Basketball in Africa

MultiChoice Nigeria, lived up to expectation last Saturday, when it hosted guests to an exciting blend of basketball games and musical performances from select artistes to commemorate the company's 20 years of operation in the country. The DStv All-Star/celebrity Basketball Showdown which took place at the University of Lagos's Sports Hall, Akoka, Yaba featured top players from the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences of the DStv Premier Basketball League.
The showdown also featured music icons and notable TV personalities like MI, Sound Sultan, Darey, Ikechukwu, Bovi, Praise, Tee Billz, Gideon Okeke, Gbenga Ajibade, Olisa Adibuah, Melvin Oduah and other on air personalities in the celebrity challenge. Team Beat FM defeated the Channel O basketball team 18-17 to clinch the title for the celebrity showdown. In the star match between Atlantic and Savannah Conferences' all-star, Team Atlantic won by 104 to 103 points in a tightly contested battle. The winners received N1 million as cash prize while Savannah got N500, 000.
John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, said: "One of our major focus is sports development. We know that basketball everywhere goes with entertainment and that is what we want to bring to Nigeria. For us at MultiChoice, sports and entertainment go hand in hand. We want basketball to be the sport that brings families out to the courts to enjoy the thrills and passion of the game."
In the same vein, Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing and Sales, MultiChoice Nigeria, thanked the audience for coming to watch the all-star/celebrity basketball game, promising that MultiChoice will do more for the game in the years ahead to ensure that the momentum gained by the success of the 2013 season does not wane. "At MultiChoice, we are proud of the gains of the 2013 Season of the DStv Premier Basketball League. That is why we decided to cap the season with the all-star/celebrity showdown. We know that families like to have fun when they watch basketball games, so we put together their favourite celebrities in a game that pitched these celebs against one another. You saw the game between Beat FM and Channel O. We also brought your favourite music acts, Burna Boy and Olamide, to thrill the audience."
Mabutho further stated that MultiChoice, which signed a four-year title sponsorship deal with the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) was already in talks with NBBF and other stakeholders on how to improve the standard of the league in forthcoming seasons.
MultiChoice Nigeria is the headline sponsor of the DStv Premier Basketball League. Aside the N218 million cash, SuperSport, MultiChoice's sister company which provides sports content on DStv, provides live coverage of the league games from both conferences throughout the season.
Highlights of the all-star/celebrity jump ball were the presentation of prizes to individuals who distinguished themselves during the all-star showdown. Dodan Warrior of Lagos player, Azuoma Dike, from the Atlantic Conference won the All-Star Most Valuable Player Award of N250, 000 cash and trophy while Kada Stars of Kaduna player, Timothy Kwaore of Savannah team, won the Three-Point-Shoot Award of N100, 000. "Jagbajantis" crooner, Sound Sultan, emerged as MVP in the celebrity jump off.