Masai Ujiri, founder of Giants of Africa, has called for every school across Africa to have access to a basketball court as the organization unveiled its 50th court on the continent at King’s College Lagos.
Speaking during the unveiling ceremony of the newly constructed court in Lagos, Ujiri described the milestone as part of a broader vision to empower African youth through sports, education and community engagement.
“We should have this in every school that you go to, not only in Nigeria, but all over Africa.“Basketball, I think, is the number two sport on the continent, and hopefully, one day, we can challenge football,” he said.
Founded in 2003, Giants of Africa started its journey in Nigeria before expanding across the continent.
According to Ujiri, the organization has now organized outreach programmes, basketball camps and court projects in 22 African countries.
The new facility marks the 10th Giants of Africa basketball court in Nigeria and the 50th court built across Africa under the organization’s “Build Within” initiative, which aims to construct 100 courts across the continent.
Ujiri praised students, Kings College Old Boys (KCOB) and Weber Engineering, for helping bring the project to life, adding that the court was designed to serve both students and the surrounding commnity.
“These courts are being used by the community, not only by the school. That’s our template with Giants of Africa. We want to make sure it touches a big amount of youth,” he said.
He raise concerns about ageing school infrastructure in Nigeria, urging government authorities and stakeholders to modernize educational facilities while preserving their historical value.
Addressing students directly, Ujiri challenged young Nigerians to become drivers of change across Africa.
“You are the ones that are going to change Africa. You have to dream bigger and think better,” he said.
He stressed Nigeria’s growing influence on the continent, noting that the country’s population, innovation and youthful energy place a major responsibility on its citizens to lead development efforts.
“When Nigeria moves, Africa moves,” he added.
Reflecting on the organization’s progress, Ujiri expressed confidence that Giants of Africa would eventually achieve its goal of building 100 basketball courts across Africa.
“We got to 50 now. It’s part of the journey. We’re heading to 100,” he said.