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Amadou Gallo Fall, president, Basketball Africa and senior vice president, NBA, has predicted a golden age for African basketball when the continent will produce global top players, dictate the rules and direction of the money-spinning sport.
According to him, with sustained investment in basketball, top-class coaching of youngsters and continuous career mentorship of potential players from a tender age, the sky would be the limit for the African continent to unleash its potential of becoming leaders in one of the top sporting events.
The Senegalese former NBA star made the disclosure in Kaduna while on a tour of Fifth Chukker/Access Bank Sport Academy, where children of school age are trained and mentored to be career sportsmen and women.
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Gallo, who built and funded a basketball academy in Senegal where kids from less privileged backgrounds are taught and trained to become professional players, flew in from Dakar on Tuesday to inspire young trainees in a sister academy in Nigeria.
“I am proud and impressed by the quality of facilities and the training given to these kids who are the future of basketball not just in Nigeria but Africa and possibly across the continent.
“We will continue to fund, inspire and share ideas with such basketball academies and many others across Africa so that the continent will take its rightful place of someday leading and dictating the pace of the sport in the world.
“When you look around the world of basketball, you will see that players of African origin have dominated the game of basketball, even in the NBA.
“With continuous funding and setting up of basketball academies such as this, we shall be able to change the narration in our favour so we can take the driver seats while others follow,” he assured.
Gallo, who is also the CEO of African Basketball Academy, charged former players and stars to dedicate and invest resources, time and energy into mentorship and training of young Africans to pursue careers in basketball and other top sports.
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On his part, Tunde Folawiyo, chairman, Coronation Merchant Bank, reiterated the commitment of the bank to hunt and assemble young talents for career paths in top global sports, so young Africans could play and earn money for the growth and development of the continent. He made the remark after laying a foundation block of one of the academy’s departments.
Adamu Atta, founder, Fifth Chukker/Access Bank Academy, pointed out that Gallo’s presence at the training facility served as a source of inspiration for the young students who said they wanted to become great players like him in future.
“We are grateful to Amadou Gallo, who has invested so much to see young Africans turning out to be great professionals in basketball.
“His visit will go a long way in building and sustaining a synergy between our academy and the one he built in Senegal in terms of cross-pollination and exchange of talents,” Atta stated.
