Former NBA player to build sports facilities in ABU
A former professional basketball player and President of Toronto Raptors, Michael Masai Ujiri, has paid a visit to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and pledged to build a multi-door sports court at the institution.
Ujiri grew up in Zaria, attended ABU staff school and the ABU Demonstration Secondary School, where he began his basketball career.
The 2013 NBA Executive of The Year was in Zaria to felicitate Professor Adamu Ahmed on his appointment as ABU Vice-Chancellor. They had both played basketball together in their formative years and at the national level.
Ujiri said the sports facility he is bringing to ABU will be modelled after the Zaria Court he established in Kigali, Rwanda, a multimillion dollar sports complex featuring basketball court, gym, mini outdoor running track, sports bar, swimming pool, and hotel facility.
He said that his desire is to contribute to the growth of the institution, and is willing to offer support in areas of critical need, especially sports entertainment and infrastructure around the university.
He observed that a lot of facilities in the university had run down and it would be important to reenergise and refurbish the facilities.
The former basketball player said he grew up in ABU and has thought about it everyday, adding that he hoped to bring his wife and children in his subsequent visit to Nigeria.
He thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception accorded him and members of his entourage.
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor expressed gratitude to Masai Ujiri for the visit, which he described as special to him.
The Vice-Chancellor said Ujiri’s visit to ABU was timely as the university was recently designated by the Nigerian government as one of the eight sports centres of excellence, as such the upgrade of the sports facilities would complement efforts in that direction.
Professor Ahmed said the two of them had come a long way, and recalled how he tried to convince Ujiri to be part of the Nigerian Basketball Team.
The Vice-Chancellor also recalled that he, Ujiri, and others went to Pretoria in South Africa for a basketball tournament after which they secured a ticket to the World Cup in Japan, where they almost made it to the quarter finals.