Twelve Nigerian teams from the southwest region have been confirmed for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Basketball Championship in Lagos. The competition which takes the tip off on Tuesday, September 30 will be held at the sports halls of the National Stadium and the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
The competition details were given at a press conference held at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) led by Brigadier General Aliyu Abdulahi (retd). The 12 teams for the event are Hoops & Read of Lagos, Fountains Basketball Club of Ekiti, Warriors of Lagos, Sports Nation 365 Club of Lagos and Ogun Rockets. There are also Oluyole Warriors from Ibadan; University of Ibadan, Delta Force, Asaba, Police Baton of Lagos and Ondo Raiders.
Brigadier Aliyu said the 4th edition of the CDS Basketball Championship “aligns with the CDS people-centric pillar of his leadership concept which is to nurture a professional Armed Forces that is people-Centric, capable of meeting its constitutional responsibilities in a joint and collaborative environment.”
The LOC members explained that the “teams were carefully selected to bring together top flight teams in the Nigeria Premier Basketball League, state owned teams to create competition that will run from 30th September – 5th October, 2025.”
Set against the backdrop of the CDS’s people-focused leadership agenda, the championship aims to promote unity, skill development, and civil-military cooperation across the southwest region. Approximately 250 players and officials are expected to participate, with team rosters to be announced daily ahead of the event.
Learning from logistical challenges faced in previous events in Abuja—such as travel and logistics issues—organizers have made improvements to ensure a smooth and professional tournament experience. This has meant adjusting the event to hold at regional levels instead of a central national competition.
The championship features a prize pool of N10m with the winners taking home N2m, the first runners-up N1.5m, second runners-up N1m while the fourth placed team will get N700,000.
Prizes will be also awarded to the winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP), winners of slam dunk and three-point contests, among others.
The 12 teams will receive subsidies of N800,000 for travel and logistics.
“The CDS Basketball Championship is set to be a thrilling sporting event that not only celebrates basketball excellence but also fosters regional camaraderie and national pride ahead of Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations,” the Chairman stated.
The LOC includes Olumide Oyedeji, John Abimbol Faniran (AKOFA Sports) amongst others.
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