The 2026 Amateur Basketball Academies (ABA) League ended in grand style on Sunday as the association hosted its All-Star Games and honoured the outstanding teams and players who distinguished themselves during the two-week grassroots basketball competition.

The colourful closing ceremony at the Package B Open Courts of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, featured thrilling All-Star contests in the male and female categories, alongside the presentation of championship trophies to TNT Basketball Academy and Oneball Academy.

A total of 48 outstanding players, 24 boys and 24 girls, were selected from the participating teams to represent the ABA 2026 All-Stars.

The male All-Star contest produced an exciting finale, with Team Red edging Team White 60-57 to claim the title, while Team Blue defeated Team Black 22-17 in the female category.

Suleiman Yaro of Full Force Academy emerged as the Most Valuable Player in the men’s All-Star contest, while Treasure Okoye of Oneball Academy was named the female MVP.

The closing ceremony also featured the presentation of the ABA League championship trophies to TNT Basketball Academy and Oneball Academy following their successful campaigns in the maiden edition of the competition.

Founder and President of the Amateur Basketball Academies, Prof. DC Lucky Aliyu Abubakar, said the future of Nigerian basketball depends heavily on sustained investment in grassroots development.

Abubakar described the All-Star initiative 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.”

The ABA president stressed that the academy’s responsibility goes beyond producing basketball players, insisting that young athletes must also be developed into 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.

He commended the coaches and technical officials for their commitment to mentoring the young players, noting that their influence extends beyond the basketball court.

Abubakar also expressed appreciation to parents, partners, supporters and volunteers whose contributions helped make the two-week competition a success.

He said the successful completion of the maiden ABA League had demonstrated the depth of young basketball talent available in Nigeria while reinforcing the need for sustained investment in structured grassroots programmes.

“Let the ABA All-Stars remind us that the future of Nigerian basketball begins at the grassroots,” he said.

Former D’Tigers captain and ex-NBA player Olumide Oyedeji was among the dignitaries who attended the closing ceremony. He commended the ABA initiative, particularly its efforts to shine the spotlight on coaches working at the grassroots level.

The ceremony ended with members of the ABA team, led by Head of Technical Officials Coach Adeka Daudu, presenting a “Thank You Trophy” to Abubakar in recognition of his leadership and commitment to the development of grassroots basketball.

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 North-Central region.

With the maiden ABA League now concluded, organisers hope the platform will continue to provide young players and coaches with opportunities to develop their skills and progress towards higher levels of Nigerian and international basketball.