The Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF) and the international Basketball community have been paying tributes to Michael Ojo who tragically passed away on Friday following a heart attack.
Ojo was having an individual training session at the Partizan Belgrade sports complex, undergoing a trial as he hoped to secure a deal with the Serbian Basketball club.
President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF), Musa Kida said in a statement: “this is another flower that unexpectedly withered at such a time it was expected to start blossoming.
“After a sterling college career in the United States of America and after securing a professional deal in Belgrade, it is so sad that the basketball world has been robbed of this emerging talent who has been described as one of the tallest to play basketball in Serbia.”
Former D’Tigers Team Manager, Isah Umar who was the TM in 2011 when Ojo was first called up by Nigeria, revealed that although Ojo was eventually dropped from the final rooster for 2011 Afrobasket Championships in Madagascar, the player was delighted to be part of the Nigerian team.
“He was excited to be part of team Nigeria and gave his best at such a young age. He did not make the final cut, but he was excited to have a chance to play for his fatherland,” Umar said.
Ojo was 27 at the time of his death, collapsing after suffering from a heart attack. He was pronounced dead when the ambulance brought him to the hospital.
