After receiving the hosting rights for the 2025 Nigeria Basketball Premier League (NBPL) Playoffs and Final Four, Rivers Hoopers Head Coach Ogoh Odaudu has warned that his charges must be prepared to work hard to retain their title despite playing on home court.
In a circular released on Monday, 20th October, 2025, the League Management Committee of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) announced Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as host for the third (playoffs) and final phases (final four) of the 2025 NBPL season.
This means the Garden City will serve as host for the final phase of the league for the third year running, having also hosted the 2023 and 2024 finals, much to the delight of the award-winning gaffer who said, “Everybody wants to play in front of their home crowd. You can see the atmosphere in the gym anytime we play here; it’s electric. Even though we wanted to go out to have a taste of what it is outside, there was no other bid from elsewhere. Well, [we’ll do] anything to bring basketball to the doorstep of our fans right here. So we went for it and were granted [the hosting right], and we are happy about that.”
With the latest development, expectations remain high among basketball enthusiasts for the defending champions to clinch the NBPL title at the end of the 2025 season, just as they did in 2023 and 2024 on home soil.
But the seasoned tactician, Odaudu, has warned that with the increased level of competition within the league, only hard work will deliver a third straight crown to the KingsMen.
“Like I’ve said earlier, teams are not smiling; they are recruiting massively. So it’s not going to be a walk in the park for us [despite playing at home]. It [retaining the title] is something that we have to actually work for in order to win, and that’s what we’re planning to do,” he stated.
The Playoffs (Final Eight) is scheduled for 26th October, 2025, to 3rd November, 2025, during which period all eight teams will play once against the other seven teams in a round robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the Final Four, which will run from 20th to 24th November.
All matches will be played at the Indoor Basketball Stadium, #59 Niger Street, Port Harcourt Township.
