Port Harcourt ready for OBN Basketball Fiesta

By China Acheru

Obinna Ekezie

The Basketball Stadium at Victoria Street in the heart of Port Harcourt is ready for the Organised Basketball Network, OBN two day scouting program on Friday, May 20, 2022 and Saturday.

 

Renovation work began in earnest as the stadium, home of Rivers Hoopers Basketball club got a facelift.

 

Former NBA player, Obinna Ekezie is in Port Harcourt for the launch of a two day basketball scouting program leading to the renovation of the playing court.

 

“Port Harcourt has produced lots of talents, especially Precious Achiuwa,” Ekezie said as he arrived in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

 

“This program, and subsequently my academy is meant to target basketball prospects from around the age of six and by the time they are up to thirteen or fourteen years old, we plan to help them get Basketball Scholarships in some of the top universities in America. If a few of them eventually make it to the NBA, then that will be great,” Ekezie said.

 

Obinna Ekezie was the 37^th pick of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies (Now the Memphis Grizzlies). He played for several other NBA teams that include the Washington Wizards, L.A Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks.

Renovation of Basketball Court in Port Harcourt.

 

He also played in Europe for Red Star Belgrade (Serbia), Lottomatica Roma (Italy) and Dynamo Moscow (Russia).

 

He retired from Professional Basketball in 2007 and returned to Nigeria to found Wakanow.com the leading Online Travel Company in Nigeria and Sub-saharan Africa.

 

He has now founded the OBN Academy, a subsidiary of OBN SPORTS BUSINESS WORLD whose focus is on building the infrastructure and programing to deliver elite basketball players at the grassroot level in Nigeria and Africa.