The National Basketball Association (NBA) has partnered with Oil and gas giant ExxonMobil in organising the ninth edition of the Power Forward games.
The event – which was held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Wednesday – is part of the NBA’s vision to produce young talent and grow the next generation of Nigerian basketballers in a bid to positively influence the basketball ecosystem in Nigeria.
NBA Africa Vice President and Country Head of Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu opened up about plans to hold the event beyond the country’s capital.
“The goal is to roll out an expanded programme like this to other parts of the country because when it comes to talent development, it starts from a very young age,” she said.
“This is part of a big plan for the NBA. The NBA opened its third office in Africa in Lagos at the beginning of last year.
“This demonstrates the commitment of the NBA and the belief it has in the Nigerian market, that is, from the talents development perspective.
“In the history of the NBA, we have had about 120 players of African heritage, and more than half of those have been Nigerians. That has signalled year-in-year-out the importance of Nigeria to the NBA.”
In attendance at Wednesday’s event was 1992 NBA Slam Dunk champion Cedric Ceballos who admonished parents to not only show support to their wards but encourage their dreams in become professional basketballers.
“I think the great thing about not only this game but sports in general, is it helps you communicate with others. It helps you get along and helps you work as a team,” Ceballos stated.
“I think that’s the most important thing especially to try to convince the parents to allow the kids to play.”
The Power Forward Project was launched in 2014 and has coveted about 40 schools and 200,000 students in the Federal Capital Territory.
