The initiator of the event, Louis Edem Ekpeyong, said the tournament, which was initially scheduled to feature eight Nigerian Premier league teams, has been expanded to 10 teams with the addition of Gidi Giants and the Ghanaian Spindex.
According to him, all the matches will hold from 2 p.m to 9 p.m daily.
Other teams that will take part in the Louis Edem Basketball Championship are Nigerian League champions and Basketball Africa League representatives, Kwara Falcons, alongside former champions, Rivers Hoopers, Ebun Comets, Lagos Legends, Police Baton, Raptors, Hot Coal and Ogun Warlords. They will battle for the N2 million grand prize, while the runners-up will get a cash prize of N1 million.
Ekpeyong disclosed that he had received positive interest from top local and international basketball teams since the tournament was announced in December last year.
“Since we made the announcement of the basketball tourney, almost every top team in the country has signified interest. The enthusiasm to compete at my Dad’s memorial tournament has been overwhelming, and it has been really tough to decide. But after talking to my team, we decide to extend the number of entries to 10 and give all teams a minimum of four games in the preliminaries before heading to the semifinals,” he said.
Ekpeyong, a two-time Nigerian basketball league MVP, was former player of D’Tigers. He also played for Kada Stars, Jigawa Rocks, Yelwa Hawks, Bauchi, Union Bank basketball club, Kano Pillars, Bahrainian clubs, Al Ittiad and Yarmook Club, in Kuwait.
He is hosting the championship in honour of his father, who died during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
