November 27, 2023
Rivers Hoopers of Port Harcourt have won the 2023 edition of the NBBF Premier League after defeating Nigeria Customs by 77 to 57 points in the final game of the league played on its home court, to earn the passage to Africa’s biggest basketball championship in 2024. They ended the competition with an unblemished record after 13 games.
Before the final game, three teams, including Gboko City Chiefs, Nigeria Customs and Rivers Hoopers had mathematical chance pf winning the title. Gboko City Chiefs had beaten Hoops & Read 80 to 70 points to climb to the top of the league standings.
But the Kingsmen, as Rivers Hoopers are also known, knew what they had to do to become champions. They went 14 to four points ahead inside the first five minutes of play in the first quarter, eventually seeing out the quarter 21-12.
They maintained the tempo as they took control of the game to finish the second quarter 38-27, and went into the halftime break with an 11-point lead.
The hosts had suffered a spectacular collapse in the third quarter during their previous games against Gboko City Chiefs and Hoops & Read, but with the league title and Basketball Africa ticket closer than ever, they were able to break their third quarter hoodoo as they dominated play to end the quarter 59-47.
The fourth quarter saw Customs come out fighting but for every question asked Rivers Hoopers had a fitting answer as the KingsMen took Customs to the cleaners with a 16-5 run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter which finished 18-10 and the Rivers Hoopers held to wrap up a 20-point blowout.
The result sparked immediate jubilations as the vociferous home crowd who had shown tremendous support for the Hoopers throughout the Final Four tournament struggled to hold back their emotions.
Speaking after the game, Rivers Hoopers’ captain, Victor Anthony Koko, who contributed a game high 23 points, nine rebounds, with 10/13 shooting from the field and 3/3 from free throws on a night Hoopers enjoyed a 72.7 per cent conversion rate from the line, attributed their success to hard work and determination of the boys to excel at the championship. He said the victory was a collective effort, adding that next on the line is to plan for a successful outing at the 2024 BAL.
The teams attention now shifts to the continental showpiece, where they’ll be looking to become the first Nigerian side to with the BAL title.
May 30, 2023
The Miami Heat are officially headed to the NBA Finals after a 4-3 Win in the Eastern conference Finals.
Caleb Martin and the Miami Heat held off the Boston Celtics on Monday night at TD Garden to take Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals 103-84. Martin dropped 26 points and shot 11-of-16 from the field in what turned out to be a blowout win in Boston. That snapped a three-game win streak for the Celtics, and kept the Heat from landing on the wrong side of NBA history.
The Celtics were just the fourth team in league history to even force a Game 7 after falling into a 0-3 series hole. No team has ever successfully rallied from that deficit and won the series in 151 attempts.
The Heat are headed to their second NBA Finals in four seasons.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points and 8 rebounds, though he had a career-high 8 turnovers — which set a Celtics franchise record in a Game 7. White finished with 18 points, and Tatum added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Brown, Tatum and Marcus Smart shot a combined 3-of-19 from the 3-point line.
Butler finished with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. He was named the Eastern Conference finals MVP after the game, and averaged 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists throughout the series.
September 20, 2022
The Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) under Engr. Musa Kida has set up a Reconciliation and Statute Amendment Committee.
In a statement issued on yesterday (Monday), the NBBF President informed journalists of the new development, as the body and Sports Ministry seek a new direction for Nigeria basketball in a bid bring peace to the country’s Basketball Family.
The lengthy release read:
Sequel to the press release issued by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on 17th of August 2022, dissolving the Interim Management Committee (IMC) that was earlier set
up after the NBBF January 31st Elective Congress, it has become very expedient for me to brief you on the state of affairs in the Federation (NBBF), my esteemed members of Congress and the NBBF.
You will recall that on the 23rd of June 2022, the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development, with the approval of H.E. Mohammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, withdrew Nigeria from all international Basketball activities for two years.
