Best of basketball, entertainment, funfair and other side attractions come alive at the closing of Mark D Ball Basketball Championship on Saturday at the Indoor Hall of Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Package B, Abuja; as favourites, Nigeria Customs Ladies and First Bank of Lagos, will contest the coveted trophy at stake in final of the 2022 edition.
The one week women’s basketball championship, which featured 16 teams across the country, has been hailed by stakeholders, as the best thing to have happened to the slam and dunk game in Nigeria following the dearth of domestic basketball.
• Action… Nigeria Customs player (right) outwitting her Sunshine Angels opponent during their semifinal encounter
The closing ceremony of the women’s championship and opening ceremony for the men’s Mark D Ball version is expected to see 2 Face, Goya Menor, Daddy Showkey, MC Smart, Pastor Nicodemus, Chucks D General and other artists, performing live at the ceremony.
Initiator of the Mark D Ball, Igoche Mark has promised basketball lovers of more domestic games, stating that the closing ceremony of the women’s championship will be opening for the men’s championship that will run for three months.
“Like I said at the opening ceremony, that our aim (New Face of Basketball), is to see us play more games as the NBA do theirs. They play 82 games in a regular season but if we cannot play 82 games, let’s play something close. I am happy to have brought smiles back to our domestic players and we are going to sustain this tempo. For the men’s championship, 24 teams have been selected to play and the draws will be done Saturday”, Mark stated.
The women’s final will see Nigeria Customs Ladies taking on First Bank of Lagos.
