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Tag: Nigeria Premier Basketball League

  • NPBL: Meet the four contenders

    NPBL: Meet the four contenders

    The Nigeria Premier Basketball League Final Eight produced fireworks, and now, the stakes are higher, the pressure is mounting, the passion is endless, and the talent is overflowing as the final four take centre stage.

    With defending champions Rivers Hoopers, Gboko City Chiefs, Lagos Legends, and Nigeria Customs all vying for the coveted championship and, by extension, the Basketball Africa League spot, the final four promises more excitement.

    The Teams:

    Rivers Hoopers: The KingsMen are aiming for a seventh overall crown and a three-peat. They have long dominated the NPBL, having won the title most recently in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, holding a winning streak that dated back to 2022 before it was snapped by Lagos Legends in the final eight. They are the team everyone wants to take down.

    The KingsMen won their first NPBL championship in 2011. They repeated as champions in 2012, led by star player Azuoma Dike, who was named the league’s MVP. They have twice represented Nigeria in the Basketball Africa League. In 2021, they exited in the Group Stage. However, in 2024, they came back stronger, winning the bronze medal. The Hoopers have experience and depth going for them.

    Coach: Ogoh Odaudu

    Assistant Coach: Johnson Orupabo

    Captain: Victor Anthony Koko

    Lagos Legends: The Maktown Flyers topped the Final Eight table alongside the Hoopers, with six wins and one loss. They will be looking to carry on their impeccable form to the final four and unseat the Rivers Hoopers, who they handed their first defeat since 2022 in the Final Eight. Legends are incredibly composed, consistent, and efficient on both ends of the court.

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    Coach: Michael Ikema

    Assistant Coach: Benjamin Nenge

    Key Players: Patrick Abah, Tolani Buhari and Lucky Subel

    Gboko City Chiefs: The titled men got close to the championship last year, finishing as the third-placed team, after falling to a 79-73 defeat to Rivers Hoopers in the semi-final. In the final eight, they recorded five wins and two losses.

    Gboko City Chiefs play physical and aggressive basketball, and the hunger is evident, but they lack the ability to close out games, capitulating and often falling short in the fourth quarter – a mental hurdle they must overcome to win the title.

    Coach: Alex Ujoh

    Assistant Coach: Ier Kennedy, Anyebe Ujoh

    Key Players: Kareem Joseph, Victor Evans, and Hassan Frence

    Nigeria Customs: The border boys are the dark horse/underdogs. They edged out Kano Pillars, Hoops and Read, and Nile University to qualify for the final four.

    Coach: Mohammed Jagu

    Key Players: Favour Aboje, Godwin David and Ibe Agu

    The Final Four will be executed in a round robin format, with each team playing against each other, and the team that garners the most points tally crowned champions of the 2025 NPBL.

    The games are set to begin on today, November 21st , with Nigeria Customs vs Lagos Legends, followed by Gboko City Chiefs vs Rivers Hoopers.

  • Nigeria Premier Basketball League tip-off Aug. 28

    Nigeria Premier Basketball League tip-off Aug. 28

    Reigning Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) champions, Rivers Hoopers BC,  will be among a total of sixteen teams to vie for the 2025 NBPL title.

    According to an official communiqué signed by League Chairman Babatunde Ogunade and Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Secretary General Amina O. Amanchi, action at the 2025 NBPL is scheduled to run between  28th  August  and 16th  November. This will be preceded by a registration period between  August.

    The 2025 NBPL is structured to run in four phases (Group, Inter-Group, Playoff, and Final Four), as the sixteen (16) participating teams have been divided into four (4) groups of four (4) teams each across Savannah and Atlantic Conferences (2 groups per Conference), with games to be staged at yet to be named venues.

    Defending champions Rivers Hoopers have been paired alongside Delta Force, Oluyole Warriors, and Kwara Falcons in Group B of the Atlantic Conference, with Group A consisting of Comets, Police Batons, Lagos Legends, as well as Hoops & Read.

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    In the Savannah Conference, Nile University, Nigeria Customs, Gboko City Chiefs, and Correctional Service make up Group A, while Group B houses Kano Pillars, Plateau Peaks, Gombe Bulls, and Bauchi Nets.

    Each team is expected to play six (6) games against the other three (3) teams during the Group stage (home & away basis), after which all eight (8) teams (Group A & Group B) from each Conference will meet at a central venue for the Inter-Group Stage. During the Inter-Group Stage each team will play seven (7) games (one against each of the other teams).

    The top four (4) teams from each Conference (making a total of 8 teams) will then converge for the Playoffs Round which will be played in a knockout format.

    The Final Four teams will play each other once in a round robin format, with the team accruing the highest points tally after that, crowned 2025 NBPL Champions.

    Recall that Rivers Hoopers won their sixth league title by defeating Hoops & Read 71-54 in the playoff final of the 2024 NBPL season last November, and will look to retain their crown for the third straight year.