The reason for this withdrawal was the Government’s perception of persistent wrangling amongst the Nigerian Basketball Stakeholders. This decision led to the replacement of the Female National Team, the
D’Tigress, by Mail for the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Australia, by FIBA, which the team had already qualified for.
However, based on several consultations between some critical Stakeholders and a very useful interface between the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, FIBA and the NBBF leadership, the The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria graciously approved rescinding the decision to withdraw Nigeria from all international Basketball activities for two years, with immediate effect, which was following the recommendation of the Sports Ministry.
This was promptly and appropriately communicated to all. This was followed up by the referenced Sports Ministry signed dissolution of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) on 17th of August 2022, and the immediate directive to take over the remaining FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Windows from the Kigali window and we had to act within a few days of the approval.
By this development, therefore, the NBBF has been given an all-clear to carry out its legitimate activities and continue its constitutional roles as defined in the 2019 NBBF approved Constitution.
The NBBF will focus on restarting its general programmes, and however, will also need to focus on the amendment of 2019 approved NBBF Constitution, for which the process had earlier started. Equally, the NBBF will also continue with its reconciliation process, alongside its local programs, so that all aggrieved parties can come under one umbrella of peace for the growth and development of the game.
The NBBF Board is by this call, committed to fulfilling all these requirements in a very open and transparent manner and in compliance with its Statutes.
While we understand and appreciate that we have had, and will have divergent opinions on some issues, this is not the time for finger-pointing as to who was right or wrong. There is no overstating the fact that continuous bickering and fractionalization within the Nigerian Basketball family, even at the board levels, does no one any good. It is an ill wind that must be avoided.
The present position we have found ourselves in has already set Nigerian basketball back by many years, and now that normalcy has been restored by the recent Government actions and developments, it is time for us to engage in a very sober manner and ensure that we move forward without rancour and in unity.
We must all strive for unity of purpose so that onlookers will always accord us the respect and dignity that we deserve as the drivers of the growth and development of the game in Nigeria.
I am therefore using this opportunity to call on all genuine Basketball Stakeholders in Nigeria to close ranks and join hands with the NBBF to move Nigerian Basketball to its desired height.
I wish to assure all Stakeholders that as far as the NBBF Board is concerned, there is “No victor, no Vanquished”.
The NBBF will conclude the process of amending the approved NBBF 2019 Constitution and the reconciliation process through the Committees that the Board will set up and communicate in the coming days. We understand the divergent views and grievances of stakeholders, and we will take appropriate actions, within the ambit of our extant laws and the NBBF Constitution, for all to have a sense of belonging.
Furthermore, the NBBF will commence its designed Programs of activities without delay to, inter alia, enable us to complete the programmes so that we can meet up with national, Continental, and international deadlines for our country’s representation in all major competitions.
My dear brethren, it is time to come together as a family, guided by truth, while promoting the positive things that bind us. We have a unique opportunity of achieving this and we must take advantage.
I want to specifically thank all States Associations Chairmen and their Secretaries, as well as other members of the NBBF Congress for upholding the mantle of proper governance within the NBBF and asking us to be accountable. Our thanks also go to all our stakeholders who have endured selfless sacrifices for the development of Nigeria Basketball over the years and I, on behalf of the NBBF Board, urge all concerned to continue to support the growth of the game.
I also want to thank the Nigerian Government, as headed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Akin Dare and his team, for their unflinching support for the successes we have recorded in the past years. We believe this support is unshakable going forward.
Also, wish to express our sincere appreciation to the State Governments, all our Corporate and Individual Sponsors, Chairmen/General Managers/Directors of State Sports Councils/Commission, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), FIBA and others, for giving us the support, without which would have been difficult to maintain the momentum as we strive to measure up to expectations during this tenure of 2022 to 2026.
Once again, on behalf of the NBBF Board, I do sincerely wish to thank all that have contributed in one way or the other, towards resolving this problem that threatened the very foundation of Nigeria.
