IN THE VALLEY 19. Taking the NBA to the next level with Nigeria and its diaspora
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Today, Ibrahim Sagna welcomes in the valley the face of the NBA in Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, who has been nominated as a part of Sports Illustrated 100 Black Women in Sports.
5 BIG IDEAS DISCUSSED IN THE VALLEY WITH GBEMISOLA ABUDU
1."Mark Tatum's appreciation of the rich heritage of Nigerian culture led to the NBA All-Star game Halftime show"
Gbemisola shares the story behind how Burna Boy, Tems and Rema became headliners of the Halftime Show of the All-Star Game 2023. With her team, she launched the "NBA Meets Art" concept, an event showcasing Nigerian culture and arts through the lens of the NBA. The COO and Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Mark Tatum, was invited to Lagos to attend the first NBA Meets Art in 2022 and he was inspired by what he witnessed. He was the one who brought forward the idea of making the next All-Star halftime show an Afrobeats-powered one and Gbemisola delivered.
2."Even though I planned to study law, I very early on got bit by the marketing bug"
During our conversation, Gbemisola looks back to her career and how she started. She explains how she first had dreams of becoming a lawyer before she took a life-changing marketing class : she later applied for a role at Disney in market research which encouraged her to further explore this field of study. Listen to the episode to learn more about how she used her marketing expertise to end up at LVMH and ultimately at the helm of the NBA in Nigeria !
3."About half of the NBA players of African descent are from Nigeria, that tells you the talent bed that we represent, it's our responsibility to build opportunities around that talent"
Gbemisola gets into the details of why the NBA recognizes Nigeria as an important hub. Nigeria represents an important bed of talent for the league. In this upcoming season alone, half of the players of African descent are of Nigerian origin. Nigeria's dominance in NBA basketball is not a new fit: the first international player to win the MVP trophy was Nigeria's very own Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994.
4."Nigeria re-classified sports as an industry and that shows that we are headed in the right direction"
During our conversation, Gbemisola speaks on the way forward to ensure that the Nigerian talent in basketball and in sports gets matched with the right opportunities. To her, countries like Rwanda and Saudi Arabia are paving the way forward in utilizing sports as a lever for economic growth. (Check out our episode with Michaella Rugwizangoga of Rwanda Development Board). Gbemisola is optimistic that Nigeria will be able to do the same and cited the recent reclassification of sports as an industry (and not a recreational activity). The decision has led to incentives being set up for investors in the sports industry.
5."I was inspired by Kobe's vision and clarity from such a young age."
Gbemisola spoke to me of her inspirations. Her late father inspired her move back to Nigeria :Nigeria: he was also the one who taught her to have a clear vision and to never shy away from her own ambitions. She also quoted the late Kobe Bryant :Bryant: Gbemisola told me that she was always inspired by Kobe and his Mamba Mentality, from the early days of his NBA career to his transition as a businessman.