TNT, Oneball Academy Crowned Champions As ABA League Ends In Abuja

TNT Basketball Academy and Oneball Academy emerged champions of the maiden Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) League after an action-packed two-week competition that concluded on Sunday at the Package B open courts of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

TNT Academy claimed the men’s title, while Oneball Academy secured the women’s crown as the inaugural ABA League came to a close with the 2026 All-Star Games.

The competition brought together 40 teams from 24 academies across the Federal Capital Territory and North-Central region, providing young players with an opportunity to compete in a structured grassroots basketball programme.

The closing ceremony featured the ABA All-Star Games, with 48 outstanding players — 24 boys and 24 girls — selected from the participating teams.

In the men’s All-Star contest, Team Red defeated Team White 60-57, while Team Blue overcame Team Black 22-17 in the women’s game.

The individual awards also produced a strong showing for the champions, with Oneball Academy’s Treasure Okoye winning the women’s Most Valuable Player award. Suleiman Yaro of Full Force Academy claimed the men’s MVP prize.

The league trophies were presented to TNT Basketball Academy and Oneball Academy, officially recognising the two academies as the first champions of the ABA League.

ABA Founder and President, Prof DC Lucky Aliyu Abubakar, said the achievements of TNT and Oneball Academy, alongside the performances of the other participating teams, demonstrated the depth of basketball talent available at the grassroots.

He said the competition was created to provide young players with a platform to develop their skills while giving coaches an opportunity to identify and nurture emerging talent.

“The All-Stars brings together talented young players who represent the potential that exists within our grassroots basketball community,” Abubakar said.

“At ABA, our mission is to train coaches to discover, develop and present young talent to the highest level.”

He stressed that the programme was not solely focused on producing basketball players but also on encouraging young athletes to combine sporting development with education and responsible citizenship.

“We believe that every young athlete deserves an opportunity to grow, not only as a basketball player, but also as a responsible and educated citizen,” he said.

Former D’Tigers captain and ex-NBA player Olumide Oyedeji, who attended the closing ceremony, commended ABA for creating a platform that places greater attention on grassroots basketball and the coaches responsible for developing young players.

Abubakar also praised the coaches, technical officials, parents, partners, supporters and volunteers for their contributions to the successful staging of the competition.

The ABA president said the maiden league had shown that Nigeria possesses considerable young basketball talent that can be developed through sustained investment and structured competitions.

The event ended with the presentation of a “Thank You Trophy” to Abubakar by members of the ABA team, led by Head of Technical Officials, Coach Adeka Daudu.

With TNT Basketball Academy and Oneball Academy writing their names into the history of the competition as the inaugural champions, the ABA League has provided a new competitive platform for academies seeking to develop Nigeria’s next generation of basketball players.