The stage is set for the inaugural Louis Edem invitational basketball championship in February 2023 as elite teams battle for honours.
The tournament, which was initially set to feature 8 Nigerian Premier league teams will now feature 10 teams with the addition of Gidi Giants and Spindex and the tournament starts from 6th-11th of February 2023, still at the national stadium, Lagos.
Nigerian league champions and Basketball Africa League representatives Kwara Falcons alongside former champions, Rivers Hoopers top the list of competing teams, which includes Ebun Comets, Lagos Legends, Police Baton, Raptors, Hot Coal and Ogun Warlords, all battle ready for the N2 million grand prize and runners-up going home with N1 million.
Tournament organiser, Louis Edem Ekpeyong disclosed he has been swamped with interest from top local & international teams since the tournament was announced in December, hence the need to increase the number of participating teams from 8 to 10.
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“Since we made the announcement, almost every top team in the country has signified interest. The enthusiasm to compete at my dad’s memorial tournament has been overwhelming and It’s been really tough to decide.
“ However, after talking to my team, we decided to extend the team entries to accommodate 10 teams and give all teams a minimum of 4 games in the preliminaries and we head straight to the semi-finals”.
The two-time Nigerian basketball league most valuable player and former D’Tigers, is hosting the championship in honour of his father who passed on during the COVID pandemic in 2020.