Basketball
D’TIGERS IN GROUP OF DEATH; FACE AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND CANADA AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Geographically extreme countries are the oppositions that the Nigerian men basketball team has drawn in the XXI Commonwealth Games holding in the city of Gold Coast, Australia in April.
Nigeria is grouped alongside Canada in the Northern Hemisphere and the ‘Down Under’ countries of Australia and New Zealand which are so nicknamed owing to their being the most southerly countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
Although the Nigerian side is the number one ranked in Africa, D’Tigers are however least ranked of the quartet in the group. Nigeria occupies number 32 in the world and will make a debut in the Commonwealth Games with the 25th world ranked side, Canada which and featured in the Olympic Games nine times and had won the silver medal at the 1936 Games in Berlin.
Hosts, Australia finished fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics and currently ranked 10th in the world. New Zealand will be taking part in their 21st Commonwealth Games, having competed at every edition.
The group easily attract the adjective of being the ‘Group of Death’. The fixtures released by the organisers will see D’Tigers start their campaign against New Zealand on Friday 6th April 2018 before facing Canada, a day later.
On Monday, 10th of April, it will be a great battle against the host.
Reacting to the draws, Vice President of the NBBF, Babatunde Ogunade described it as a ‘Group of death.’
The former Nigerian captain said the team’s performance will be hinged on the preparation for the games and the decision of the players to step up and prove a point.
“We want to use it as preparation for the World cup qualifier in which case we bring in foreign based players to join their home grown counterparts for a longer period, get more practice and bonding time for the team.
“We will use the opportunity of the Commonwealth camping to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers of both windows.”
According to organisers, the top two teams in group A will proceed to the semi-finals stage while the bottom 2 teams from group A will play the top 2 teams from pool B in the qualifying finals with the 3rd A vs. 2nd B and 4th A vs. 1st B.
The order of the games will be determined during the competition. The camping has since opened on Friday, 5th of January, 2018 in Lagos
The sixth edition of the annual women’s basketball championship organised in honour of the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr Daniel Olukoya, and his wife, Dr Shade Olukoya, will climax with the grand finale on Wednesday, July 15, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The championship forms part of activities marking the birthday celebration of the influential couple and has grown into one of the notable events on Nigeria’s women’s basketball calendar.
According to a press release signed by Godwin Enakhena, the Director of Sports, MFM, the tournament continues to serve as a platform for showcasing elite female basketball talent, attracting some of the best players from across Africa.
The competition has become a significant avenue for promoting women’s participation in sports while providing opportunities for players to display their skills at a high level.
Now in its sixth edition, the championship has steadily gained prominence, reflecting MFM’s longstanding commitment to sports development and youth empowerment.
Over the years, the church has played a pivotal role in nurturing talent through its various sporting programmes and clubs, particularly in basketball and athletics.
The 2026 edition is expected to culminate in a keenly contested final, bringing together top women’s teams from Nigeria in a celebration of sporting excellence and the enduring contributions of Dr Daniel Olukoya and Dr Shade Olukoya to both spiritual and community development.
The championship’s grand finale is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, with basketball enthusiasts expected to witness another memorable chapter in a competition that has become a fitting tribute to the Olukoyas’ impact on sports and society.
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SportyTV has secured a three-year agreement to broadcast NBA games free-to-air across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, in a move expected to widen access to basketball on the continent.
The deal will see SportyTV air selected NBA games and special events on its free television platform from next season through September 2028.
The partnership begins this Thursday with Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons. For the remainder of the current season, SportyTV will show eight playoff and NBA Finals games.
Beginning next season, the broadcaster will offer a wider package that includes weekly NBA Saturday games, NBA Christmas Day fixtures, NBA All-Star Weekend programming, selected Play-In Tournament games and extensive playoff coverage, including the NBA Finals.
Vice President of Media, Marketing and Business Development at Sporty Group, Elias Gallego, said the agreement was designed to make NBA content more accessible to African audiences.
“There’s a difference between content being available and it being accessible. This deal closes that gap with NBA games, across mobile, smart TVs, and digital platforms, built around how people actually watch today,” Gallego said.
Fans across the four countries will have the opportunity to watch some of the NBA’s biggest stars, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The coverage will also spotlight players with African roots and connections, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
Apart from live games, SportyTV will broadcast daily highlights, classic NBA content and historic matchups featuring legendary figures like Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo.
The addition of the NBA further strengthens SportyTV’s basketball portfolio, which already includes coverage of the Euroleague.
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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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