The Jordan Nwora Foundation, JNF, on Thursday paid a courtesy visit to the United States of America Embassy in Lagos.
Top on the agenda of the foundation was to formally intimate the embassy of its programmes as well as have the American coaches that are in Nigeria for the camps feel at home.
The JNF team was received by the US Public Affairs Officer, Joseph Kruzich who was at home discussing basketball having played the game in his high school days.
President of the JFN, Anthony Nwora explained that the visit was to get the embassy be aware of what the foundation is doing to help the less privileged and take the game to the grassroots around Africa.
Coach Alex Nwora on his part said the desire of Jordan Nwora in holding the camps was borne out of what he had seen growing up as he traveled with him while coaching.
“While coaching Cape Verde, Jordan travels with me and he had a firsthand opportunity of seeing for himself what poverty was for the less privileged and he decided as soon as he got into the NBA to set up the Jordan Nwora Foundation as a way of reaching out and giving back to the grassroots to give them opportunity through basketball.”
US Embassy’s Joseph Kruzich thanked the JNF team for the visit that had FIBA Africa Zone 3 President, Col. Sam Ahmedu (Rtd), former WNBA star and Coach Anne O’Neil, Coach Spencer Gervase of Erie Community College, Buffalo and Secretary, FIBA Africa Zone 3, Joseph Apu in attendance.
He also extolled the good works of the foundation for taking basketball to the grassroots and even to areas that had security challenges using basketball as a unifying factor.
President of FIBA Africa Zone 3, Col. Ahmedu noted that the camps has held in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and several cities in Nigeria with the intention of giving children in other parts of Africa outside the Zone the same opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Jordan Nwora Foundation for the first time in its three years of holding the camps will have a tourney for wheelchair basketball players to also give them an opportunity of showcasing their skills.
The Lagos Camp holds from July 8-10 at the Dodan Warriors Basketball Courts located in Ilupeju with the Wheelchair tourney as the flag off.
No less than 15 players from Lagos and nine from Onitsha have benefited from scholarship programmes.
Jordan Nwora, a member of Nigeria’s D’Tigers, starred at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019 and the 2020 Olympic Games. Before the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games, he helped Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 NBA title.
The former Louisville men’s basketball star is the first Cardinal to win an NBA title since 2002 when Samaki Walker did so with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was Milwaukee’s first title since 1974.
On February 9, 2023, Nwora was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with George Hill and Serge Ibaka in a four-team trade involving the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.
Nwora holds the record for points scored in a single match for Nigeria, scoring 36 points against Mali in 2018, breaking Ike Diogu’s record of 31 points.
Nwora scored a game-high 33 points in a loss to Germany in the preliminary round of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He led Nigeria in scoring in the tournament after averaging 21 points per game
