Basketball in Africa

Former national basketball coach, Ayo Bakare has tipped basketball to overtake football as the king of Nigerian sports.Football commands a cult-like followeship in Nigeria, with fans tipping over the bar to support the Super Eagles, when they are playing in continental and international competitions.Every Eagles match screened on television is watched by millions of fans while thousands jam the stadium to cheer them to victory.

"I honestly believe that basketball will soon become the most popular sports in Nigeria. I see it happening sooner than later given the rapid progress that our basketball players are making at the global level.

"Our players are getting better every day in the NBA and in Europe, where the game commands a great followership like football and when they come together to play for Nigeria, they surely will do exploits, which in turn, would make the fans to start getting closer to this game.

"At the global level, we ranked in the top 20 in basketball but the Super Eagles are ranked outside the top 30. D'Tigers defeated teams in the top ten last year and at the Olympics, where we did the country proud even though we did not win any medal. We surely will surpass football ", added Bakare.