Playoffs phase of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) set to commence

Since its establishment several decades ago, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has stretched it’s impact beyond the court to cut across a slew of creative industries including fashion, music, art and more. This introduction of other elements including the halftime show or fashion tunnel, currently considered as one of the most priced runways, has enabled a smooth intersection between sports and entertainment that allows others beyond stakeholders and superfans key into the fun. We’ve seen this influence trickle down to Africa, with the aid of Gbemisola Abudu, the Vice President of NBA Africa and country head  for NBA Nigeria. Back in 2022, Tems, Burna Boy and Rema graced the stage of the Afropop-themed halftime show and Nigerian visual artist, Dennis Osadebe, partnered for an installation dubbed ‘Passing/Building/Victory’ late last year.

 

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Consisting of five figurines, the exhibition explored the key role of teamwork and how collaborations aid in community development, a message that perfectly aligns with the NBA’s efforts to inspire audiences across the world with basketball. As expected, the 2024 All-Star game in Indiana last weekend was no different. In addition to a Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat link-up via Nigerian players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, a slew of African creatives; TV and film personalities, Bontle Modiselle, Korty and Tobi Bakre, alongside  South African music stars, Robot Boii and Kamo Mphela, joined in the celebration of this sport-pop culture intersection. 

Speaking about the NBA Africa All Star Luncheon, Abudu shares “It was a great opportunity to engage with NBA senior leadership, FIBA [International Basketball Federation], NBA Africa investors and former NBA players and stakeholders from a cross section of industries. Some of them [were] from Nigeria, including Tope Lawani of Helios Investments and Afrobeats musician Pheelz to name a few. It was also a great platform [to] showcase the NBA and BAL’s economic and cultural impact to the continent. We look forward to continuing to build on this momentum and expand the game in Nigeria and across Africa seeing as the fourth BAL [Basketball Africa League] season is set to get underway in less than three weeks.” With the promise of more cross-industry collaborations and partnerships in the future, the NBA’s mission to enrich world communities is well under way. 

[Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE]

ICYMI: NATIVE EXCLUSIVE: IN CONVERSATION WITH DENNIS OSADEBE & GBEMISOLA ABUDU ABOUT NBA MEETS ART 

Last night, Nigeria’s Men’s National football team, the Super Eagles, defeated South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in the semi-finals of the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON). After 90 minutes of regulation time and 30 minutes of extra time, the teams were deadlocked at a goal apiece, both scored from the penalty spot, which made it fitting for the knockout match to be determined through penalty shootouts.

Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who plays his club football in the South African Premier League with Chippa United, saved two penalty kicks enroute to being named the Man of the Match. Striker Kelechi Iheanacho buried the deciding penalty kick off the inside of the post, sending the Super Eagles into the final of this year’s AFCON, a feat that was last achieved eleven years ago, which is also the last time Nigeria won the top continental prize in national team football. (In Sunday’s final, they will face the host country’s team, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, who also qualified last night after a lone goal win over Congo.)

This marks the third straight time Nigeria has defeated South Africa in the knockout stage at AFCON. Back in 2000, Nigerian football legend Tijani Babangida scored two goals against Bafana Bafana in the semi-final, a clean sheet win which sent Nigeria into that year’s AFCON final match. 24 years later, although on the much dicier terms of a penalty shootout, Nigeria’s latest win exemplifies how its male football team has edged South Africa’s over the decades. In 15 recorded meetings since 1992, Nigeria has won eight times, South Africa has won just twice, and both sides have drawn five matches.

In October ’92, the Super Eagles scored four unanswered goals against Bafana Bafana at the National Stadium in Surulere. The match was a continental group stage qualifier for the FIFA World Cup, USA ’94, which Nigeria easily qualified for as top of its group. The return fixture in January ’93, at Johannesburg’s Soccer City, was a goalless draw. For the rest of the ‘90s, both teams didn’t face each other, more for political than footballing reasons.

In 1996, South Africa hosted AFCON, two years after Nigeria had won the tournament in Tunisia. As title holders, the Super Eagles were due to defend their award at AFCON ’96, but the country pulled out at the directive of its then dictator Sani Abacha. The marquee event was the execution by hanging of nine Nigerian activists in November 1995, to the horror of Nigerians and loud criticisms of the international community.

