Shaquille O’Neal hopes to carry on the legacy of late boxing great Muhammad Ali, the retired four-time NBA champion said, as he uses his extraordinary fame to advance his philanthropic work.

O’Neal will be honored on Saturday at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville for his work supporting underserved youth, a cause that reflects the ideals that “The Greatest” championed, Ali’s widow Lonnie Ali said.

“We don’t give this out lightly,” Ali told Reuters in a joint interview with O’Neal.

“We give it to people who emulate Muhammad’s example, who bring that Ali spirit and carry that torch forward to the next generation.”

She said she sees a lot of her husband, a global icon known as much for his political activism as his boxing brilliance, in Hall of Famer O’Neal.

“He has a compassionate and kind heart like Muhammad had,” she said.

O’Neal, 52, credits the Boys & Girls Club of America as being a safe haven for him when he was growing up in a rough part of Newark, New Jersey.

O’Neal’s foundation has long been a high-profile supporter of the philanthropic organization as part of his mission to create pathways to success for young people.

Muhammad and Lonnie first got to know O’Neal in the early 1990s when he was about to be drafted into the NBA, beginning what would become an enduring friendship.

“I can remember my father telling me one day, if you listen to me, you can be as big as Muhammad Ali,” O’Neal said.

“I didn’t believe it. But I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Ali and when he recognized me in a restaurant, I almost cried. I was like, oh my God, Muhammad Ali knows who I am.

“I don’t consider myself in the same stratosphere as Ali but to have had the opportunity to see him, try to mimic him and to be close to his family.

“Everything I’ve tried to do I’ve patterned after the great Muhammad Ali.”

GOOD DEEDS

O’Neal said another inspiration to perform good deeds comes from his mother, who he plans to bring as his date to Saturday’s awards dinner.

“When I do things, I don’t do them for recognition, I do them because I’ve seen other greats like Muhammad Ali do it,” he said.

“And I’m a mama’s boy, and she always told me to be kind and compassionate and help those in need.”

Since retiring from the NBA in 2011, the larger-than-life profile of “Shaq” has only grown.

He is an analyst for TNT’s beloved “Inside the NBA” and is involved in myriad business ventures, charitable causes and artistic endeavors.

Saturday’s annual awards dinner also serves as a fundraiser for the center, whose mission is to “foster respect, inspire generations of changemakers, and advance social justice”.

It welcomes over 100,000 visitors annually and will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

“The first 20 years was getting established and putting Muhammad’s legacy down,” Lonnie Ali said.

“We really wanted the center to be built and grounded while Muhammad was still with us,” she said of her husband, who she was married to for three decades before he passed away in 2016.

“The next 20 years will embody even more of Muhammad’s legacy, talking about his greatness and passing that greatness on.”

-Reuters

Godwin Enakhena, a multi-tasked journalist and sports administrator has expressed great happiness as one of his pet tasks has yielded fruits.

He is the man behind the scenes as the MFM Women’s basketball team again emerged as the NBBF-Zenith women’s Basketball League champions.

It is a back-to-back victory and the team will represent Nigeria at the West African zonal qualifiers for the continental championship. They are joined by runners-up, Customs for the Zone 3 competition holding in Liberia from  29 October.

The founder of Christian Ministry that owns the sports outfit, Dr Daniel Olukoya is excited about the feat of the club and has promised his continued support.

It is gathered that youth empowerment through sports is one of the clergyman’s 70-point youth repositioning agenda.

He’s happy that his support has taken the girls out of the streets and got them involved in profitable ventures.

Enakhena narrates the hidden story of the MFM Women’s Basketball Club. “When I birthed this dream about six years ago, it was to key into the vision of MFM General Overseer’s 70-point youth repositioning agenda.

“He spends millions of naira on 70 different projects for the youths and sports happens to be one.

“From free tuition to free accommodation and other empowerment programmes etc. “

“As my name implies, (Godwin), I like to win always because I give anything I do my all, and I mean my very best and I leave the rest to God.

“I thank Dr Olukoya and his wife for this, the players who are the most important persons, the coaches and other backroom staff, my colleagues in the media for your support. I won’t forget all my well-wishers. Power to the Girl-Child. God bless you all.”

In preparation for the Chief of Defence Staff Independence Day Basketball Championship, Brigadier General Aliyu Abdullahi (rtd), Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, has highlighted the objectives of the event.

According to him, it is aimed at  fostering Civil-Military cooperation and Inter-Agency collaboration.

The championship, set to take place from October 2 to October 6 at the Mo Arena in Abuja’s Zone 5, aims to engage Nigerian youths positively and contribute to enhancing security through a non-kinetic approach.

He emphasized the importance of the competition in providing a platform for Nigerian youths from across the country to participate in a constructive activity. He noted that the Chief of Defence Staff, General C.G. Musa OFR, a passionate basketball player himself, believes that organizing such competitions can help cultivate the interest of Nigerian youths in the sport.

Additionally, it offers them a legitimate means of livelihood and the opportunity to showcase their talents on the international stage, thereby bringing accolades to Nigeria.

The championship will feature 16 teams representing the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, promising an exciting display of basketball skills and teamwork.

Brigadier General Abdullahi expressed confidence that the competition will not only promote sportsmanship but also serve as a deterrent against negative behaviours such as crime, drug abuse, and other forms of delinquency among the youth.