The National Basketball Association (NBA), Africa, has commended the Organised Basketball Network (OBN) Academy for promoting the development of sports at the grassroots in Nigeria.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Victor Williams, made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
OBN Academy is a privately-owned institution based in Lagos with the scope of discovering and training young adults in basketball, alongside education.
Williams said that the facility would open doors of opportunities for aspiring young talents.
”We are proud of this initiative and facilities, which will no doubt open up opportunities for many young ones to discover their talents.
“We will like to work with this type of initiative which is to give our young ones the avenue to thrive.
”The OBN Academy is impressive, especially these great facilities and coaches, to mould the young ones to becoming professionals.
”I also want to commend the initiative of having education alongside the professional pursuit of the basketball player,” he said.
Also, Frank Traore, the Basketball Operations Lead, NBA, Africa, said the academy would help in grooming young basketball players to become professionals.
“I am sure that academy like this is what we need to expose our young ones to the real opportunities they seek for.
“It is a place for grassroots development of basketball and opportunities for the young ones to tap in,” Traore said.
OBN Chief Executive Officer, Obinna Ekezie, said vision of the school is to establish grassroots basketball infrastructure and developmental programmes in the country and Africa at large. (NAN)
