BY Idris Shehu
Sunday Dare, minister of youth and sports development, has expressed excitement at the return of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) premier league after 3 years of dormancy.
In 2019, a court injunction restrained both factions of NBBF from enforcing or imposing any guidelines or conditions for the purpose of conducting the premier league.
The development was a detritus of the protracted factional war in the federation.
However, in January, a federal high court in Abuja threw out the suit and gave the NBBF the approval to host the league.
On Wednesday, the top-flight league kicked off across two conferences — the Atlantic Conference for southern teams in Akure and the Savannah Conference for northern teams in Abuja.
Speaking at the opening game in Abuja, Dare bored his joy to watch young basketballers play the game they love once again.
“I am happy to witness the first game night of the and happier to identify with these young stars who love basketball,” the minister said.
About twenty teams are expected to be part of the league across the two conferences.
The regular season will last about a week leading to playoffs. The final eight will feature the best four teams in each conference. The playoffs will hold in Lagos at the end of the month.
The champions of the final eight will represent Nigeria at the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a continental tournament that is the product of the collaboration between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA).
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