Ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki Is A Fan Of LeBron James

Basketball fans in Nigeria have urged Bukola Saraki to setup a local basketball team after the immediate past Nigerian senate president shared photos of himself watching a live basketball match in Los Angeles, United States.

Saraki, who served as senate president from 2015 to 2019, expressed admiration for LeBron James’ energy and basketball skills after his team  Los Angeles Lakers thrashed Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107 on Tuesday.

Lebron had set a record during the match between Lakers and Thunder after becoming the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double against every team in the league.

In basketball, triple-double is when a player accumulates ten or more “points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots” in a single game in two or three of the basketball statistical categories.

Saraki recalled how South Africa hosted a basketball exhibition of North America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2018.

The ex-senate president, who already owns a local football club known as Abubakar Bukola Saraki FC (ABS F.C.), said he was determined to see Nigeria host NBA games to further help grow the sport in the country.

In LA watching @KingJames play for @Lakers Energy in the Arena is unmatched. In 2018 an exhibition NBA game was played in Pretoria, SA. I’m hoping in the near Future, Nigeria will host NBA games in a bid to grow the sport further in Nigeria. I am determined to see us achieve this pic.twitter.com/Fb29I1J8mx

— Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) November 20, 2019

Some Nigerian football fans who reacted to Saraki’s tweet, urged him to either fund or found a local basketball team to help develop the sport in the country. Below are some of the reactions.

@Walexy11: “You should think of funding or founding a Nigerian basketball team. I like what you’ve done with ABS in the soccer scene. I’ve seen people really passionate about basketball in Nigeria,in Jos for instance.  Basketball could be a big deal here with proper funding and management.

@Onile050: “It is achievable for Nigeria to host the NBA games but the reality could be sketchy due to several inadequacies. Partisan politics has hindered a lot of things we can tap in to grow the sport avenue in Nigeria and only if we can eschew anti progressive policies in a time soon.

@baka23: “You could start by ensuring we have the facilities (maybe somewhere in Kwara state) then organize basketball camps with some @NBA coaches, scouts and players when the league is on break. They typically like to #giveback”

@aseergwa: “The people of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state are richly blessed with the height for basketball and volleyball; with the proper nutrition and training, they can wao the world. I hope that someday, someone will recognise and utilize that potential.