Giants of Africa Makes International Debut at Adidas X Alba Next UP Women’s Tournament in Berlin – THISDAYLIVE

Giants of Africa (GOA), the non profit organization founded by Masai Ujiri which uses basketball as a tool to empower youth and create opportunities across the continent made its first ever appearance in Europe at the adidas x ALBA Next Up Women’s Basketball Tournament in Berlin, Germany this past week.

The Tournament that took place between September 3 and September 6, brought together eight teams from around the world, with Giants of Africa competing alongside teams from Australia, Hungary, Indonesia, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic. A GOA delegation of women including eight young women from five African nations (Ethiopia, Gabon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania), all alumni of the Giants of Africa Festival, united as one team to represent the organization on the international stage. The delegation also includes GOA Coach Melissa Diawakana (DRC) and Assistant Coach Adetokunbo Ijomah (Nigeria), with the support of GOA Coach Geraldine Robert (Gabon) and staff.

The trip marked a major milestone for Giants of Africa’s Women’s Empowerment Programme, a core pillar of the organization’s long-standing commitment to gender equity. This programme weaves empowerment and access for girls and young women into every layer of GOA’s work – and this international debut marked that mission reaching a new stage.

For many of the participants, the experience also marked their first time traveling outside of Africa, making the tournament an opportunity to expand their worlds both on and off the court.

The first three days were used by teams for the tournament’s Group Stage: three games split between two groups. Programming for the final day consisted of multiple Cross Games, followed by an award ceremony and trophy presentation.

Beyond competing, the group attended games at the ongoing…