The third edition of the Elevate Basketball Clinic will hold on October at the Rowe Park Sports Centre in Yaba, Lagos, the organisers have said. What began as a vision in 2024 has quickly grown into a movement, they said.

Organised by Elevate Basketball Academy in partnership with the Lagos State Basketball Association, the clinic is more than a sporting event—it is a platform for mentorship, leadership, and community empowerment.

Coordinator Gbade Olatona speaks of its steady rise, noting how each year more young people are eager to join. This time, he said, hundreds of participants under the age of sixteen are expected to participate in the one-day programme, a testament to the clinic’s growing influence.

Founder and Sponsor of the initiative, Akinwande Oshodi, said that the project is deeply personal.

Oshodi, a Lagosian but based in the United States, understands the challenges facing young people in Nigeria.

Basketball, he says, was never just a game—it was a teacher. Through it, he learned discipline, perseverance, teamwork, and the importance of believing in something greater than himself.

That belief shaped Elevate Basketball Academy. Oshodi said that his mission is simple yet profound, explaining that it is to use basketball as a vehicle for personal growth, to help young athletes build confidence, discipline, and resilience, and to prepare them for life beyond the court.   

“Through youth clinics, mentorship, character development, and community outreach,” he explains, “we provide opportunities for young athletes to develop their talents while strengthening the values that lead to success in school, sports, and life.”

Olatona adds that the clinic is not only about producing athletes but about shaping leaders, responsible citizens, and agents of change.   

Together, they envision a future where basketball becomes a pathway to hope, growth, and transformation.

“Elevate Basketball Academy continues to prove that the game can transcend sport. It is a bridge between aspiration and opportunity, a stage where young people discover not only how to play but how to lead, how to serve, and how to dream,” he said.