NBBF, IMG Sign Agreement To Develop Basketball In Nigeria

By Gracious Akujobi    Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) and IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media companies, alongside strategic local partners, have signed an exclusive and historic agreement to develop and grow Nigerian basketball for up to 20 years.

However, details of the deal were not disclosed. The NBBF, an affiliated member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), is the governing body for the sport of basketball in Nigeria.

NBFF President Tijjani Umar said, “Nigeria has always had the potential to be a dominant power in basketball, one of the two great global games. But we can only reap what we have sown. “Today, we begin investing in our long term success as a basketball power, with this step in partnership with IMG, a pioneer in world sport, bringing to bear its industry-leading  expertise and strategic planning to help unlock Nigeria’s true long-term potential.”

 Nigerian Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi also had this to say, “We could not be happier to have IMG, one of the most admired and respected companies in the world, invest its time and resources in Nigeria.  We share a common vision for the sport of basketball in this country, and for the country itself, primarily based on the greatest strength Nigeria has – it’s people.”

 Bobby Sharma, IMG Senior Vice President, Global Basketball & Strategic Initiatives, said “We are excited to join with the NBBF to develop and grow basketball in the 7^thlargest country in the world.

 “We expect this collaboration will change the future of the sport in Nigeria, as well as this quickly growing region, which is already a hotbed of basketball avidity and talent.”

 Mike Dolan, IMG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, “Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the largest and fastest growing economic regions in the world today, led by Nigeria and its 170 million populations, the largest and youngest on the continent.

“Nigeria is one of the great sporting nations in the world and has already produced some of the greatest athletes across a variety of sports.

“We believe there is an enormous appetite for basketball on the continent, and led by the economic and cultural force of Nigeria, we have only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”