The second edition of ‘NBA Meets Art,’ an invite-only evening reception, will bring together industry leaders from fashion, music, art, business, and sports in Lagos tomorrow, November 4. The event, curated to celebrate the game of basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture, will take place at the Balmoral Convention Centre at the Federal Palace Hotel.
Hosted by NBA Africa, the event will feature a basketball-inspired installation by Nigerian artist Dennis Osadebe as the headlining spectacle. It’s scheduled as part of the widely-followed Art X Lagos, which runs from November 4 to 5. The installation, titled “Passing/Building/Victory,” explores the essential role of teamwork on the court.
The installation comprises five figurines representing basketball players wearing the artist’s distinctive mask, a recurring symbol in his visual language that speaks to Nigeria’s basketball heritage. Drawing from universal childhood memories of playing with toys, the figurines will be in dynamic motion, symbolically passing the ball through their unified, outstretched arms, encapsulating the spirit of victory through teamwork and emphasizing the importance of every person’s contribution to the development, growth, and prosperity in their communities.
The installation will also be open to public viewing from today through November 5 at the Balmoral Convention Centre at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos.
Speaking about the event, Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, said, “We are excited to host the second edition of ‘NBA Meets Art’ as we continue to use basketball as a tool to inspire and connect people across Africa. Given Nigeria’s vibrant art scene, it was essential we create a platform to celebrate basketball through the lens of the country’s rich heritage and culture. The theme of our collaboration with Dennis Osadebe, ‘Passing/Building/Victory,’ specifically speaks to how we can use the teamwork displayed in basketball as inspiration when building our communities, which also aligns with the essence of our work in Nigeria and Africa.”
NBA Africa is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA), a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. NBA Africa conducts the league’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and has opened subsidiary offices in Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal, and Lagos, Nigeria.
The NBA has a long history in Africa spanning more than five decades and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2010. NBA’s history in Nigeria dates back to when Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Oscar Robertson held basketball clinics in Lagos in 1971. There have been nearly 50 NBA players either born in Nigeria or with at least one Nigerian parent, including Hakeem Olajuwon, who was selected first overall in the 1984 NBA Draft and became the first African player to be selected first overall.
In 2013, the NBA, ExxonMobil, and PanAfricare launched the Power Forward youth development program, which uses basketball to teach health literacy and life skills to secondary school students in Abuja. To date, Power Forward has reached more than 250,000 boys and girls across 40 schools. The NBA Nigeria office was launched in January 2022.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okoro, has dismissed the calls for State Police by…
Sawyerr called on stakeholders to actively engage in joint oversight, risk assessments, and public enlightenment…
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has again slashed the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),…
The Bauchi State Government has announced the demise of Alhaji Wali Adamu Tumfafi, acting chairperson…
“Without allowing local governments to have autonomy, we cannot address poverty or employment in Nigeria.…
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has dismissed defection rumours…
This website uses cookies.