MONROVIA – The 2024 National Basketball League Awards ceremony, held on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Gymnasium, saw a notably low turnout, leaving the venue nearly empty.
The event faced widespread criticism for its lack of organization. Several stakeholders within the basketball community, including media personnel, lamented the absence of formal invitations or accreditation. It remains unclear whether the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) had made any effort to distribute these beforehand.
Claudius Thompson, CEO of one of Liberia’s leading basketball media outlets, expressed his disappointment, writing, “Sadly, we don’t respect media in our sport. Major platforms like Promote Liberia Basketball, 231 Prospects, 231 BallisLife, and Liberia Basketball Network were not officially invited.”
Thompson, also a trained basketball coach, criticized the awards selection process, stating, “In basketball, the ‘Most Defensive Player’ is typically determined through a combination of advanced metrics such as defensive rating, individual plays like steals and blocks, impact on team defense, and a subjective evaluation by analysts and media members.”
The Liberia Basketball Association has long struggled with inadequate support from the national government, with the current fiscal year’s allotment standing at a mere $5,000. Over the years, internal conflicts have also plagued the association, keeping it in a state of disarray. However, with FIBA recently lifting its four-year international ban, the current leadership under Abraham Samukai has been striving to restore order and advance the sport.
Critics of Samukai’s administration argue that with improved organization, basketball—Liberia’s second most popular sport—could achieve much greater recognition and success.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, LBA President Abraham Samukai highlighted several achievements under his leadership, including the lifting of FIBA-Africa’s suspension, the participation of Liberia’s under-18 male and female teams in international competitions for the first time since 2007, hosting the WBLA Zone 3 tournament, international training for referees, youth basketball camps for players and coaches, and Mighty Barrolle’s participation in the Inter-Club Championship.
Samukai vowed to continue building on these successes with adequate support. He expressed gratitude to the Liberian government, particularly the Ministry of Youth and Sports, for its consistent backing.
“Once again, basketball has triumphed. Our purpose for coming to this gym every evening is to cheer on our respective clubs to victory. The fact that we have reached this point, crowning champions, speaks volumes. For those who didn’t win today, there’s always tomorrow,” he remarked, congratulating all the winners.
Mighty Barrolle took home L$350,000 as First Division champions, while runners-up Cestos Mongar received L$150,000. Mighty Barrolle’s star player, Joel Martor, was named the First Division Most Valuable Player.
In the women’s category, Commissioners claimed L$200,000 as champions, with Invincible Eleven (IE) Women receiving L$100,000 for second place.
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