CNN
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Nigerian Ejike Ugboaja made history in 2006 by becoming the first player to be drafted to the NBA directly from Africa.
He was briefly with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and played in Europe and the Middle East, as well as for the Nigerian national team. But the six-foot-nine-inch (206-centimeter) power forward’s biggest sporting impact may have been off the court.
In 2007 he started the Ejike Ugboaja Foundation to give young African athletes scholarships and a chance to play basketball and football internationally. Beneficiaries include fellow basketballers Jeffrey Ike Obiagu, who played for Seton Hall University, and NBA player Precious Ezinna Achiuwa, as well as NFL players Haggai Ndubuisi and Kenneth Odumegwu. Ugboaja also started an eponymous football club which now plays in one of Nigeria’s local leagues.
His foundation has helped hundreds of athletes to be placed in schools in the US and beyond. Ugboaja says he wants to ensure young athletes get the opportunities that he didn’t as an aspiring basketballer, and that the doors are open to as many as are willing to succeed.
As he makes plans for a recreation center to get more young people taking part in sports, Ugboaja spoke to CNN about his foundation’s role in developing Nigerian talent.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
CNN: Your foundation has helped young Nigerians get scholarships and contracts abroad. Why is this important for you?
Ejike Ugboaja: I have played in Nigeria and know how hard it is. That is why I put back my energy to make sure that they understand how the game is played and to help them achieve better basketball skills in the US.
CNN: What kind of challenges did you overcome as an aspiring athlete and what are you doing to help upcoming athletes?
Ejike Ugboaja: Nigerians don’t know how to support people who don’t have the means. They only support their own. When I was growing up, it was hard. Nobody supported me. I will give them (aspiring athletes) my money to make sure they achieve their goals. I’ve seen how hard it is to ask someone for a flight ticket or for help to play basketball. I don’t want to be emotional about this. When I look at them, I am like, “God, I was this person.” I’ve helped a whole lot of people with my money to make sure they have education and sports. It is a great joy for me.
CNN: What changes would you like to see in basketball in Nigeria?
Ejike Ugboaja: Basketball is something that takes people off the street, and I’m one (of them). I was drafted and have a meaningful life today because of basketball. It’s helped me change over 300 to 400 lives. I want the right person (to head Nigeria’s basketball federation) who is passionate about changing basketball, not for his own gain.
We want to play basketball. We want our children to play basketball. My son is so excited. One day he’ll want to play for Nigeria like his dad played, but the league (in Nigeria) is not happening. Imagine if we came home and I said, let’s go and watch basketball. Where would we watch it?
CNN: What’s making you excited about the future?
Ejike Ugboaja: I’m creating a recreation center where people can do sports. I’m trying to build a basketball gym, a field, where even American football can be played. I want to get a lot of coaches — from outside and home — to support and train these players so that they’ll be fundamentally sound. That is my excitement and making sure I put more into high schools, to groom them very well, so that when they come out they’ll be ready to go anywhere they want or do sports anywhere they want.
CNN: What does legacy mean to you and what do you hope young athletes remember most about your journey?
Ejike Ugboaja: Legacy is one thing that I have worked for. The people you impact (create) meaning to your life. Because some people can have all the money, but what have they done for society?
Today, I can beat my chest and tell everybody, I have changed a lot of lives … I did it by the grace of God. My legacy is making sure whenever I step anywhere, I don’t go to receive, I go to give. I appreciate God for giving me the opportunity to do that.
Watch the full interview on African Voices Changemakers.
