The journey to becoming the next Hakeem Olajuwon, Precious Achiuwa, or the Ogwumike sisters—Nneka and Chiney—began for 40 teenage basketball players, who participated in the Jr. NBA Elite Camp over the weekend.
The second edition of the Jr. NBA Elite Camp, which commemorated International Women’s Day, took place at the University of Lagos Sports Center, with several dignitaries in attendance, including NBA Africa Vice President and Country Head NBA Nigeria Gbemisola Abudu, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development Mobolaji Ogunlende, and Babatunde Ogunade, the Vice President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
Building on the success of the first edition, which was also held in Lagos last July and had two of its participants—Samson Mashebinu and Lewis Uvwo—selected to join the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal—20 girls and 20 boys aged 16 or under engaged in high-level training sessions and skill development drills led by renowned instructors.
Abudu, in her opening remarks, noted the peculiarity of the Jr. NBA Elite Camp, laying emphasis on its importance in providing the much-needed platform for these young emerging stars.
“We want to democratise access into the NBA,” said the NBA Africa Vice President and NBA Country Head. “Meaning that you don’t have to know me; you don’t have to know somebody to showcase your talent and skills.
“And as this camp continues to evolve, the goal is how do we give more kids not just in Lagos but in all geopolitical zones the opportunity to showcase their talent? When we identify that you’re in the top of your class, we give you the opportunity to participate in the BWB [Basketball Without Borders], Junior NBA Championship, and NBA Academy.
“That is the importance of this camp, and the goal is for us to do at least one Elite Camp every quarter. So that means for any young Nigerian out there who has talent and is excited to showcase their skill, this is the platform for you to do so.”
For many of the participants, the camp provided them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in basketball, as well as push them to build interpersonal relationships with other like-minded peers from different backgrounds.
Furthermore, Abudu highlighted the impact the camp will have on young players’ progression, along with the mentorship or educational development they stand to gain outside of the basketball training.
“So we launched the maiden edition of the Elite Camp in July of 2024, and we launched this camp to give your average Nigerian kid access to the NBA for them to showcase their talent.
“The way the Elite Camp is designed is to ensure that kids can showcase their skills and they are evaluated, and what that means then is they can be selected to be part of the BWB and Junior NBA Championship, or they can be selected to be part of the NBA Academy.
“So from the first one we did, two of the kids from the camp, Lewis and Samson, received full scholarships to the NBA Academy in Dakar, and now they’re getting the opportunity… They live and breathe basketball every day, and it gives them an opportunity to really further enhance their skills and develop as players.”
She continued, “For this particular camp, it’s for elite talent development. We have our junior NBA clinics that we do, and for our junior NBA clinics, those are designed to equip everyone that participates with life skills.
“If you pay very close attention to how they are doing their drills, we’ve been very intentional to modify the curriculum to ensure that we’re instilling the fundamental life skills that are relevant for your Nigerian kid in our curriculum for the camp as well.”
The young athletes also got the chance to showcase their in-game abilities with competitive scrimmages as they fought to leave an impression, with the coaches providing real-time feedback as well as pushing the players to improve their fundamental skills and decision making.
Their performances, meanwhile, caught the eye of Ogunade, the NBBF Vice President, who says he expects to see a lot of the youngsters at the top of their game in the next few years.
“What camps like this create is a conveyor belt of stars in the making,” he stated. “It’s a good thing that they [NBA] are doing this, as this is the second edition in Lagos, and there are going to be others around the country.
“I’m seeing different heights—and you can’t teach heights in basketball as it’s one of the prerequisites. What I see is a pool of talents, and some guys in the NBA now have gone through camps like this. So it’s a good thing that they are doing this here, pulling the talents together with initiatives like this, and the sky is the limit as this can’t go wrong.”
Ogunlende, the state commissioner for youth and social development, echoed Ogunade’s thoughts, reiterating the government’s commitment to empowering the youth and giving them a platform to excel.
“We’re here today in UNILAG with the NBA for the second edition of their talent camp. It’s very important to nurture our young ones in everything that we do. As a government under the leadership of our governor, Babajide Olushola Sanwoolu, the plus in our face-force agenda—social inclusion, gender equality, and the youth,” he said.
“And of course, we’re also very sport-centric, which is why I’m here. It’s very important for us to nurture our youth because, like I say, charity begins at home. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. And that step is one of the reasons why we’re here, nurturing this talent, giving them the opportunity to be able to showcase their talent. Some of them are being scouted here, and this just gives them that ability and opportunity to be able to rise to an international standard.”
As the camp came to an end, the young athletes most definitely left with more than just improved skills; they walked away with new friendships, valuable lessons, and a deeper understanding beyond the rudiments of basketball. For these young talents, the Jr. NBA Elite Camp was a stepping stone to greater opportunities, and for many, it may just be the beginning of an exciting basketball journey.
