Basketball
Victorious D’Tigress due in Abuja this Sunday
BY MAXWELL KUMOYE
Members of the all conquering and history making Nigeria senior female national basketball team, D’Tigress are due in Abuja from Kigali, the Rwandan capital this Sunday
On arrival the history makers are expected to be received by top officials of the federal ministry of sports and basketball stakeholders to a rousing reception.
On Saturday, Nigeria become the first team to win four FIBA Women’s AfroBasket titles in a row over the last four decades thanks to an 84-74 win over Senegal in Kigali, Rwanda.
Before Nigeria achieved this remarkable feat, Senegal was the last team to win four African titles in the 1970s stone age.
The victory is D’Tigresses’ sixth continental title, 20 years after they won their very first African diadem in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique.
D’Tigress under the stewardship of coach Rena Wakama reduced the effectiveness Senegal’s playmaker Cierra Dillard and used their shooting strength to dominate and navigate their way through the final of Women’s AfroBasket.
Nigeria took off on a solid foundation and dominated the first and second quarters with a double figure margin of 12, 43-31. However, Senegal, the 11 time Champions closed the gap in the third quarter 62-57.
The African champions regained control of the game, and closed it out superbly to tell and show the world that they rule women’s basketball in Africa.
It was an all round master class show by D’Tigress as Ifunaya Okoro, hit 16 points, Elizabeth Balogun made 15 points, Sarah Ogoke added 13 points, and Munjanatu Musa hit a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds to contribute to the team’s victory.
Afrobasket Most Valuable Player, Amy Okonkwo contributed 14 points in sinking the hospitable Lionesses.
Coach Rena Wakama was critized and some at first doubted her ability to lead D’Tigress to defend their African title are muted now as she becomes the first female head coach to win a Women’s AfroBasket title.
After helping the team to rewrite the history of the slamming and dunking game in the continent, Amy Okonkwo, praised the role Coach Rena Wakama played in making it happen.
“We have a coach that believes in us. It has us fighting till the end, even in adversity. So we knew we had our destiny in our hands. Even when Senegal came back, we knew we had to step up, to keep together and we made it happen.”
On being named as the 2023 FIBA Women Afrobasket Championship MVP, Okonkwo has this to say: “I was playing in Mexico this summer, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to come and lead. And I had the opportunity to lead the team. I told myself that I was not coming to Kigali to lose anything. And being MVP is a huge honour.”
D’Tigress finished the championship without dropping a game, it was five over five and 24 games unbeaten run dating back to 2015 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
A very elated Wakama said the quarter final clash against Mozambique was the turning point of her Championship.
“Against Mozambique, we were down by 10 or 12 points. I looked into their eyes, and they told me: “Coach, we’re not going to lose this game. And they came back to win. That was the defining moment for me.”
Rena Wakama also revealed that, she was almost quitting the game of basketball but asked the sovreingn Lord of the universe if she should hold on for awhile. “It has been a long year for me. I asked God for a sign, and this trophy was the biggest of them all.”
Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Musa Ahmadu Kida has congratulated the team for making the country proud.
Kida said this victory is extra sweet because it was made in Nigeria all round, trained in Nigeria, coached by a Nigerian, dressed by a Nigerian apparel brand.
“The success of the D’Tigress has again proved that the NBBF is ready, willing and will continue to tick the right boxes for the game of basketball to grow and flourish in the country.”
He assured the team of more support and he also thank the Sports Ministry for supporting the team.
Another member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Abba Abdulqadri Kaka, said that the the victory is well deserved.
“We shall continue to do our very best as a Federation and with the support of the Federal Government and well meaning stakeholders we will lift the game in all aspect.” The chairman of the NBBF Division 2 League Management Committee, stated.
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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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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