Giants of Africa, the non-profit organisation co-founded by Toronto Raptors vice chairman and president, Masai Ujiri, returned to Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday to host a youth basketball clinic at Ilupeju Grammar School where they unveiled a basketball court in 2021.
The clinic welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who shared remarks with the youth and participated in on-court activities.
In addition, through their your non-profit organisation, the Archewell Foundation, the royal couple made a commitment to donate to Giants of Africa by supporting the construction of a new basketball court in Abuja. This contribution bolters to the organisation’s ambitious initiative, ‘Built Within,’ a multi-year, 100-court investment in sports infrastructure across Africa.
“We are grateful to be joined by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at this basketball clinic here in Lagos,” Ujiri said.
“Basketball has the power to unite communities and inspire young people to reach their full potential. Teaming up with the Archewell Foundation, we look forward to creating experiences for young people, empowering them to become leaders, while also fostering pathways to opportunity and hope,” the Nigerian born former NBA star also said.
The basketball clinic participants included boys and girls from Ilupeju Grammar school, along with wheelchair basketball athletes from the Spinabifida and Hydrocephalus Association in Nigeria. Local Giants of Africa coaches, and Team Nigeria Paralympian while Giants of Africa board member, Dennis Ogbe, led the young athletes through activities that not only focused on athletic skill development, but also emphasised the importance of inclusivity, teamwork, perseverance and community engagement.
Prince Harry said: “What you guys are doing here at Giants of Africa is truly amazing. The power of sport can change lives. It brings people together and creates community.”
Megan added, “We are thrilled to be here. I lived in Toronto for seven years and that was the first time I’d heard of Giants of Africa – talk about full circle– never did I think we would be able to be here all those years later supporting the expansion of this incredible organisation, through our foundation the Archewell Foundation. We are so grateful and proud of all the work that you’re doing.”
The Giants of Africa basketball court in Nigeria, sponsored by the Archewell Foundation and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will serve as a testament to the power of sports in transforming lives and communities. This partnership exemplifies the collective effort to promote youth development and create a lasting impact in Nigeria and beyond.
Ujiri is the first and only African-born President of a professional sports franchise in North America. In 2019, he led the Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship and the first NBA Championship won by a team outside the United States in NBA history. In 2003, he co-founded the Giants of Africa Foundation, based on the idea of using basketball as a means of educating and enriching the lives of African youth—both boys and girls. Giants of Africa has used sport to help empower youth to dream big, hosting basketball camps and clinics for boys and girls in 17 countries across the continent. In 2021, Giants of Africa launched the ‘Built Within’ 100-court initiative and have unveiled 29 basketball facilities in 9 African countries to date.
To celebrate the organisation’s 20th anniversary, the inaugural Giants of Africa Festival brought together over 250 youth from 16 countries across Africa to Kigali, Rwanda for a week-long celebration of basketball, education, culture and entertainment in August 2023.
