Over the last decade, Friday Night Lights has positioned itself as Uganda’s premiere sports-meets-showbiz event, offering a unique blend of music and beverages with the basketball serving as a side dish of sorts.
Season nine was no different as the organizers, as always, encouraged the players to employ an easygoing approach on the court, with participating teams fielding a blend of league players, fans and celebrities in their lineups.
It was only fitting that a fan scored at the buzzer as Team Iman beat Team Ekon, 33-31, in the finals of Season 9 on January 5, 2024.
“It was an honour to be considered a Captain in FNL9. Winning it all left us super proud; especially seeing that the winning basket came from a fan,” said Ritah Imanishiwe, Team Iman captain.
As was with leg two, the organisation of the finale was top-notch as Qi Sports Management, the event production group, and its partners at ATS scored with lighting, grand audiovisuals (AV) displays and pyrotechnics.
The tradition of having stars from the entertainment industry on the nights continued as Jose Chameleone graced the event.
While Chameleone did not take the court, the other notable star present took the floor at Lugogo Hockey Ground. Bakuwe Kyonywa fame Nutty Neithan laced up for Team Afande, Mr Mosh led out Team Confort with Ngoni classic ‘Digi’ on which he featured while ‘Kyoyooyo’ singer Nina Roz threw up a couple of shots.
All eight (8) teams were in action, playing their last group games before the finals. Team Wazee picked up its first win beating Team Afande on the back of former City Oilers center Francis Azolibe.
Both Team Iman and Team Ekon registered 3 out of 3 wins in Pool B and Pool A respectively; which propelled them to the finals as group winners.
While the awards ceremony was postponed to a later date, during games several half-time challenges saw fans win lots of cool prizes from the sponsors including t-shirts, hats, cash and headphones.
National Council of Sports (NCS) Chairperson Ambrose Tashobya and General Secretary Bernard Ogwel handed out some of the prizes to the winners.
