President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Musa Kida, has showered praises on the sponsors of the national women’s Basketball League, Zenith Bank PLC, for the company’s support to the game.
Kida stressed that over the years, Zenith Bank has been a big boost to the game and the results have been evident in the entire basketball scope.
The 2024 edition of the national women’s league enters the final stage from Thursday (today) in Lagos with eight teams competing for honours for the ultimate prize for the year.
The NBBF boss said: “The final eight is a testament of Zenith Bank’s commitment to basketball and the Girl Child development.
“We commend them for standing alongside with the NBBF, to grow the game of basketball. The global achievements of D’Tigress, can only go to show how Zenith Bank’s commitment has helped to turn around the game in Nigeria and Africa, as a continent.”
All the roads will lead to the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where the final 8 teams after two phases in the Atlantic and Savannah Conference will vie for honours to emerge the eventual champion for the season.
In the qualifying phases played simultaneously in the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences held in Enugu and Abuja, respectively.
First Bank led the Atlantic conference qualifiers and was joined by MFM, Dolphins and Bayelsa Whales while Nigeria Customs as leaders in the Savannah conference led other teams, Titans, Royal Aces and Air Warriors to Lagos.
Zenith Bank CEO, Adaora Umeoji, says this competition is the number one sports and youth development initiative of the organisation.
Umeoji said: “In about two decades, we have been consistent with this competition with many national team stars coming up from the completion. In the last Olympic Games in France the most valuable player of the 2022 edition, Marjinatu Musa, was one of the key players of D’Tigress,
“We are also proud that in the last four editions of the AfroBasket, D’Tigress have emerged champions. We congratulate all the eight finalists and we expect a very good contest that will produce true champions for the season.”