In recent days, the world of basketball has seen some exciting action as players represented their countries in different basketball championships.
From the Women’s AfroBasket Championship to the EuroBasket Championship hosted in different cities across Europe and then the Men’s AfroBasket championship, the past month or thereabout has seen non-stop basketball action.
Although the WNBA has been on for quite a while now, all these tournaments came at almost the right time. With the NBA gone for almost three months now, basketball fans were beginning to get bored and had to keep up with other sports.
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Then came the AfroBasket Championship that Nigeria’s D’Tigress dominated. With a great attack that scored 3-point shots for fun and a defense that did their job well, the Nigerians won the gold at the women’s tournament.
This was followed quickly by action in the EuroBasket Championship. Most basketball fans will tell you that there was more than enough surprise to cope with in this tournament. First, Spain, the then reigning champions, got knocked out of the tournament at the semi-final stage.
The tournament was eventually won by the Slovenians who defeated Serbia in the final, went the whole tournament unbeaten and became EuroBasket champion for the first time. Spain had to settle for bronze after beating Russia in the third place game.
The Men’s AfroBasket Championshp was also taking place around the same time as the EuroBasket Championship. Nigeria’s D’Tigers were on a mission to retain the gold medal they won in 2015; a mission they couldn’t accomplish as they lost to Tunisia in the final of the tournament, to settle for silver.
With all these tournaments done and dusted, the world is back to anticipating the return of Steph Curry, Lebron James and co. to the NBA courts. It’s been a long summer in the NBA, a summer that has seen many players make major moves.
Before we talk about the moves, let’s talk about the Nike Swoosh. Nike signed an eight-year global partnership with the NBA which kicks off this season. This means that you will be seeing more of the iconic Nike Swoosh on NBA gear, including jerseys, shorts, and even compression tights, worn on the court. That’s one thing to look forward to as a basketball fan.
Another thing to anticipate is seeing Kyrie Irving in the Boston Celtics jersey and Isaiah Thomas playing alongside Lebron James for the Cleveland Caveliers. While Kyrie insists he owes nobody – nobody being Lebron James – an apology, Isaiah is looking forward to winning championship rings with King James and co.
The Golden State Warriors team is still intact, just in case you’re wondering. While you’re waiting for tip off in the NBA, there are several basketball games to feast on. There’s the Austrialia NBL, Lithuania’s LKL and the ACB Super Cup in Spain.
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