachers Training College in Surulere. He was also the person that told Hakeem that he had to move abroad and he connected Hakeem to an American coach that recommended him to universities in the US.

Ganiyu Otenigbagbe coached the Nigerian national team many times in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the coach at the time that Hakeem played his only official match for Nigeria (Hakeem played one game in the qualifiers for the African Junior Championships (AJUBA).

I believe that he was also the coach at the time that Hakeem returned to Nigeria in 1987. I remember that event very well. The junior team was preparing for AJUBA (now called U-18 Afrobasket) and the senior team was preparing for something else. They played an exhibition match between the senior national team and the junior national team at the National Stadium in Lagos and Hakeem played for the junior team in the first half and the senior team in the second half. The match was shown on NTA Sports on Saturday. I remember that Yinka Craig also interviewed him (the height difference was incredible).

Nigeria hosted and won the African Junior Basketball Championships in 1987 (AJUBA '87). The team was made up entirely of home grown players and I watched the matches at the National Stadium in Lagos.

Coach Otenigbagbe also coached First Bank Women's Basketball Club to win many African Basketball Champions Cups.

Very many other players that were born and grew up in Nigeria have gone on to do great things in the sport. They include:

Emmanuel Chagu, Ayo Bakare, Agboola Pinheiro, Scott Nnaji, Lateef Erinfolami, Tunji Awojobi, Olumide Oyedeji (he was our captain to many multi-sports events like the Olympic Games and All Africa Games), Michael "The Kandi Man" Olowokandi, Yinka Dare, Julius Nwosu, Peter Aluma, Stanley Gumut, etc.

Half of the D'Tigress team that recently won the Women's Afrobasket were born and grew up in Nigeria, but I have heard people say that none of the players is really Nigerian (whatever that means). Therefore, this thread will showcase women that were born and grew up in Nigeria and also won Afrobasket with the country.

Video of Milo Nigerian schools basketball clinic.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFUOzCw9DEk?si=KAvZtF707CM5gLc9


This is an old photo of First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos (Elephant Girls) showing Aisha Mohammed (Aisha Balarabe) in the center and Sarah Ogoke at the extreme left.

Kog45:
And you think this is a sensible statement?

Yankee101:
Those 100k USD cash gifts and Abuja free houses be changing hearts