January 26, (THEWILL) – Cedric Ceballos, a former professional basketball player and 1995 NBA All-Star, has highlighted the issue of convincing parents to let their children participate in the sport as one of the biggest challenges facing basketball today.
Ceballos, who played for the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat, made these comments while speaking to journalists in Abuja, on Wednesday, at the Power Forward Finals 2022, an event organised by ExxonMobil, NBA Africa, and PanAfricare.
The 55-year-old, who is now an ambassador for the sport, stressed the importance of sports in general, not just basketball, in helping children to communicate with others, work as a team, and develop important life skills.
He also highlighted the example of Kobe Bryant, who was able to pay for his own education through basketball and emphasized the importance of maximizing potential and earning opportunities while young. “We just want to grow the game. So the kids can experience so many other things and get so many other chances to grow,” Ceballos said.
Gbemisola Abudu, NBA Africa VP and Country Head of Nigeria, Dr. Sani Mohammed Ladan, FCT Secondary Education Board Director, and Dr. Patrick Adah, PanAfricare Country Director for Nigeria, also spoke at the event.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
