Giants of Africa, a foundation dedicated to enriching the lives of African youth through sports, and co-founder Masai Ujiri, Vice-Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, have opened four new basketball courts in Lagos.

The unveiling is part of the foundation’s multi-year, 100-court commitment to investing in sports infrastructure across Africa, known as the “Built Within” initiative. Since September 2021, Giants of Africa has constructed 20 courts in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Senegal.

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Nigeria has a ton of talent, Ujiri declared. “We knew we would come back after unveiling our inaugural courts here in Lagos under the ‘Built Within’ concept last year. The young people and the communities that are dedicated to using sports to advance Africa continue to excite us.

“While basketball courts are the heart of the ‘Built Within’ initiative, it’s about providing valuable life skills to empow­er the youth, while creating stronger communities and job opportunities on and off the court. Our goal is to bring social transformation, education and enrichment to the lives of chil­dren across the continent and want Africa’s youth to dream big, believing that anything is possible,” he added.

The unveilings held at Gas­kiya College and Egan Gram­mar School sponsored by the Jess and Scott Lake Founda­tion, the Ejigbo Mini Stadium in partnership with 2K Founda­tions, followed by Abesan Mini Stadium. The four new sites are in addition to the five pre­viously announced locations, totaling nine basketball courts across Nigeria.