Rivers Hoopers won the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League title after completing an unbeaten Final Four campaign in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, September 22. The Kingsmen secured their seventh NPBL championship with a 92-90 overtime victory over Maktown Flyers, having already clinched the trophy a day earlier by beating Gboko City Chiefs 88-76.
Hoopers drained 12 three-pointers against the Chiefs, and Maktown’s 72-64 loss to Aso SkyHawks confirmed Rivers as champions with a game to spare. The win also avenged Rivers’ 74-72 home defeat to Maktown in last season’s final, decided in the closing seconds.
Head coach Ogoh Odaudu celebrated the triumph at the final buzzer. “We had a heartbreak at home here last season, and we didn’t want thunder to strike in the same place twice,” he said. “We put up a good fight, and right now I’m really happy for the boys, happy for the crowd, happy for Rivers State, and happy that we’re back where we’re supposed to be.”
The title sends Rivers Hoopers back to the Basketball Africa League in 2027 after a season away from the continental competition.
