Sports
Milwaukee Bucks Win NBA Championship
By Adedapo Adesanya
Milwaukee Bucks secured their first NBA championship in 50 years on Wednesday morning against the Phoenix Suns following a 105 – 98 win.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points as the Bucks claimed their first NBA title since 1971, landing a 4-2 series win in front of a 20,000 crowd.
They become only the fifth team to win the best-of-seven finals series after losing their first two matches.
The Suns were seeking their first NBA crown in their 53-year history, having also lost the NBA Finals series in 1976 and 1993.
Antetokounmpo, born in Greece with Nigerian ancestry, was the first player to have at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a finals’ game since blocks were first recorded in 1974 and became the seventh player to have at least 50 points in the championship round.
“I’m happy I was able to do it with this team for Milwaukee,” said Antetokounmpo.
It was also the third game in the series in which the 26-year-old has managed at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo matches the feat of Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon by collecting a regular-season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and NBA defensive player of the year awards.
“I want to thank Milwaukee for believing in me. I want to thank my teammates for playing hard with me,” Antetokounmpo said.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer described the Greek forward as “a special human being”.
“I’ve learned so much from him. He’s a special leader,” he said.
He praised the Suns, saying they had great players, a great coach and a great organization and then hailed his team.
“These players, they’re champions every day, Every day they come to the building they are champions.
“They’ve embraced getting better every day, they’ve embraced competing, they’ve embraced playing together. And it’s made them champions tonight. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
In 1971, the Bucks won the title in their third season behind the standout play of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) and Oscar Robertson. They beat the Baltimore Bullets in the final four games to none, winning the final game on the road.
This was the Bucks’ first appearance in the Finals since 1974 and it was the Suns’ third appearance in the Finals, the most recent coming in 1993.
As the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League group phase reaches its climax, 2023 winner Manchester City will aim to avoid group phase elimination when they host Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
With just eight points from seven matches this season, the Citizens sit 25th in the table and must secure all three points to stand any chance of securing a round-of-16 playoff spot.
Club Brugge, three points ahead of their hosts, will come to Manchester knowing that a draw would be enough to get them a playoff spot. The action will be broadcast live on DStv and GOtv at 9 pm on Wednesday.
Fans are in for a thrilling night of Champions League football with 17 other matches running simultaneously. Champions League debutants, Brest and defending champions, Real Madrid, will hope they can nick one of the top eight spots when they slug it out in France.
With 10 points each, PSG and Stuttgart will engage in a fierce match as both sides aim to avoid dropping out of the playoff spots. In the other encounters, Bayern Munich will take on Slovan Bratislava, Juventus will host Benfica, Aston Villa will square up against Celtic in a British derby, and Inter Millan will take on Monaco.
Elsewhere, Ademola Lookman’s Atalanta will face off with Barcelona in Spain in what promises to be a goal fest. Girona will host Arsenal, while Liverpool will square up against PSV in the Netherlands. All the action will be broadcast on SuperSport channels available on DStv and GOtv.
GOtv subscribers can take advantage of the Step-Up offer to enjoy more football action across the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Champions League, and Europa League matches. Customers on the Jolli package who upgrade to Max will be automatically upgraded to Supa, while those upgrading to Supa will gain access to Supa Plus at no extra cost. The offer is available until March 31.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will have another chance to lift the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco as they face Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda in the group stage of the continental tournament.
The Nigerian team was drawn in Group C during the ceremony that was held in Morocco on Monday night.
The Super Eagles went all the way to the final of the last AFCON before losing 1-2 to the host, Cote d’Ivoire, in 2024. They now will be aiming to go one step better in the next tournament where they will be going for their fourth crown.
Though Nigeria and Tunisia are the more accomplished teams in Group C, the East African teams of Tanzania and Uganda present a tough challenge for the two automatic qualifying spots.
The host nation Morocco will lead Group A alongside Mali, Zambia, and Comoros.
The Group B is also packed with heavyweights consisting of Egypt, South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe who will have a lot to prove in the group.
In Group D, 2021 champions Senegal will battle it out with DR Congo, Benin, and Botswana, while Group E sees Algeria drawn against Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan.
The defending champions, Ivory Coast will be hoping to outwit Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique to kickstart the defence of the title they won at home last year.
The tournament, which will hold in December 2025 into January 2026, will be Nigeria’s chance to be continental champions since they last won it in 2013.
The tournament will be one task out of many for Nigeria’s Malian coach, Mr Eric Chelle, who was recently appointed to lead the Super Eagles, was present during Monday’s draw in Morocco.
Mr Chelle will be aiming to join Mr Otto Gloria (1980), Mr Clemens Westerhof (1994) and the late Stephen Keshi (2013), in the league of managers to win the AFCON trophy for Nigeria.
CAF president Patrick Motsepe from South Africa told reporters he believes the first AFCON to span two years will also be the most successful.
“I am extremely excited about the AFCON in Morocco — it is going to be the most successful yet. Ivory Coast raised the bar last year and now we must reach even greater heights.
Originally slated for mid-2025, the tournament had to be delayed because to avoid clashing with the maiden edition of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
“The new dates will not affect the tournament. Africa boasts many exceptionally talented footballers and all of them will be in Morocco,” added Mr Motsepe.
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