Department of Economics & Social Affairs
If the world wasn't looking to Africa for basketball’s future talent,
it definitely is now.
70 athletes
of African origin were listed in the NBA as at 2020. The league is composed of 74.2 percent black players and has the highest percentage of black players of any major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_NBA
#TheOBNAdvantage
A youth demography empowered is a society secured. It is time potential meets opportunity at a global stage.
Let’s give the African student-athlete the platform to reach the peak. Empowering the African student-athlete is inspiring a movement.
It starts a ripple effect that impacts families, societies and country.
That is the vision of the
OBN Academy Foundation.
We reach thousands of African athletes
Our mission is to empower thousands of Africa’s youth population by bridging the gap between sports and education; through scholarship opportunities to world class schools in the United States.
Founder, OBN Foundation.
Retired University of Maryland and NBA star athlete
Director, OBN Academy Foundation.
That’s where OBN Foundation comes in
The OBN Foundation has been organized to function as a Texas non-profit corporation to solicit charitable contributions and in-kind donations to sponsor African student athletes wanting to attend public or private high school (and possibly Junior College) in the U.S.
OBN Academy intends to have a governing board that represents the broad interest of the public including educators, business and community leaders and other persons representing a broad cross-section of the general public.
Athleticism. Academics. Accomplishment.
How we work
We are building an athletic system that Africans can trust for professionalism and transparency.
OBN Foundation works to provide life-changing opportunities for African student-athletes through placements at elite high schools and colleges across the United States.
The OBN Academy is Africa’s premier basketball academy providing the education, network, and coaching for its enrollees.
OBN Live 360 is a subscription-based video-sharing platform for coaches and schools interested in recruiting student athletes for higher education.
The Process
L-R: Founder, OBN Foundation, Obinna Ekezie, United States Consul General, Claire Pierangelo, OBN Director of Global Brand and Marketing, Noella Ekezie, U.S Consulate Public Affairs diplomat, Jennifer Foltz
Once enrolled at OBN Academy, OBN evaluates the public and private high schools that students will attend to ensure that students are getting a good education in a safe environment. For some students, OBN Academy will coordinate with private high schools to obtain scholarship opportunities and negotiate discounted tuition and fees when possible. OBN Academy may also provide stipends and other in-kind support to host families and students for essentials such as books, educational aids, clothing, toiletries, transportation, tutoring and additional training.
Obtaining visas to study in the U.S. can be a difficult process so, OBN Academy will coordinate with the U.S Consulate in Nigeria to assist students in obtaining their F-1 student visas required to attend school in the U.S.
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