Led by author Ken Saro-Wiwa, the nine were members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), an organisation campaigning against environmental degradation in Ogoni land, due to the crude oil mining operations in the region. Saro-Wiwa, who was president of MOSOP at the time, was vocally critical of the Nigerian government, at a time when political dissent was met with brute force by a brutal authoritarian. The nine activists were arrested for allegedly orchestrating the murder of several Ogoni chiefs, and were sentenced to death upon trial by a special military tribunal.

To many observers, the charges were trumped up as a way for Abacha to get rid of these critics and also send a message to any opposing figures. In response to their execution, Nigerian was banned from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years, and many countries were loud in their disapproval, none more than South Africa. In the documentary, ‘Super Eagles ‘96’, several players shared their disappointment at not playing in AFCON ‘96, with Emmanuel Ammunike stating that football didn’t need to mix with politics, especially since the sport was a bright spot for Nigerians who were reeling under despotic rule.

Boasting of one of the most complete squads in Africa at the time, and also widely regarded as the golden generation of Nigerian football, the Super Eagles were the favourites going into AFCON ‘96. For post-apartheid South Africa, Bafana Bafana was a rising force in African football, and in their path to winning the Nation’s Cup, they could’ve faced Nigeria during the knockout round.

In the 2000s, the football history between Nigeria and South African has been extensive so far, with matches whose results have been consequential. At the 2004 edition of AFCON, the Super Eagles beat Bafana Bafana 4-0 in a group stage that played a key role in South Africa not qualifying the competition’s knockout stage. (That match was also notable for introducing forward Osaze Odemwingie to Nigerians, as he scored two goals off the bench in that match.) Four years later, the Super Eagles stopped South Africa from participating at AFCON 2010, handing them two clean sheet losses during the qualification group stage.

In 2014, Bafana Bafana repaid the favour, forcing two draws against Nigeria during the qualifiers, while three of their four other matches to emerge as one of the two countries—alongside second-placed Congo—to play in Equatorial Guinea for the competition proper. For AFCON 2019, both countries were drawn in the same qualifying group again, but they both qualified to the main competition this time, with Bafana Bafana winning the fixture in Nigeria and holding the Super Eagles to a draw at home. During AFCON 2019 proper, though, Nigeria eliminated South Africa in the quarter-final phase, ending a 5-match winless run against Bafana Bafana.

As the most important football match both countries had played against each other in the hyper-connected era of social media, the 2019 match resulted in vitriolic banter being exchanged, primarily on X (fka Twitter), between citizens of both countries. Often, football banter is loaded with witty insults, but the exchange after that Nigerian win became particularly toxic. Playing a central role was the late rapper AKA, who shared several tweets about his deep annoyance at losing to Nigeria.

Also embedded in that conversation was South Africa’s history of xenophobia towards African migrants, of which several Nigerians had been victims of xenophobic attacks. For decades, South Africa has been dealing with high poverty rates, stemming from the brutal inequality of apartheid, as well as the constant mismanagement and deep corruption practices of post-apartheid governments. That has led to no lasting, tangible solution to high unemployment rates, with many imbibing nationalist ethos and blaming prospering immigrants for taking jobs that they think should be reserved by locals.

It’s a hard pill to swallow man. We keep on losing to Nigeria in every way.

— AKA (@akaworldwide) July 10, 2019

None of those sentiments are new, and it’s even a key part of Nigerian history. (For the oblivious, find out the history of those hugely popular ‘Ghana Must Go’ bags.) In South Africa, though, its effects have gone beyond mere sentiments into injurious acts. As recent as Operation Dudula in 2022 and the heart-breaking events of 2019, just two months after that quarter-final match, African migrants in South Africa have been greeted by xenophobic attacks on a frequent basis.

Generally, Nigeria and South Africa have a complex, long relationship. Nigeria was an ally during the fight to end apartheid, and it made sense that the South African government would stand with the Nigerian citizenry in opposition to the autocratic Abacha. Currently, citizens of both countries are being led by governments that continue to plumb new depths of economic lows, largely due to rampant, endemic corruption and questionable monetary and fiscal policies. Nigerians don’t have electricity? Well, load shedding isn’t paradise for South Africans.

