Naira Rains at 2026 ABA All Star Game as TNT, Oneball Academy Win ABA League

The 2026 Amateur Basketball Academies came to conclusion Sunday on a grand style as the Association organised All Star Games for both Male and Female teams as part of the closing ceremony for the 2 weeks competition.
48 outstanding players, comprising 24 boys and 24 girls, were selected from the participating teams and named the ABA 2026 All-Stars.
Firece encounter between All Stars team culminated in exciting finals, with Team Red defeated Team White 60-57 to emerge champions in the male category, while Team Blue beat Team Black 22-17 to win the female category.
Highlights of the day include the presentation of trophies to the TNT Basketball Academy and Oneball Academy as the winners of the just concluded League held at the package B open courts of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
Suleiman Yaro of Full force Academy emerged Most Valuable Player in Men’s team while Treasure Okoye of One Ball Academy won the female category at the All Star Games.
The Founder and President of Amateur Basketball Academies, ABA, Prof. DC Lucky Aliyu Abubakar said the future of Nigerian basketball depends on sustained investment in grassroots development. He described the All-Stars selection as a celebration of talent, teamwork, discipline, friendship and the enormous potential within Nigeria’s grassroots basketball community.
“The All-Stars brings together talented young players who represent the potential that exists within our grassroots basketball community,” he said.
“At ABA, our mission is to train coaches to discover, develop and present young talent to the highest level.”
He stressed that the academy’s objective goes beyond producing basketball players, noting that young athletes must also be encouraged to become responsible and educated members of society.
“We believe that every young athlete deserves an opportunity to grow, not only as a basketball player, but also as a responsible and educated citizen,” Abubakar said.
The ABA president also commended coaches and technical officials for their roles in mentoring the young athletes, stressing that their influence extends beyond the basketball court.
He equally appreciated parents, partners, supporters and volunteers for their contributions to the success of the competition.
Abubakar said the successful completion of the maiden ABA League had demonstrated the abundance of young basketball talent in the country and highlighted the need for sustained investment in grassroots development.
He said the ABA 2026 All-Stars should serve as a reminder that the next generation of Nigerian basketball stars can be discovered and nurtured through structured grassroots programmes.
“Let the ABA All-Stars remind us that the future of Nigerian basketball begins at the grassroots,” he said.
Among the guests who graced the occasion was the Former D’tigers Captain and one time NBA Star, Olumide Oyedeji, who commended ABA for beaming their searchlight on the coaches at the grassroots.
The day was concluded with the presentation of “Thank You Trophy” to ABA President by the members of the ABA team led by Head of Technical officials, Coach Adeka Daudu.
The competition, organised as part of efforts to revive and strengthen Nigerian basketball through grassroots development, brought together 40 teams from 24 academies across the Federal Capital Territory and the North-Central region.