‘This Is About Basketball’: Pamodzi Rejects Claims of Political Theatre in NBBF Deal

Pamodzi Sports Marketing has issued a sharp rebuttal to a recent media article that cast doubt on the Nigeria Basketball Federation’s (NBBF) partnership with a major national institution.

The company, widely recognized as a powerhouse in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality, and rights acquisition in Nigeria, dismissed the report as ‘myopic, self-serving, and blind to the bigger picture of basketball development.’

The controversial article had alleged that the partnership was nothing more than political theatre aimed at prolonging the current NBBF board’s tenure.

Pamodzi rejected this claim outright, insisting that the timing of such agreements is irrelevant compared to their long-term impact on the sport.

‘The writer’s obsession with timing shows how myopic his thinking is. There is no best time to pursue a partnership that will benefit basketball. What matters is the deal itself, and the biggest beneficiary is the sport, not individuals or boards,’ the company declared in its statement.

Pamodzi went further, accusing the author of acting as a proxy for those intent on undermining basketball’s growth in Nigeria.

‘Instead of reporting the sport, the writer is busy acting as an agent for those hell-bent on killing the sport. Why is he not seeing beyond politics? Why is he blind to the fact that basketball needs institutional support to grow? His narrative is not journalism, it is a hatchet job,’ the statement continued.

The company emphasized that the partnership is structured and carefully planned, noting that the institution involved will only revert in the first quarter of next year.

This, Pamodzi stressed, demonstrates that the initiative is not a unilateral promise but a deliberate process designed to strengthen basketball.

Pamodzi’s track record in Nigerian sports lends weight to its defense. The company has successfully negotiated landmark sponsorship deals for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), agreements that have endured across successive boards.

It argued that basketball, unlike football, has long struggled to attract the level of sponsorship necessary to elevate players, coaches, and officials, and that politicizing every initiative only stifles progress.

Beyond basketball, Pamodzi has established itself as a central player in the sports industry through diverse activities and aggressive initiatives. Its operations span media sports events, athlete and player marketing, relationship marketing with sports associations, sports management and promotion, multimedia campaigns, and strategic licensing.

Among its flagship projects is the prestigious Okpekpe International 10km Road Race, the first road race in West Africa to be measured by a World Athletics-accredited course measurer and the first in the region to earn a World Athletics label, placing it among the leading road races worldwide.

For Pamodzi, the message is unequivocal: partnerships that strengthen Nigerian sports should be celebrated, not politicized. “This is about basketball, pure and simple. Those who insist on dragging politics into every initiative are the ones holding the game back,” the company concluded.