Olumide Oyedeji Basketball Camp to Mark 25th Anniversary With Over 500 Young Basketball Players
The 25th edition of the Olumide Oyedeji Basketball Camp will take place from August 31 to September 5, 2026, at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, with more than 500 young basketball enthusiasts expected to participate.
Organised by the Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation, the six-day camp will provide boys and girls aged up to 18 with basketball training, mentorship, career guidance and talent-development opportunities.
About 25 coaches, trainers and instructors are expected to work with participants during the camp, with daily activities scheduled from 9am to 3pm and a refreshment break around midday.
Over the past 25 years, the camp has grown into one of Nigeria’s notable grassroots basketball development programmes, producing more than 100 national team players and helping young athletes secure academic and sporting opportunities at home and abroad.
Notable male alumni include NBA player Charles Bassey, D’Tigers centre Efe Abogidi, Churchill Odia, Daniel Ochefu and Samuel Tobi Ariyibi.
The female graduates include D’Tigress star Nkechi Akashili, Uju Ugoka, former Olympian Rashidat Sadiq and former Nigerian Women’s League MVP Tokunbo Ijomah.
The foundation has also used the camp as a scouting platform for its academic and sporting empowerment initiatives, awarding more than 300 scholarships to talented participants.
Top performers and Most Valuable Players have earned opportunities to attend high schools and colleges in the United States and Europe. One notable beneficiary, Ikenna Alozie, secured a pathway to Dream City Christian School in Arizona.
Other outstanding players have progressed into elite development programmes, including the NBA Academy Africa, while participants also benefit from career counselling, personal development sessions and motivational talks designed to prepare them for opportunities beyond professional basketball.
The initiative reflects the vision of its founder, Olumide Oyedeji, Vice President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, former Nigerian international and captain of D’Tigers.
Oyedeji was selected 42nd overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2000 NBA Draft and went on to spend three seasons in the NBA with the SuperSonics and Orlando Magic.
As captain of D’Tigers from 2006 to 2016, he was part of Nigeria’s historic basketball achievements, including the country’s first AfroBasket title in 2015 and its first Olympic appearance at the London 2012 Games.
Beyond the court, Oyedeji has continued to contribute to sports administration and Olympic affairs.
He became the first African to serve as Secretary-General of the World Olympians Association.
The silver jubilee edition of the camp is therefore expected to combine the search for Nigeria’s next generation of basketball stars with a broader commitment to education, mentorship and youth empowerment through sport.
