Nigerian Basketball Star Ezinne Kalu On What It Means To Be Tokyo Olympics Bound

We are going to the Olympics to represent a nation of people who have always been forced to keep quiet, stay in the shadows, and not show the excellence and talents we possess. So many Africans are breaking barriers throughout all sports.

Ezinne Kalu

Professional Basketball Player

Nigerian National Team & Landerneau BB

Tell us a little bit about how you got into basketball and your journey leading up to playing professionally for Launderneau Bretagne Basket.

I started playing basketball in 3rd grade. However, it was not my first sport that I chose. Cheerleading was how I started into athletics. My mom put a ball in my hand and asked me to try something different, so I did, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Basketball was my new favorite thing to do and I was determined to be the best I could be. We practiced every day. Every day, we watched films on other basketball players, women and men. Kobe Bryant and Cappie Pondexter were two of my favorite people to watch and learn their game.

The journey to get to where I am today has not been easy, but it has been worth every second. Having the right coaches and family by my side for support has given me the drive to keep playing to become something amazing.

Playing for Landerneau for the second year in a row is exciting because it’s proof that I am doing a good job and I have so much more to offer. Every country that I have played in; Portugal, Hungary, Germany, and now France has given me a new outlook on why staying dedicated and motivated is so important.

You were named tournament MVP while competing in the 2019 Women’s Afrobasket. How have you been able to elevate your game over the years? Tell us about how you stay motivated and focused.

That’s just it, staying motivated and focused on becoming a better player every day has been the reason why my game has elevated over the years.

I wake up grateful every day that I get to travel the world and do what I love at a professional level. I come from very humble beginnings. There were times when where I wanted to give up.

There were times where I felt like my body couldn’t go on but I just remembered the plan God has for me and I keep pushing.

You will be participating in the Tokyo Olympics! Congratulations. Tell us how it feels to be representing your country at the Olympics and the mindset you’ll be bringing the games.

Thank you! Competing at the Olympic Games and being able to wear those Nigerian colors means everything to us all. When we all found out that we qualified we were super excited and overwhelmed with emotions. This was something that we had worked so hard for and everything was finally falling into place.

The journey to Tokyo will be nothing short of focus, hard work, and staying dedicated to our responsibilities as a team. The Olympics is the biggest stage in the world to showcase who we are. So, we must take every training session, every film session, and every day off seriously to mentally and physically prepare for the competition.

This will be Nigeria’s second appearance in the Olympic games. What do you want people to know about basketball in Nigeria and the legacy you and your teammates are helping create?

I want people to know that we have worked extremely hard for this and we have been through so much to get to where we are now as individuals and as a team.

We are going to the Olympics to represent a nation of people who have always been forced to keep quiet, stay in the shadows, and not show the excellence and talents we possess. So many Africans are breaking barriers throughout all sports.

With both the women and men basketball teams qualifying, we are given an opportunity to really showcase what Nigeria has to offer to the world.

AFA (Africa for Africa) Sponsors you as an athlete. How do you brand yourself and set yourself apart to be able to gain sponsorships?

I brand myself by being my authentic self.

I feel like a lot of times we get so wrapped up in comparing ourselves to other people that we do not recognize how great we are and how far just being yourself can take us. I brand myself by being open-minded, trying new things, being professional, humble, and doing everything I do with grace and poise. Whether I’m doing it on the court or off the court.

To gain sponsorships I try to always promote myself in a positive light and showcase how my talent and authenticity can mesh with any brand.

A lot of the times the sponsorship deals not only work with your talent, but they want to know who you are as a person, your morals, and your values. I believe that my morals and my belief that hard work beats talent separate me from others.

List 3 of your top most unforgettable moments as a basketball player so far, on or off the court.

My top 3 most unforgettable moments on the court are

1. Hitting the game-winning 3 point shot against North Korea in the Olympic Qualifying tournament in 2016.
2. Winning back to back championships for Afro Basket 2017/2019 and going undefeated both years.
3. Receiving the 2019 Afro Basket MVP

All of those moments but especially the last were incredibly special moments.