Possibly the most relevant one for young Nigerians is music. Nigerian artists and South African artists have collaborated over the past decade to great results, from AKA and Burna Boy to Davido and Focalistic. These days, the conduit is Amapiano—albeit controversially. For The NATIVE, there’s no need to rehash our stance: Nigeria cannot and should not be aiming to own Amapiano. In the aftermath of last night’s win, the banter flowed and the primary narrative is that Nigeria owns the genre now. It’s easy to say that it’s all jokes, but at the expense of being called a killjoy, jokes can go too far—especially when you consider Nigeria’s cultural dominance as far as dictating the narrative within African music.

Nah. This is the height

Nigeria | Nwabali | Tyla | Amapiano | AFCON2024 | Generator Republic | South Africa pic.twitter.com/qpk8LvwrUx

— Frankline Ntah (@franklinentah) February 7, 2024

Even before last night’s match, there was a viral video circulating X (fka Twitter) where several Nigerians supporting the Super Eagles in Cote d’Ivoire were blatant in stating that Nigeria is responsible for the growth of Amapiano. With how much Nigerians view its music through the “Afrobeats to the World” lens, and very little regards to local and pan-African narratives, those assertions aren’t shocking. These sentiments are only going to get bolder, which would increase animosity. Describe it as arrogance or the need to dominate or whatever else, the loudness of Nigerians is integral to its relationship with South Africans, and just like the music, football will always be a rallying point to exchange words.

It doesn’t feel appropriate to deem the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana as rivals. For the former, two wins in 15 matches—one in a friendly and one in AFCON qualifying—means it’s playing catch-up from afar, a distance that just got wider with yesterday’s loss. Amidst all of the celebration (for Nigerians) and ruing (for South Africans), it feels relevant to acknowledge how connected both countries are where the round leather game is concerned. It’s not a rivalry, but the history is important.

ICYMI: ASAKE, DJ MAPHORISA & NIGERIA’S QUEST TO ADOPT AMAPIANO

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 6’11” NBA superstar, is in a hurdle surrounded by a pack of kids who barely reach up to his waist. “1! 2! 3!” he intones, “NBA!!!” the kids scream back at him. Giannis has rang out many hurdle breaks, probably hundreds, but this is one of those he most likely won’t forget—ever.

According to lore, Rowe Park in Yaba, is where the iconic basketball player and 2-time NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon was discovered. Over four decades later, there was Giannis, visiting the court, himself already an iconic basketball player and 2-time NBA MVP. It was a pilgrimage, it was also a homecoming. To even the most casual basketball fan and NBA follower, it is well-known that Giannis is also referred to as the Greek Freak. That nickname stuck really quickly because it fit so perfectly for an uber-athletic player whose primary features when he got into the NBA were his gangly, flailing limbs.

These kids playing basketball with @Giannis_An34 in Rowe Park, Lagos, Nigeria is the best thing you’ll see on the internet today!!

Simply amazing.

For context, Rowe Park is where Hakeem Olajuwon @DR34M was discovered

@PhilipBraide pic.twitter.com/8SiRB8pUCm

— BballNaija (@BballNaija) July 28, 2023

These days, the build is much different. A network of muscles from shoulders to toes that culminate in one of the most imposing physical figures in basketball history. He might as well be fashioned after a Greek god, or be referred to as one—even the brawny jawline suggests as much—but trademarks are premium, and Greek Freak is synonymous to the Giannis brand. Also essential is his Nigerian heritage, something Giannis has emphasised on a narrative level, shown in the biopic film ‘Rise’ and the WhatsApp-partnered short film, ‘Naija Odyssey’, and even in a design for his signature shoe line. These portrayals and discussions often centred on identity, the need for people to understand that “I like being the Greek Freak but I’m also a Nigerian Freak.”

As far as the visual representations of Giannis’ relationship with being Nigerian, the recent mini-documentary, ‘Ugo: A Homecoming Story’, is the most visceral one yet. “When I close my eyes, I can see Nigeria, even though I’ve never been there,” Giannis narrated on ‘Naija Odyssey’ while an Afro-funk arrangement played underneath. For several days in the summer of 2023, he didn’t need to close eyes and imagine, or rely on memories from his childhood and anecdotes from his parents. Along with his mum, Veronica, Ugo visited his parents’ birthplace and the country of their youth, for the first time ever.

