KB Bashkimi of Kosovo star, Ike Sean Nwamu has declared that he still cherishes playing for Nigeria, despite losing to Australia and New Zealand in 3×3 basketball at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Sports247 reports that both defeats came after the team won their opening game versus Caymen Islands, much to the delight of the well-travelled Nwamu, who stated that the team already etched a milestone before the defeats.
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The 33-year-old shooting guard and point guard, who was born in Los Angeles, USA, added that he was happy to have helped Nigeria achieve history with a first-ever victory in the 3×3 basketball event and inferred that he had no regrets in playing for the country.
Although the team lost their next two matches later same day, Nwamu, who was part of Nigeria’s regular basketball squad to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, said he was delighted that the 3×3 team started with a 21-17 win over Cayman Islands.
He and Esosa Okundaye led with six points each, following which Nwamu described the victory as a reward for months of quality preparation, which he thanked the National Sports Commission (NSC) for initiating and making possible.
Nwamu went on to credit the team’s adequate build-up programme towards the Games and high level of exposure they got from camping together with Olympic champions, Netherlands, as a major factor accounting for their victory.
He acknowledged, “It was a great match. We fought hard and our preparations paid off, as we won Nigeria’s first game in 3×3 basketball at the Commonwealth Games.
“Playing for Nigeria means a lot to me, and every opportunity I have to represent my country means everything. We thank the National Sports Commission for allowing us to prepare properly.
“We trained with the Netherlands national team, who won the gold medal in 3×3 basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. That preparation really helped us.”
Sports247 reports further that Nwamu remained upbeat, though the Nigerian 3×3 basketball team later lost 21-15 to Australia in their second game and 20-10 to New Zealand during their last group fixture.
