Nigerian basketball national team, D’Tigers’ former captain, Olumide Oyedeji is pointing fingers of fault at himself and officials of the game’s governing body for a slump and fading impact that the sector is currently going through.
Sports247 reports that the former star of USA’s National Basketball Association (NBA) went on to admit that lack of unity and mistrust among basketball stakeholders in the country is a major cause of recent setbacks suffered by the giants’ sport.
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Oyedeji, who is now a board member of Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) and president of the country’s Olympians’ association, further confessed that he and other officials have not provided a smooth terrain for the game of giants to flourish.
Oyedeji, who sponsors a summer training camp for students during the long holidays, declared matter-of-factly: “Anybody that says Nigerian basketball is having progress right now has to be taken to a psychiatric hospital and check his head out. I have to admit that I am part of the problem and I have to face this responsibility.”
He reasoned further that the change in fortunes is seen in what used to apply with the Nigerian team during his days, compared to the lowly strides that are being made in recent years.
Oyedeji added, “I’m not going to say this or that, because I’m part of the board. So, I personally don’t think we are doing enough. Some people might be saying they’ve done enough.
“For me in person, I don’t think we are doing enough. That’s because I measured now with when I was playing and I realised where our basketball was in the past.”
He concluded with suggestions on the way forward for the slam-dunk sport in Nigeria; first and foremost, he stressed the need for all basketball stakeholders to return to the days when they worked together as one united family.
“We can not get anywhere with excuses. I keep saying it, and I will continue saying it … we have to be back as one family. We must work together so we can enjoy the game again and impact it even better,” Oyedeji sermonised