The most obvious qualifying term for ‘Ugo’—also a collaboration with WhatsApp—is heart-warming, which shouldn’t be surprising considering the man himself. In the NBA, Giannis is known for his dominance, a battering ram who asserts his will by sheer force and unbendable will. He’s the type of player opposing teams build a wall against, because of how he easily obliterates single coverages and can barrel through multiple defenders on his way to scoring at the rim. The combination of his freakish abilities and an ultra-competitive drive makes him one of the more intimidating and intense players at the highest levels of basketball. It’s quite different off the floor, though. Ugo has shown himself to be incredibly jovial, the type of guy who amuses himself and wants to amuse everyone else with dad jokes.

A day after becoming an NBA champion, Giannis went to a Chick-Fil-A drive-through and ordered 50-piece nuggets, an obvious, fun reference to scoring 50 points in the closeout game of the finals series. Everyone is happy when they win but it takes a level of joy and levity to be that effortlessly endearing. After all, this is the guy who pokes fun at himself for being a not-so-good 3-point shooter. He’s also the kind of player that would try to rationalise being upset by a series loss because failure is relative but resilience is absolute. Joy and resilience, two things that are incredibly Nigerian.

In ‘Ugo’, several of the featured interviewees reinforce the trope of Nigerians being perennial seekers of happiness, and working really hard is sewn into wanting better for ourselves. In relation to the ‘Japaing’ era especially, that’s Giannis’ story, a son of two illegal immigrants who were both national sportsmen but moved in search of a better life, to an entirely new country where their family surname—Adetokunbo—was drastically altered. Basketball provided an opportunity for several of the Antetokounmpo brothers to create a better life for their family, and Giannis ran with it. By his sixth and seventh seasons, he had become the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for two years in a row. He finally won the coveted championship chip in his eight, stacking a highlight of all-time NBA Finals plays.

Three years later, Giannis has explicitly stated that he’s hungry for more success. Part of that also stems from legacy considerations, and that applies away from basketball too. ‘Ugo’ is about touching your roots, going one giant step further than repeatedly acknowledging the spiritual origins of your traits and person even. The excitement on Giannis’ face is front and centre of the documentary. Arguably its most wholesome is an early sequence where Ugo spots a counterfeit Giannis jersey and goes to buy it, even haggling with the seller just because, you know, he’s Nigerian. Haggling is one of the things we do.

https://t.co/BFsbDSVfpw pic.twitter.com/hlwYyzgKmf

— 𝔭𝔯0𝔪𝔭𝔯0𝔪 (@3ffizzzyy) January 16, 2024

The rest of the documentary follows a laid out itinerary that makes sense from a cultural immersion standpoint: Going to watch surfers at Tarkwa Bay, a landmark area in Lagos despite recent displacement acts by the government; swinging by Rowe Park to surprise young hoopers; the Afrikan Shrine, a foundational spot for Nigerian music; and buying fish at the seaport market in preparation for a dinner prepared by a celebrated chef. There’s the trademark Giannis vigour in every conversation, and seeing him revel in the warmth of seeing extended family for the first time might as well melt your heart.

‘Ugo’ is worthwhile for seeing Ugo soak in all this experience. Where it gets compelling is in its depth, with Giannis bringing viewers into his own identity. Where ‘Naija Odyssey’ could veer into Meta and get unwieldy in defining its central person, there’s a more accessible approach to ‘Ugo’ that allows Ugo speak more spontaneously, as opposed to being heavily scripted. Around the lower middle part of the mini-doc, Giannis explains how he’s slightly more familiar with the Igbo side of his heritage, through a closer relationship with his mother, even though his Yoruba father disapproved.

The importance of Igbo people handing down their language, culture and practices to their offspring is not lost on anyone who understands the weight of the civil war in Eastern Nigeria back in the late 1960s. Already, there have been incredibly stupid tribalistic comments online, a holdover of the gross events and propaganda from the last election, with some being angry at Giannis for being more familiar with his Igbo heritage, regardless of how he’s never disparaged being Yoruba. During his visit, revered fashion house ALARA Lagos created custom traditional for Ugo and his mother Veronica, blending both his Yoruba and Igbo heritage into distinctly beautiful pieces.

“I know I am Nigerian but you gotta go back,” Giannis says near the very end of ‘Ugo’. “It allowed me to understand better who I am and what kind of person I want to be, what kind of son, what kind of husband, what kind of father I want to be.” It’s a profound encapsulation of what we already saw on screen in the prior 25-plus minutes. There are many things Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo will never forget about his first time coming to Nigeria.

ICYMI: IN CONVERSATION WITH DENNIS OSADEBE & GBEMISOLA ABUDU ABOUT NBA MEETS ART